203051 Mon Aug 11 14:54:09 -0700 2003 5 18 Manhattan 0 1082828 at the behest of the moules frites thread, a friend and i went to vol de nuit (148 w. 4th street) at about 8:00 pm last friday. the selection of beer: great. the moules: awful. the mussels themselves weren’t so bad – sweet, not sandy. the preparation, however, was awful! i’ve never had mussels so greasy – they sat in a bowl of thick oily butter broth, and as a result were slimy, and simply (and grossly) greasy. also, a good third of the mussels were unopened – thus, inedible. the frites: good. a proper mix of soft and crunchy fries in a simple paper cone. the sauces for the frites: the two we chose were a "bourbon" sauce which was undeniably honey mustard salad dressing (although our waiter claimed that he wasn't the person to talk to about the sauces...), and a thick grainy mustard which was good, although it is hard to do anything wrong to mustard scooped from a jar. the service: pretty bad. before i arrived, my friend waited for fifteen minutes at the table, with the menu the waiter gave to him when he said that he would "be right bace to take the drink order." he never came back. my friend went to bar to order own drink. once i arrived we asked for water. the waiter disappeared. we looked for someone else to ask for water, there seemed to be no one – not even the bartender – in sight. finally, our waiter returned from the street, carrying a bottle of soda – it seemed that he had run out for a drink himself. we asked him again for water. time passed, nothing was brought. no one to complain to. finally, we received water (after the missing waiter ambled by again). similar situation when we asked for napkins (which we needed desperately since the mussels were so greasy). this experience really was a shame as vol de nuit seems to be a good concept. good beer selection and decent atmosphere could make it a great destination for drinks and a good light meal/snack. if only the food was edible! Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/202949#1082143 Mon Aug 11 14:54:09 -0700 2003 0 beththeb 1 1082841 Again, if you need once again to fulfill your yen for a big bowl of mussels, frites and Belgian beer please try Cafe de Bruxelles. They have never let me down over a number of years. Sorry your other experience was bad, as there is few foods worse than bad mussels. Mon Aug 11 16:52:47 -0700 2003 1082828 0 Jkos 2 1082870 Definitely Cafe de Bruxelles, all the way--superb frites, sublime salmon, and moules to die for--I live in New Orleans but visit NYC often, and C de B always garners a visit from me. Mon Aug 11 20:18:19 -0700 2003 1082841 0 hawgjaw 3 1082889 Not a big fan of Vol either.....if you're on LI, you should try Waterzooi in Garden city. never had a bad moule yet!!!! ( i know this should be continued in the tri state section!). Tue Aug 12 09:23:10 -0700 2003 1082870 0 Jimmy Esquirez 3 1082999 Also Markt--nice ambiance, good service, excellent mussels. Wed Aug 13 08:06:11 -0700 2003 1082870 0 dixieday 1 1082979 Wow! I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience there. I've been a bunch of times, sometimes just for the great beer but also for moules et frites (I usually get the curry mayonnaise). And I've always enjoyed the food, although I wonder whether my expectations aren't particularly high because I think of it more as a bar than a restaurant. Tue Aug 12 17:51:45 -0700 2003 1082828 0 Carolyn Mandy