Mussels & Fries is one of my favorite dishes to order when I am at a restaurant.  I was super stoked when Portland Monthly asked me to photograph La Moule, the new (ish) restaurant that is known for mussels.   Owner, Aaron Barnett, saw a major flaw in the Portland food scene, we were missing a restaurant that focused on Belgium’s main dish, moules-frites.  La Moule came to our rescue and now we have a spot to eat, err- slurp, down those wonderful marine molluscs. The atmosphere is both sexy and casual.  (I like to call it Portland-Sexy).  It’s the type of place where you could have a romantic date or hang out with your buddies.

The cocktail in my photos is the Backwards Bicycle- Heaven Hill 6-year bourbon, Pamplemousse, lemon and orange bitters.  I was able to try the drink when I finished working and it was a perfect end to my photo shoot.   The mussel dish featured in my photos is the Marocaine. It features Merguez, a red, spicy mutton or beef based sausage from the Arab North African cuisine, plus some white wine, mint and cilantro.  In order to bring the photos to life (realistically) I HAD to have some empty shells to complete the composition.  I swear it was for the sake of the photo. 😉   They were delicious of course!

If you are asked to join a date or friends and are not into shellfish of this nature- La Moule features some amazing entree options that are sans-seafood, like a NY Steak.  So don’t worry, there is something for everyone at this SE Portland novelty.  I highly recommend checking La Moule next time you are in the Clinton area.