Mussel Bar
Mussel Bar is reminiscent of the type of roadside tavern one discovers while traversing the Belgian countryside. Upon arrival, the guest is greeted with knotted oak wainscoting and floors, a custom host stand made from metal lifts and a wooden box, and light fixtures made of beer bottles and rope. The custom light fixtures were designed to fit a specific beer bottle; a nod to Chef Wiedmaier’s Belgian brew, “Antigoon.” The bar features a concrete surface embedded with mussel shells and a 16 by 12-foot illuminated glass façade bottle cooler. Train clocks, beer towers, slate menu boards, and muscled graphics punctuate the space. Themes of travel and importing are echoed by the series of shipping containers nestled behind the host are used to delineate the restrooms. The kitchen is set up in an open “theatrical” layout, displaying the act of cooking as the focus of the dining room.
Photography: Scott Suchman
