re: My review of Boucherie (long lol)....

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FWIW mussels are a lot better/a safer option to order at restaurants than scallops.

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See, Anthony Bourdain said he's largely against ordering mussels in most restaurants because many aren't careful to handle them properly. Although I still do anything they're offered.

Bourdain wrote Kitchen Confidential in the late 90s and early 2000s. Long before the renaissance in cooking and restaurants. Many of his "rules" can be disregarded based on conditions that largely dont exist anymore.

Exactly.

What I meant about mussels being 'safer' than scallops was referring to the flavors. Chances are you're going to have mussels that taste better than scallops, but it's a personal preference IMO.

And I agree with what you said about Bourdain and how what he wrote 20 years ago doesn't apply to now. A lot of restaurants handle mussels properly.

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I don't eat mussels in restaurants unless I know the chef, or have seen, with my own eyes, how they store and hold their mussels for service. I love mussels. But, in my experience, most cooks are less than scrupulous in their handling of them. It takes only a single bad mussel, one treacherous little guy hidden among an otherwise impeccable group ... If I'm hungry for mussels, I'll pick the good-looking ones out of your order.

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Like I said, I still order them anywhere that offers. I love them too much.

And like BO said, the book is old.

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so I can't bring myself to pay a premium for them.

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Well scallops are one of the most expensive seafood. I know Boucherie uses U-10 dry scallops which are the most expensive type of scallops. They are somewhat hard to find also fresh. Whole foods or Rouse's is the only place I have seen them at.

But I agree with you, I do like to eat them at home and they are quick and easy to cook. Some restaurants do skimp on serving size when it comes to scallops.