Mollusca Adds Swank And A Deftly Wrought Eclectic Menu To New York’s Gentrified MeatPacking District

I was not happy when New York’s so-called Meatpacking District gave way to blocks of trendy boutiques and electric car dealerships, but the success of the High Line as a neighborhood restorative and the installation of the Whitney Museum made it inevitable, and, I must admit, the place looks a lot better than it did when it was full of loud, grinding trucks carrying carcasses day and night on streets lined with effluent.

In particular, the triangle that borders Greenwich Avenue and Little West 12th Street is now a charming, open space with red umbrellas, and at least for the time being the air space and light has not been compromised by 100-story skyscrapers. Yet.

There at the edge of Little West 12th Street is a new seafood restaurant named Mollusca, whose signature dish of mussels is served with an option of 35 sauces, from traditional white wine to cacio e pepe, condensed milk and wasabi, salted caramel and peanut and popcorn.

Chef Gianmaria Sapia, from Savona, Italy, has joined owner Eric Agababayev and his Alpina Restaurant Group (which has six Molluscas in Moscow) in this ambitious venture; the executive chef on premises is Christian Bonilla, who comes from Zuma, the snazzy seafood chain that Mollusca resembles in size and menu departments.

But Mollusca’s menu is not just more extensive but remarkable for the kitchen’s ability to turn out so many disparate elements with such finesse, from ceviches to pastas, from lobster rolls to empanadas.

It’s a sleek and shadowy dining room, especially at twilight, with a taupe marble cocktail bar that seats only nine (indicating Mollusca is not seeking a Tao-like vibe). The 100-seat room is nicely lighted with hand-blown glass chandeliers resembling jellyfish, and the buttery soft leather and velvet seating and tables are both well set and well separated. I was there on a fairly slow Tuesday night at summer’s end, so the noise level was just fine, with music playing only faintly in the background.

You’re going to need help perusing the vast menu, so ask, and despite my tasting (with three guests) of perhaps 20 dishes with no major flaws, I can only wonder how the kitchen can keep up when the place is packed.

We began with a hamachi ceviche with pickled jalapeño, wasabi mayo and guacamole ($19) in a pretty presentation that showed the East-West direction the meal would take. So, too, branzino crudo came with a yuzu dressing with a hint of truffle and tri-color tobiko eggs ($17). I’m not sure what’s so “classic” about the “classic wagyu roll” ($34), but it was definitely delicious and one of the better ideas for using wagyu beef. A tataki item of wagyu, uni, fresh truffle, ponzu aïoli and gold leaves ($68) was overly elaborate for a dish that hadn’t much flavor and the summer truffles were as bland as summer truffles always are.

We did sample mussels, of course, which range from $26-$48, and come with a baguette and excellent French fries. The Mollusca “signature oyster” is dressed with uni, a mignonette and a touch of caviar ($12). Everybody these days seems to be doing a tartare or two, and Mollusca’s double version of tuna and salmon with caviar and nori rice chips ($33) was a fine melding of flavors.

Among the many appetizers, we enjoyed the four pieces of gyoza filled with crab and glazed with teriyaki sauce and more truffle ($22), and there’s even an authoritative rendering of crisp empanadas with crab, shrimp and artisanal cheese lashed with a spicy tomato sauce ($15).

As you might expect by now, there is also a pasta and rice section, and a variation on spaghetti carbonara included teriyaki tuna tartare, bonito flakes and a parmesan crisp ($26) that I had to admit had its singular charms. A well-made risotto of shrimp, spinach, cream, Parmesan fondue and black sesame seed ($31) was sumptuous and could serve as a main course.

Given the prices up and down New England these days for lobster rolls, I had to indulge in Mollusca’s ($31), and it was simple and very good, especially accompanied with those superior fries. Octopus with a Greek salad and feta mousse and leek puree ($36) was fine, if not much out of the ordinary in New York, but cooking branzino in “acqua pazza” (crazy water) with olive Taggiasca, pine nuts and charred cherry tomatoes ($48) added just the right elements to bring up the true flavors of the fish.

The desserts don’t hit the highest marks: crème brûléé ($16) was soupy; profiteroles ($16) needed a better chocolate; and the tiramisù ($17), even if topped with gold foil, was, well, another tiramisù.

Mollusca’s wine list has heft, and, as things go, the bar offers a range of specialty cocktails from shelves that contain just about any liquor you can think of.

It’s that attention to all-encompassing detail that enhances the good looks and serious commitment of the kitchen to first-rate ingredients done with a subtlety that is surprising with such a long menu. If Mollusca can pull it off as well as when I dined there when the crowds arrive, it’s going to be a very delectable tour de force.

MOLLUSCA

1 West Little 12th Street

212-970-1818

Open daily for lunch and dinner.