Signature Dishes: Butter sauce adds magic to saffron mussels at Gray Goose in Ligonier
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This is part of an ongoing series highlighting Signature Dishes at locally owned restaurants in the region. See Trib Total Media’s new online directory of restaurants, Dine Local, at dinelocal.triblive.com.
An appetizer with big flavor is making a splash at The Gray Goose Lakeside Lounge in Ligonier Township.
The Saffron Mussels ($13) is a signature dish at the upscale eatery at 2377 Route 30 West.
Created this year by chef Ben Gahr, the seafood combination of steamed mussels with chickpeas, saffron, olive oil, garlic, butter and crusty, toasty bread is a hit with patrons.
“It’s a comfort dish. It’s big enough for a meal,” Gahr said of his dish that is made with a magic butter sauce that will remain just that.
“I don’t even know what’s in it,” said owner Michelle Kent of the sauce.
Gahr created his popular dish out of extra chickpeas he had on hand one day in the kitchen.
The mussels are shipped in weekly from Prince Edward Island in Canada. Sopping up the sauce with the accompanying baguette is a must.
Kent purchased the restaurant seven years ago. She said an abundance of Canada geese on the property lent the inspiration for its name.
A resident white swan has since shooed most of the geese away and often is spotted in the lake visible from the bar inside.
Gahr focuses on offering Mediterranean and French-infused specialties with prices ranging from $7-$29.
A large patio offers outdoor lakeside dining options.
Inside, five dining rooms provide a cozy and warm dining vibe complete with fireplaces, hardwood floors and a large separate bar area.
Customers are invited to peruse an expansive vintage A.C. Gilbert Co. erector collection, housed upstairs from the private collection of Kent’s late husband, Michael.
Kent described the covid-related pandemic as a “long haul” for her business.
“We were shut down completely because we weren’t prepared to do fine dining to go. Covid was hard, but it gave me a chance to sit back and see what I need to do here. Bringing Ben on has really increased things — everyone loves the food.”
Gahr updates the menu seasonally, but Kent said the mussels are here to stay.
“The mussels have been a big hit, and nobody around here really had anything like that,” she said.
The Gray Goose Lakeside Lounge (2377 Route 30 West) is open 4-8 p.m. Wednesdays-Thursdays, 4-9 p.m. Fridays, noon-9 p.m. Saturdays and 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Sundays; closed Mondays-Tuesdays. Reservations are recommended at 724-441-4947. For more information, visit graygooseligonier.com.