August 10, 2007
The Beauty of Oysters
Frank Bruni, in the Diner's Journal, waxes poetic about the oysters at Wild Salmon and Aquagrill, and discusses the reasons why he often disobeys the "rule" that one is not supposed to eat oysters in months that don’t have an ‘r’ in them. We're with Frank on this one. We love oysters in the summer. The platter above was from a recent oyster happy our at P.J. Clarke's downtown. They were cheap, but didn't hold a candle to ones we've had at Aquagrill, Blue Ribbon or Pearl Oyster Bar.
We have recently received a copy of A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America 
Where do you get your oysters -- any good happy hours out there? We've heard about Five Points but are always looking for more ideas.
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Bloody Marys and oysters at Aquagrill makes the most perfect indulgent NYC brunch! Perfect start to any weekend.
ooo... you MUST read The Big Oyster by Mark Kurlansky... Its excellent. Part Oyster biology lesson, part history of New York. You will learn all about once reported dinner plate sized oysters (as reported by the Dutch) as well as some info about the numerous Oyster Houses that are no more.
Also, an interesting tidbit... every oyster in North America is biologically identical. Their size and flavor comes from the water they are grown in.
The rule came from the fact that oysters and the heat of summer don't go so well together. Refrigeration has solved most of the issues but I still don't trust NY oysters in the summer. I've seen restaurant food baking in the sun on the sidewalk as it is delivered.
Never eat them...too slimy
love aquagrill for oysters...
have also had excellent oysters at 360 in red hook.
got sick last saturday after a few dozen, then had some yesterday-yummmy
"The rule came from the fact that oysters and the heat of summer don't go so well together." Sorry, #3. Wrong. It's because most of the tidal waters where oysters flourish in the lower 48 get too warm, and subsequently cause malevolent bacteria to grow in shellfish. Oysters from colder waters rarely have this problem.
Black Pearl on 26th street has a great $1 raw bar happy hour and has some unusual varities like coromandels from New Zealand which I have to say are the most AMAZING oysters I have ever tasted.
Also you don't get sick most of the time from the actual oyster,you get ill because the oysters have loads of nasty stuff on the the shell and many places do not clean them properly and when you slurp them you get sick or when some of the ice/melting ice gets into your oyster, same thing.
They're not cheap but can you ever go wrong with Grand Central Oyster bar?
The Wild Edibles on 3rd and 36th -- the one with the restaurant in it -- has incredible oysters. You can get six and a mini flight of white wine for 15 bucks.
FISH on Bleecker has the red white and blue special at any time: six blue point oysters or six clams, on the half shell with nice shallot-vinegar relish on the side and a glass of white or red wine or a pint of PBR for $8. Unbeatable and always shucked fresh on the spot.