Sweet Willie

I considered myself an oyster lover until I went to France (Normandy) recently, I was there in December/January and tried quite a few dozen, always raw. The taste was VERY metallic IMO. I did not enjoy any of the raw oysters I had in France.

I’ve always really enjoyed the oyster bars in New Orleans, my wife and I usually get a couple dozen minimum each day (our favorite place is Felix’s). I assume that these are bluepoints, the most common?

The very best oysters we’ve had have always been in the NW (Seattle and British Columbia). The oysters just seem to have a flavor we crave. We were introduced to the
Kumamoto oyster (a Japanese oyster) that was being farmed in Vancouver Island area. One of the best oysters I’ve had.

Your favorites/thoughts?

Dudrop

I'm with you. For us New Orleans and Felix's are synonymous. After checking into our hotel we head for Felix's then do the New Orleans scene.
In Texas one of my favorites is Capt. Benny's in Houston, great Oysters, Gumbo, Stuffed Crab, Shrimp and Fried Catfish. I'm salivating.

hhonorman

When you're in Boston, there's no better place than the Ye Olde Union Oyster House, the oldest continuously operating restaurant in America. You can belly-up to the raw bar and sit in the same seat where Daniel Webster used to daily drink a tall tumbler of brandy and water with each half-dozen oysters he ate, and he seldom ate less than 6 plates. In addition to the blue-point oysters, I love the cape cod cherrystone clams. For the ultimate Boston lunch, get a half dozen oysters and a half dozen cherrystones. Wash it down with a frosty pint or two of Sam Adams. Then follow with a bowl (not the cup but a bowl) of their award winning clam chowder. You get a free side order of their incredible corn bread if you order a bowl (not cup) of chowder. www.unionoysterhouse.com/

Many celebrities eat here. It is a favorite haunt for the Kennedys. I once had the guitar player from Pink Floyd sit down next to me while I was munching on their fine fare. He was in town for a gig and had two incredible beauties accompanying him. Must be nice to be a rock-n-roller.

[This message has been edited by hhonorman (edited 03-22-2003).]

Sweet Willie

Agreed, rarely miss it when in Boston.

Louie_LI

Normandy oysters are very briny, sometimes overpoweringly so. Next time, try ones from Brittany or farther south (Arcachon, when they start selling them again after the oil spill). Ones from the Etang de Thau on the Mediterranean will probably closer resemble ones from New Orleans due to the warmer water.

slawecki

My first choice for East coast is Lindhaven's from the bay below Virginia Beach. Very different, and very salty, Chincoteague's are great, but not often served raw, as the grow in an interconnected mass, and are difficult to open raw.

In Charente-Maritime(17) provence (La Rocelle), we had 3 different kinds of local oysters in mid winter. All were fine, the only name I recall was pronounced Ka Guie.

catch22

The best oysters I ever ate were West Coast Irish served with the best creamy draught Guinness at Morans-on-the-weir near Galway. They are harvested right outside in the lagoon.
The next best I ever ate are Mossel Bay wild oysters.(South Africa) Large, juicy, crisp and big irregular shells. Drink the juices from the shell. Not briney, just perfect.These are collected by divers so availability is limited. Knysna lagoon oysters are small but crisp and fleshy and Wild Namibian oysters are creamy-a texture I dislike.

cecelia

I was just the driver in our most memorable search for really fresh oysters. It was in Panhandle Florida area where we hung out until the boat got in so my husband could get some good ones.

Turned out they were kind of dirty just off the boat and splashed stuff all over the rental car as he was trying to get them open to eat them on the way back to the hotel. He said they were very tasty. Involved lots of work, kind of sandy and required a shower afterward. Lots easier just to go to a restaurant, just not as memorable.

godlovesugly

Hey guys. I have just started really getting into raw bars and oysters, and have been trying many different varieties. I was just wondering what types you like best, why, and what you might recommend to a relative neophyte. Thanks!

stevenshev

Kumamotos, Sydney Rock, and whatever the oyster they serve everywhere on the Cape (in SA) is called. Yum-my.

godlovesugly

Kumamotos have been my favorite so far, I'll keep an eye out for Sydney Rock, if it's available here (NYC).

marais

I noticed that the OP is based in NYC. For you, the choice of oyster is simple: choose local, or at least from Atlantic waters from Long Island north. The closer the oyster to you, the fresher and more delectable it will be.

Being a native Southerner, and raised on tastes of oysters from the (pre-BP) Gulf of Mexico - those big plump but pale-flavored Gulf oysters - my first taste of CT Bluepoints in NYC as a young adult was a real surprise. This taste was vital, fresh as the open sea, bracing and yet voluptuous. It cried out for Sancerre or muscadet (as opposed to Budweiser with those Gulf oysters). Cold-water oysters have it all over those sourced from warmer waters for complexity of flavor when served on the half shell.

Here in BOS, we have all the New England varieties, and I have some faves from our coast: Pemaquids, Wiannos, Quonsets, Island Creeks, Wellfleets, RI Blondies. You will be pleased by any of these if they are opened competently, plated right and served fresh. Certainly, try the more distant varieties (i.e. Kumamoto, Belon) for reference, but start with the most local oyster you can find in NYC: Bluepoints will do nicely for a start.

I couldn't say where to go in NYC for oysters, Chowhound would be a better source for answers. But I do know that the Oyster Bar at Grand Central is an icon and usually with a good selection of the bivalve.

Strangely enough, now I'm craving a plate of cherrystone clams! Those are worth trying too. I will get my fix tomorrow at Neptune Oyster in BOS North End

cordelli

Hit up the fish guys at the green market in Union Square or some of the other ones in New York. Some of them bring oysters they caught the day before, others have some they pick up when they come in. It's going to be hard to find any fresher than 12 to 24 hours ago.

Another treat they have from time to time I've never seen in the stores - fresh scallops still in their shells

Sweet Willie

Some fave moments: Wellfleet oyster fest of course featuring wellfleets, too many (not really) oysters at Felix's Oyster bar in New Orleans (also for New Orleans had the delicious grilled oysters at Drago's^^ http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/8560272-post74.html ), San Francisco at the Hog Island Oyster Bar where Mrs Sweet Willie & I split numerous dozens along with a bottle of champagne, also here in Chicago currently with Shaw's $.25 oyster fest now on the last Monday of each month through the end of the year (thread: http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/13994673-post32.html ) many different kinds, including being introduced to kumamoto's on Vancouver Island, just goes on and on.

The only 'bad' oyster I had was while on beach in Normandy, fresh as could be, right on the shore but just way too metallic tasting for our tastes.

Other than that I've loved them all, everyone is going to have their faves, great topic, go try them all on your own and decide what you really like.

nerd

What Sweet Willie said.

^