One of my proudest culinary moments occured at Acme Oyster House in New Orleans the winter before Hurricane Katrina hit. I was there on my own for work purposes and figured I'd give a try to the city's legendary raw bar. Acme was not (I assume it is still in existence, but I don't know for sure) a fancy joint -- the oysters were meaty and drippy and pretty daunting.
On the board behind the shuckers stand was a toteboard listing the restaurant records -- I believe at the time the record was held by a professional eater who downed 175 or so oysters at one sitting. Now, loyal readers, don't be so stupid as think this story is going to be about my challenging his record. I'm not that good. But I was sorta proud of myself when I downed 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, and 36 raw oysters before calling it a day. I admit I was feeling a little queasy once I attacked my third dozen, but I got through the plate and didn't leave any remnants of Bourbon Street.
Which brings up to the latest stop on our tour, Philadelphia's Oyster House. Housed in the space that used to be Sansom Street Oyster House, all similarities end there. This is a totally different restaurant, and thankfully so. SSOH was old, tired, and just played out. Like Bookbinder's, it was one of those places that hit its heydey decades ago and never bothered to update its theme or decor. When I heard that it had been bought out and was being renovated, I was hopeful, though cautious, since I knew how much work had to be done.
Well, kudos to the individuals who did the renovations. Oyster House looks great. It is one of those transformational restaurants that makes you feel like you are not on a gritty downtown street. It sounds hokey, but Oyster House really does feel like a oceanside joint. All that was missing was the crashing of the waves. It helps that the joint was jumping as well, with people of all ages and backgrounds. Especially in the middle of summer, it was surprising to see how packed it was. Now, we were seated immediately at a table for 2 at 8 p.m. on a Friday night so it wasn't "Honey's Sunday brunch" crowded, but there was a lot of noise and a lot of customers. It was a fun place to be.
As for the food, it was good and bordering on very good. As expected, they had a decent selection of oysters. We chose a half-dozen New England a half dozen Virginians. It's hard to mess up quality product when it's served raw, so I pretty much knew these would be good, though they were pricey ($26 for the dozen). The best deal is at Happy Hour when you can get the "house" oysters (read: the cheapest ones on the menu that day) for a buck each.
For our entree, we split what I would call a "kitchen sink bucket for two." It was a whole lobster, mussels, clams, potatoes, and corn on the cob. It was quite a bit of food, though naturally heaviest on the mussels and clams. That said, they didn't chintz on the lobster so I can't complain there. Again, the biggest problem was the price ($53), which isn't awful for dinner for two, but it's not great.
I know the wife really liked the food, and so did I, but I did have to wonder about the value. It was a simple meal without any fancy cooking, which is fine, but I couldn't help wondering how much we were paying for the ingredient and how much we were paying for the renovations.
THE FOOD: I'm not a huge dessert fan, but the peach crumble was great great great. I felt bad that I ate a "shared" dessert with such rapid gusto, but I couldn't help myself.
THE DRINK: The worst part of the meal, by far, was the bloody mary oyster shooter I had. It was essentially a shot of vodka with a drop of tomato juice and a raw oyster at the bottom. It tasted awful.
THE STAFF: Minutes after we sat down, one of the gentlemen at the table next to us said, "My daughter is your waitress. Don't say anything about me being her dad, but I curious what you guys think about her service." Never one to pass up an opportunity for a good laugh, I told our waitress when she came back to our table, "Um, excuse me, but the gentlemen at this table are bothering us. I'd like to see the manager." Everyone got a good laugh out of it. I was proud of myself.
MAD PROPS FOR: The gorgeous raw bar counter. We ate at a normal table, but if I go back, I'll try to sit at the bar. It's huge and really takes up a prominent position in the restaurant. One of the many great renovations to this place.
OVERALL: I think Oyster House is going to do very well. It fills a somewhat unique downtown niche and there are lots of people who really like oysters (although I do know some folks who won't eat them) and I could see the suburban crowds enjoying it a lot, which is always key for Center City restaurants. As I said, especially for Happy Hour, it's a great place and a lot of fun. For dinner, just know it may be a budget buster.
THE CHECK: $125, with tip, for two. Seems like we've been running up quite a tab recently for some of our dinner's out. Good thing we are both gainfully employed and don't have a clothes fetish.
On to the Ps...
Ineligible restaurants for round 16:- Paradigm -- We had the company holiday party here in January. It's not quite as trendy and up-to-date as some of the other Old City spots, but it's not a bad spot for a drink. I wouldn't eat here.
- Pat's King of Steaks -- I get it. This was the "original" home of the cheesesteak so it's a landmark. But shouldn't it taste better than dirt?
- Pho 75 -- I was in an adventurous mood and tried the tripe pho. Yuck.
- Plough and the Stars -- Another of the loud, crowd, college-age bars in Old City. I have actually eaten here a few times, but it's more a place to go to watch drinken kids falling over.
- Porcini -- One of my favorite Rittenhouse area BYOBs. Very small space, very small menu, but the staff is very friendly and the food is very good. Definitely worth visiting.
- Positano Coast -- I just had a surprisingly excellent meal here as part of a large party. I was worried it would have sort of a chain-like flair, but it was really well done.
- Pumpkin -- One of the formerly-favorite BYOBs. It's been about 2 years since I've been but a friend took a turn as the waitress there and didn't have great things to say about the operation.
- Palm -- It's where, supposedly, all the political know-it-alls hang out for their power lunches. I'll be sure to wear my bow tie. http://www.thepalm.com/
- Parc -- Last year's trendy new spot near Rittenhouse where all the pretty people hang out. I'll be sure to wear my seersucker suit. www.parc-restaurant.com
- Pink Rose Pastry Shop -- Maybe it's time for dessert? I'll be sure to wear my bib. http://philadelphia.menupages.com/restaurants/pink-rose-pastry-shop/
- Pura Vida -- No frills BYOB on the edge of Northern Liberties. I'll be sure to wear my sombrero. http://philadelphia.menupages.com/restaurants/pura-vida/
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1 comment:
I had a pretty bad week and I was kind of unsure about how the Oyster House would be. I wasn't expecting to be pleasantly surprised..and I was..really, I was! I don't think I've been this excited about food or a restaurant in awhile (please note that Scott's cooking doesn't count - it's very predictable meaning it is ALWAYS good..most times it's better than eating out plus he's cute and he's mine)
Back to the restaurant, I highly suggest trying it. I agree that it was a bit pricey, but it's something you don't or can't get all the time. I can't say that it took them a lot of work or thought to create the dishes, but they brought Cape Cod or Martha's Vineyard right to our door step and I couldn't be happier about it.
Two thumbs up! I even liked our overly energetic waitress..she definitely wanted us to be happy. When we couldn't get the smallest piece of lobster out of it's shell she took it back to the kitchen and cracked it for us. Are you convinced yet? You should be..
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