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August 5, 2011

Happy National Oyster Day: Our Top Picks For Some Of The Best Oyster Dishes In And Around Philadelphia

Summer in Philadelphia is brimming with fresh-from-the-ocean seafood, with oysters in particular abundance at restaurants around town, like Parc. (Photo courtesy Parc)

Today, August 5, is National Oyster Day.

Probably the most well-known aphrodisiac, plus one of the most summer-centric foods, oysters are also extremely nutritious. To capitalize on all this, top Philadelphia chefs have been serving both tried-and-true and new and unusual preparations of the delicious mollusk.

Check out our top picks for some of the best oysters and osyter-related dishes Philadelphia restaurants are dishing out. Try one or all. The world is your, well, oyster.

Oyster House: Clearly no oyster roundup would be complete without the iconic Oyster House, now in the hands of the third generation of the Mink family since its 1947 beginnings. From Oysters Rockefeller, Marrakesh and Toscana to Southern Fried Oysters and Oyster Stew, this place makes the typical oyster bar look plain puny. It’s really easier to just check out the oyster smorgasboard in person.

Adsum: At this siren song of creative foodie endeavors, try the fried oysters served with pickle juice remoulade.

Alma de Cuba: Stephen Starr knows how it’s done. The Oysters Rodriguez are fried crispy, served over tofu with mashed sweet plantains and bacon, plus sauteed spinach with horseradish and huacatay sauce. And that’s just an appetizer.

Parc: Stephen Starr’s French bistro offers a seafood-packed “plateau” in either petit or grand sizes (serves 2-4 or 6-8, respectively).

Amada: Jose Garce also knows how it’s done. Considered a “traditional” tapa, the Oysters come with strawberry escabeche and cava granita.

10 Arts: For a classic take on oysters on the half shell, head to Jen Carroll’s headquarters. They’re served, three per order, with lemon, cocktail sauce and mignonette.

Bar Ferdinand: The oysters del dia are freshly shucked, served in the shell, with whatever Spanish flavors the chef so desires that day. You get six per order. Six too few, that is, considering how delicious they are.

Barclay Prime: Everything about this Stephen Starr steakhouse oozes elegance, so it’s no surprise that the oysters are served with perfect aplomb. East and west coast varieties are available from the raw bar, or else part of a shellfish sampler.

Fathom Seafood House: Chef Mike Stollenwerk handles all things seafood with a deft hand. The raw bar contains east and west coast oysters for your choosing, or go for the Big Ocean Sampler served with, in addition to 12 mixed oysters, one blue crab, four shrimp, six littleneck clams and lobster louie.

The Farmers Cabinet: The pan-fried oysters are served with sweet and sour cucumbers, curry aioli and trout roe. If you can’t snag a coveted sidewalk spot, comfort yourself with one of the restaurant’s excellent craft cocktails.

Beck’s Cajun Cafe: No wonder Beck’s won a Best of Philly 2011 award for Sandwiches in Reading Terminal. One exemplar is the fried oyster lunch po’ boy, served on French bread with lettuce, tomatoes, picke and Creole mayo. You can also go for the fried oyster lunch platter, with corn bread, red beans and rice or Cajun fries.

Below, we have the details on oysters at Blackfish, Devon Seafood Grill, Rouge and more.

Bistro 7: This favorite French restaurant’s August dinner menu includes cornmeal fried oysters served with custard with chives, wild boar ham and horseradish sabayon. Tres yummy.

Blackfish: The menu at Chef Chip Roman’s award-winning seafood BYOB in Conshohocken contains kumamoto oysters (the pure “aristocrats” of oysters), with carbonated meyer lemon, watermelon and pink peppercorns.

Chenango: It’s perhaps fitting that this new restaurant inside the Arrow Swim Club in Northern Liberties offers poolside-perfect oysters. They’re served on the half shell with champagne mignonette.

MidAtlantic Restaurant & Taproom: Leave it to masterful Chef Daniel Stern to offer oysters both raw and roasted. So simple yet so incredibly tasty.

Morimoto: Putting an Asian twist on oysters, Morimoto offers them served with Japanese salsa, ceviche and Thai fish sauce. Both market and kumamoto varieties are available.

Devon Seafood Grill: The oysters are fresh, either James River (Chesapeake Bay, Virginia), Cockenoe (Wesport, Connecticut), Onset (Buzzard’s Bay, Massachusetts) or Beau Soleil (Vancouver, British Columbia). But even fresher is the al fresco Rittenhouse Square sidewalk seating.

Grace Tavern: The Oyster Po-Boy Platter comes with fresh Virginia Oysters, breaded and fries, on a baguette with chopped lettuce, garlic butter and remoulade sauce, served with frites and slaw. Grace, you’re too good to us.

Lacroix: Oysters on the half shell never tasted so succulent as when you taste them amid the impossible sophistication of The Rittenhouse Hotel’s Lacroix.

Noble: One thing they can’t grow in their rooftop garden is oysters, but they’re delicious nonetheless. Noble serves them with tosa vinegar, cucumber and shiso.

Rouge: The crispy oyster salad is served with roasted pepper, corn and old bay aioli on a bed of baby arugula. It’s perfect served on the scenic summer sidewalk next to Rittenhouse Square.

The Twisted Tail: This newly opened Headhouse Square bourbon and music joint is in on the oyster game. Primal Oysters come with pickled watermelon chow chow and habañero cocktail sauce, or you can order the mollusks (until 1 a.m., in fact) by the half dozen.

Snockey’s Oyster & Crab House: A favorite of oyster aficionados, Snockey’s has been holding it down since 1912. Pick from dozens of varieties, or try Mrs. Snockey’s Original Oyster Stew steaming with eight oysters, made from the original recipe handed down through generations.

And here are our top picks for oyster happy hours:

Pub & Kitchen: Enjoy dollar oysters during happy hour, weekdays 5-7 p.m.
Oyster House: Buck-A-Shuck is offered Monday-Friday, 5-7 p.m.: $1 oyster of the day, $3 oyster shooter and $3 draft beer. Plus, Saturday nights 9-11 p.m., Oyster House offers a Late Night Oyster Hour.
R2L: Raw bar during happy hour, 4:30-6:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, is half-priced: $2.50 shrimp cocktail, $2 chilled oysters, $1 chilled clams, $8 baked oysters. There’s also a great snack list, cocktail and wine lineup, dessert menu and beer offerings.
Johnny Brenda’s: Raw bar is half price Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m. You can take your oysters with a side of live music.
Snockey’s Oyster & Crab House: Oysters are 75 cents from 4-6 p.m. on weekdays, plus $2.50 domestic bottles, $1.99 domestic pints and 50 cent raw and steamed clams.
Devon: Get 75 cent oysters at this seafood mecca beside Rittenhouse Square during happy hour, Monday-Friday 4-7 p.m. AND 9-11 p.m.

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  1. Pingback: Philly Homegrown – Local Food in Philadelphia: Restaurants, Farmers' Markets, Shops, Tours and More | Delaware Bay’s Amazing Oysters The Subject Of Monday’s Sustainability Forum At The Academy Of Natural Sciences on March 2, 2012

(2 responses)

August 5, 2011, 9:00 am

Craig says:

Don’t forget Misconduct tavern! Get them with or without a dollop of spicy wasabi caviar!!

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