Tag Archives: oysters

DOLLAR DOLLAR PIZZA – OCT 7

Pizza on the cheap and for a great cause, plus an early Halloween and another dollar deal.

SIPS & SLURPS – SEPT 22

We’re here to help you plan not only your night – but your weekend too! Shop, sip, slurp…

‘Brooklyn Pours’ photos – Laura June Kirsch

PEARLS AND JEWELS – SEPT 14

Today it’s a shellebration and a music star in town to kick off your week.

The Publican

Featuring pork and fish/seafood preparations, the menu is best described by Kahan and Huston as “pristine product, simply prepared,” an approach to food Kahan has long espoused in all of his kitchens. The Publican boasts the simplest cuisine of all three properties, each dish stripped of adornment and containing only essential ingredients. The menu is presented in sections: Fish, Meat and Vegetables, each laid out from lightest to heaviest fare.

Pristinely fresh oysters, hand-selected for the restaurant from purveyors with whom the culinary team has formed partnerships over the past year, anchor the fish portion of the menu. From classic Belgian-style mussels to seafood stew to wood-roasted whole fish, the seafood is simple and straightforward yet eclectic in presentation.

Meat dishes center upon pork, all certified organic and sourced from Dyersville, Iowa. Anchored by a wide selection of housemade terrines and charcuteries, the menu changes daily to reflect the seasonal availability of products. Other hearty dishes, again, presented simply and stripped of adornment, include such seasonal items as black and white sausage, steak tartare, pork shoulder and pot-au-feu. Kahan and Huston plan to make the wood-roasted chicken a signature, “… with the best frites in town,” boasts Kahan.

A selection of vegetables rounds out the menu, including such seasonal items as daily aïoli, roasted broccoli, pine nuts and Italian buratta and cauliflower sformato with Marcona almond romesco.

Strong architectural lines dominate the space, which is large, airy and awash in earthy colors. Guests enter The Publican through a glass-enclosed vestibule, its 10-foot-high ceiling offering a glimpse of the restaurant’s 13.6-foot ceiling. Inside, the spacious interior is dominated by a large walnut communal table designed to recall 16th Century European banquets. Set up in racetrack fashion, the banquet table seats upwards of 100 people, side by side.

At the center of the banquet table stands eight English pub-style three-tiered cocktail tables where guests can stand, leaning comfortably on one level, with their beer and food resting on the other tiers. This interior space is large enough for guests who are waiting for tables or visiting the restaurant just for a beer and a bite. Against the east wall stand a series of four-top walnut banquette tables set up on platforms and privatized by table-height swinging doors.

The walls and ceiling are wrapped in a material reminiscent of antique pressed tin. Across the front of the space, 10-foot cafe-style doors open out onto the street. At the back of the restaurant, a partially open kitchen offers a view to the culinary action.

Island Creek Oyster Bar: Bivalve Sensation at the Hotel Commonwealth

oyster pic What started out as a simple idea by Skip Bennett in 1992 has turned into a worldwide bivalve sensation known as Island Creek Oysters, which sells more than 100,000 a week. Today, most major restaurants in Boston offer the made-in Duxbury oysters but the brand, which has grown to be one of the largest oyster companies in the country, has also become a worldwide sensation. They are now even being flown into the JW Marriott in Hong Kong so it isn’t surprising Bennett and Co. would open an oyster bar at the Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square where you can slurp some of the best oysters in the world. Visit islandcreekoysterbar.com for more information.

creek

Fleming’s Prime Affordable Steaks

Imagine finding a steakhouse in Boston that offers quality beef at affordable prices. That’s exactly what Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar does night after night and wins “Best Steakhouse” in Boston year after year. Located across from The Boston Park Plaza Hotel in the Theater District, this elegant restaurant that has a dark wood interior with high ceilings and an open spacious dining room, was the first East Coast location for the West Coast brand.

Start off with a glass of wine from itsPicture 13 Wine Spectator award-winning collection of 100 vintages by the glass to go along with some Blue Point oysters. There is a good selection of seafood for those who don’t like beef, but for the true carnivores, the bone-in ribeye and bone-in New York strip should not be missed. For the ultimate indulgence, try the house specialty, Fleming’s potatoes, served with cream, jalapenos and cheddar cheese, which are large enough to share with the entire table. The walnut turtle pie should be the grand finale of the evening. Visit flemingssteakhouse.com
for more information.

Insider Tip: If you sit at the bar, don’t miss the amazing deal of five for $6 until 7 p.m. promotion, which includes a choice of five cocktails, five glasses of wine and five appetizers.

It’s All About Legs at Hugo’s Frog Bar

Chicago’s Gold Coast is a mecca of fine dining and celeb sightings. Where Rush Street turns into State Street- what Chicagoans call the Viagra Triangle for its reputation of older men with arm candy dates- is a scene of classic Chicago restaurants where Hugo’s Frog Bar & Fish House stands out above the crowd as one of the best spots for seafood you’ll find west of the Atlantic.

But before you even get to the mouth-Picture 15watering menu options of crab, lobster, oysters (for the aphrodisiac lovers) and fresh fishes, it’s all about the legs. Oui, les frog legs that is. Lathered in garlic and delicious spices, the frog legs at Hugo’s are so scrumptious that even the pickiest of eaters tend to become leg lovers post visit. If you save enough room after the legs, the menu is chalk full of more seafood options and of course, plenty of turf for meat lovers as well.

Equally as notable as the delicious cuisine here however, is the charm of the ambiance. The ol’ maritime interior and swingin’ vibe leave patrons in a jolly good mood as they sip dirty martinis and their conversations begin to spill from one table to the next.

Viagra not included.

Endless Summers at Jasper White’s Summer Shack

If you are looking for some of the best seafood in town, you have certainly come to the right place at Jasper White’s Summer Shack. Award-winning chef and cookbook author JPicture 43asper White opened his first restaurant in Cambridge in 2000 and has been growing his enterprise ever since.

Whether you come for White’s famous clambake complete with corn on the cob or to indulge in his signature pan roasted lobster, the varied menu from sandwiches to lobster specialties appeals to every budget. You won’t find white tablecloths at this casual clam shack, but you will find a chalkboard filled with daily specials. The restaurant stays true to its namesake offering a casual and fun atmosphere for the entire family.

The seafood here is so amazingly fresh you would think it was plucked from the ocean just minutes before it hit your plate. The Tower of Power is a must-have indulgence, filled to the brim with oysters, littlenecks, crab claws, shrimp and lobster halves.  Summer Shack also has locations in Cambridge and Dedham as well as Mohegan Sun in Connecticut. Visit summershackrestaurant.com for more information.

Insider Tip: If you are too full for dessert, order the walk away sundae, which is available in a to-go container to take with you.