Oyster House
1516 Sansom Street
Philadelphia, PA 19102
I
was definitely looking forward to dining at the Oyster House in Philly. I had
heard a lot of good things about it, and from the moment we walked in the door,
I knew that it was a happening place. The place was packed even for a Friday
night, and unfortunately they didn’t take reservations, so we had to wait a
little bit. We were going to grab a drink, but they seated us just as we were
about to. As we were walking up to the table, I noticed one of my favorite things.
Sitting on the table was a container of oyster crackers and a jar of
fresh horseradish. I dug in immediately after being seated and was in an
immediate state of satisfaction. I love fresh horseradish because of the
spiciness and its ability to impart tons of flavor in each bite and in any
application. We ordered a few beers and examined the menu. A few things
immediately caught my eye as we made our decisions. I had never seen snapper
soup on a menu before, so I knew I wanted to take this chance to try it. You
can’t go to an oyster house without having some oysters so we ordered the BBQ
oysters as well. Who can resist a lobster roll? Not me, so we ordered that and
my girlfriend also ordered the scallops served with mashed potatoes and
Brussels sprouts.
The
snapper soup and the oysters were up first. I was trying not to fill myself up
on the oyster crackers and horseradish, but it was very difficult to resist.
The snapper soup came in a large bowl and was as deep in flavor as the bowl
itself. It was very rich and hearty, like a thick beef stew, but obviously made
with snapper turtle instead of beef. I really enjoyed the flavor and taste. The
oysters were also very delicious. They were cooked on the grill, with a little
bit of butter, lemon juice, garlic and fresh thyme. The heat from the grill
cooked the oyster just a bit, but it totally changed the texture. I have had
raw oysters before, and I liked them, but I think I preferred them this way.
The flavors meshed well together, and the warm oyster slid down my throat like
it was on a water slide.
No
sooner had we finished our oysters up then they had brought out the lobster
roll and the scallops. As I sat and stared at the beautiful lobster roll in the
front of me, I looked up and smiled at my girlfriend, because it looked
amazing. Her scallops did as well, so we both dug in to our dishes right away.
The lobster roll was borderline ridiculous, but in a good way. It had so much
lobster on it! There was claw meat, tail meat and every other kind of meat possible
from the lobster. It was lightly dressed with mayo, lemon juice and fresh
chives. The sandwich was masterfully created. It was simple, yet incredibly
complex in its flavor. I couldn’t get enough of it, and I would say it was
probably the best single bite of a sandwich I have ever had. I haven’t stopped
thinking about it since. Yes I am that obsessed with food, I know I have an
obsession. Not only was the lobster roll heavenly, but the fries were
outrageously tasty as well. They were oddly shaped, but the flavor and salt
ratio were perfection. What an incredible dish!
The
scallops were fantastic. Once I switched plates with my girlfriend, I dug into
their charred exterior. These scallops were exactly my style, seared deeply on
both sides, leaving the middle soft and juicy. The Brussels sprouts were
charred nicely also, leaving them with just the right amount of bitterness.
They were dispersed over the top of a creamy pile of mashed potatoes, which
gave the dish a rich and comforting quality to it.
As
full as I was, I can always be coerced into dessert by my girlfriend. She
decided on the peanut butter pie, which I of course had no arguments with. It
was a chilled pie, with a peanut butter mousse filling, hard chocolate shell
and chocolate cookie crust. It had a smear of salty peanut butter underneath of
it, which made the flavors of the sweet pie pop just that much more. The
crunchy peanuts on top were a nice addition as well, but the chocolate cookie
crust made all the difference to me. I have had tons of peanut butter pies, but
this one was a bit different in a good way because of the crust being switched
from graham cracker to chocolate cookie.
Three
and a half pints for Oyster House. I loved our meal here. It was really
incredible food. If I have one comment it is about the price. I know how
expensive lobster can be. I know that this isn’t New England, but 26 dollars
for a buttered roll full of lobster meat? I know you need to make a profit, but
come on. Other than that it was a fantastic experience from start to finish.
You should check it out! Cheers!
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