Sunset Lobster At The Burnt Cove Boil

Tonight we paid our first visit of the summer to the Burnt Cove Boil. This classic outdoor venue operated by owner Jake McCarty became a favorite of ours last year, and I’m happy to report that it’s still terrific.

Why is the Burnt Cove Boil great? For one, you get a great view looking straight west at the sun setting over the islands in Penobscot Bay. For another, you eat sitting outside at picnic tables, and there’s just something fun and kind of magical about eating outside on a cool evening. And for still another, the natural remains of your meal get tossed back into the water, to return to the marine ecosystem. If you don’t think it’s fun to fling an oyster shell or crab claw or lobster tail into the seawater after you’ve finished with it, you’ve got another think coming.

But here’s the best thing about BCB: the food is excellent, and Jake is a great host. Tonight we started with local oysters, followed by stone crab caught about a mile away, then corn on the cob and lobsters caught just offshore. Everything was absolutely fresh, and that’s a big part of the reason why it was delicious. We used some rocks —also local—to crack open shells and made a merry mess of our picnic table.

While we waited for our next course to cool we enjoyed the quiet of the cove and the setting sun reflected on the water next to our table. The sky had cleared a bit and it was pleasantly warm in the sunshine. It wasn’t a bad view, either.

By the time our lobster arrived our paper trays were pretty well drenched, but we carried on anyway, ripping the steaming lobsters to shreds in search of every last morsel of succulent lobster meat. And after the lobster came the piece de resistance—individually wrapped ice cream sandwiches for dessert.

By the time we polished off our ice cream sandwiches and took our last swigs of Allagash White, the sun was a blaze of golden glory sinking low to the west and the seagulls were bobbing on the surface of the water. it was a beautiful scene to top off a great meal.

“Yes,” we thought, “we’ll come here again.”

Oysters At The Acme

We’re in New Orleans for a family gathering, and last night we hit the Acme Oyster House — a Big Easy institution.  Astonishingly, our group of seven was seated immediately, and we promptly ordered some pitchers of Abita beer, two dozen raw oysters, and the house specialty:  char-grilled oysters.

It’s not easy to describe how good the char-grilled oysters were, and how spectacularly they kick-started our weekend.  They’re topped with Parmesan cheese and are melts and crusty, all at the same time.  They were so good we ate four dozen of them, and probably could have polished off 100 more.

For dinner, Richard and I split the seafood platter, which was a mound of crunchy fish, crab, shrimp, French fries, and hush puppies.  It was the perfect food to consume before heading out for a little live music crawl.  Thus fortified, and with the lip-smacking goodness of the char-grilled oysters still freshly in mind, our hardy band ventured forth into the New Orleans night.

Oysters, I Say!

  
Recently, I was at a restaurant with a colleague when I noticed oysters were on the menu.  “Do you eat oysters?” I inquired, politely.

“No,” she responded, somewhat stiffly.  “Frankly, they kind of disgust me.”

“Why?” I asked, innocently.

“Because they are gray and blobby and wiggly and squishy,” she explained.

I considered her apparent revulsion to oysters, and my duties as a fellow diner — and then I decided.  “Well, do you mind if I order some?”

“No,” she said with a slight shudder.

“Don’t mind if I do,” I said, and placed my order.  And with some fresh lemon juice and cocktail sauce — boy, those oysters were succulent!

Never let trivial social niceties stand in the way of good oysters, I say!

First Course

Yes, oysters. Oysters on shaved ice, oysters as big as a man’s fist, oysters doused in lemon juice and slathered in cocktail sauce. It’s a good start to a meal at Sparks Steak House.

Oysters, And Oyster Stew

We’re in Seattle, where we are having dinner tonight with some friends we haven’t seen in years.  To get ready for the festivities, we took a walk along Seattle’s beautiful waterfront on a bright, sunny day.  The weather gods were with us.

For lunch we stopped at a place called the Place Pigalle in the sprawling Public Market Center a few blocks from the waterfront.  The food gods were with us, too, because the Place Pigalle was excellent.  When you’re on the coast, you need to seriously consider seafood, and I’m a sucker for shellfish.  When I saw oysters on the half shell and oyster stew on the menu, I decided to double up.

The oysters on the half shell were excellent — fresh, succulent, and served with a tart, vinegar-based dip.  They were the perfect complement to a tasty unfiltered wheat ale.  And the oyster stew was fabulously rich and creamy, with four huge whole oysters lurking just below the surface.  It was a fantastic meal and a great way to start our Seattle visit, and reminded us of what we’re missing in landlocked Columbus, Ohio.

And A Brief Stooges Interlude, Too

And speaking of things that can help make you feel better after a long day at the office — how about the Three Stooges, a smoking bottle of beer, and some too-fresh oyster stew?