Published by TheFoodMonkey on 08 Sep 2009 at 10:35 am
Everything You Wanted to Know About Dollar Oysters in Boston But Were Afraid to Ask
The Globe has a nice video on CJ “The Oyster Dude” Husk, who is the delivery man for Island Creek Oysters. If you’ve hung around the Boston restaurant scene, you’ve most likely seen this hard to miss guy making deliveries or serving oysters at an Island Creek event. My mental image of him will forever be dressed in a giant Uncle Sam outfit at the Eastern Standard post-Valentine’s Day (4th of July themed) party, shucking oysters for the masses.
Island Creek oysters are some of my favorite, and seem to be the ubiquitous oyster of preference at many of Boston’s top restaurants. You an even buy them in sacks of 100 to shuck for yourself at home.
Most importantly, they often appear as the featured oyster in almost all of the cheap dollar oyster deals around Boston.
I’ve always enjoyed the briny goodness of oysters, and while in general they have tended to be a high priced delicacy (unless you knew an oysterman), for those in the know, they can now be found on the cheap in Boston. Oysters wholesale for about 50 cents to a dollar a pop, so restaurants with dollar deals are either working at cost (sure its a 100% markup, but there’s labor, etc.) to bring you in on the off hours.
The main places to get dollar oysters in Boston are (click for details/reviews):
- Realto (Mondays 5:30PM-closing)
- Myers + Chang (Sundays 8-10PM)
- 28 Degrees (Every Day 5-7PM)
- Legal Sea Foods (Monday-Thursday 3-6PM)
- McCormck and Schmick’s (Tuesdays 3:30PM-closing)
ALL OF THESE ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE, so for the most up-to-date info, check out my interactive bar deal map. I’ve been able to cobble together a growing list of places in Boston that serve dollar oysters (just click the oyster category on the left side and scroll down for the reviews).
For they most part, they’re all equally good. The only differences are ambiance and time of the deal. Also, Legal and McCormick and Schmick’s change up the variety of oyster they use on a regular basis.
Want to know more about these lovely bivalves? Legal Sea Foods sent me this set of Oyster Fun Facts:
Legal Sea Food’s Fun Facts About Oysters
“Eat fish, live longer – eat oysters, love longer.”
- Oysters have always been linked with love. When Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, sprang forth from the sea on an oyster shell and promptly gave birth to Eros, the word “aphrodisiac” was born.
- Casanova is said to have eaten fifty oysters for breakfast every morning to make him virile.
While there isn’t any scientific data to uphold Casanova’s belief, oysters contain a lot of zinc. This mineral- or rather, a deficiency of it- has been linked to male impotency. There are additional health benefits from adequate zinc levels: fighting infection, enhancing energy, improving the skin, etc.
“Only eat oysters in ‘R’ months.”
The maxim of eating oysters only in months containing the letter ‘R”, dates back to the year 1599 and a publication Dyet’s Dry Dinner. At this time, oysters were shipped without adequate refrigeration in warmer months, May, June, July and August.
Modern farming, refrigeration and transportation methods mean that it is safe to enjoy oysters all year round.
“The world is your oyster.”
William Shakespeare is credited with coining the phrase “The world’s mine oyster when I with sword will open.” And it is believed that the Globe Theatre served oysters during performances.
How to Oysters Grow Pearls?
Pearl production is an act of self-defense. When a foreign object (often a grain of sand) becomes lodged in an oyster’s shell, the oyster protects itself from irritation by coating the object with a smooth surface of calcium and protein, Although edible oysters are capable of producing pearls, these tend to be very small, and have no commercial value.
Other Facts
- In addition to being eaten raw, oysters can be roasted, steamed, fried, scalloped, stewed, baked, stuffed, boiled, marinated, poached and sautéed.
- Oysters may change their sex one or more times in their lifetime.
- Oysters are ‘filter feeders,” filtering out food particles from the water surrounding them. An adult oyster can filter 60 gallons of seawater in one day.
- Oysters are rich in protein, low in fat and calories, low in cholesterol, chockfull of vitamins and nature’s best source of zinc.
- Oysters are typically enjoyed with a brisk, lively white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc from either New Zealand or France’s Loire Valley.
Certainly, if price is no object, I’m a huge fan of B & G oysters and their many special creations.
Aaron on 08 Sep 2009 at 5:09 pm #
Marliave has cheap oysters every afternoon, I believe.
And the strategy is not to make money on the oysters, but to bring people in to have drinks. Food in general has thin margins.
TheFoodMonkey on 08 Sep 2009 at 6:16 pm #
Right you are about the strategy. It fills the dead hours and they make it all back on drinks.
Thanks for the tip on Marliave! I’ll check into that.