"What were your first impressions when you arrived? Boat Bar oozes understated chicness, with sea-foam green chairs, chevron tile floors, and crisp white countertops accented with gold fixtures. It feels like the hippest oyster bar under the sea, but like it also it went to grad school in Paris on its way to Capitol Hill . Renee Erickson opened Seattle's quintessential modern oyster bar with Walrus and the Carpenter, and here, Seattle's star chef found a way to improve even on that. What’s the crowd like? Seattle loves its oysters, and it shows in the variety of people sitting down here: the post-work people grabbing a drink and a dozen oysters, the hipsters heading to see bands you've never heard of after, and folks for whom a table here is a spot saved for special celebration. What should we be drinking? Classic cocktails and French wines by the glass work best here for casual sipping, as the wine list takes a leap up in price. If you plan to drink a whole bottle, though, the heavily French list sports a number of exciting options. Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss. Renee Erickson has perfected the art of the oyster bar, and she lays out exactly how it should be done here. Every oyster comes out perfectly shucked, each mussel tastes as if it were plucked from sea this morning. The seafood is always the star here, nakedly simple in a way that shows off its natural succulence, and yet with tiny, artful touches that maximize its flavor potential. Start with oysters, then move onto the other seafood, but don't feel bad ordering any of the beef dishes, they come from neighboring steakhouse sibling, Bateau. And how did the front-of-house folks treat you? Your server might seem like they're cooler than you, but they know what they're talking about here. They will explain what each of the seven to nine daily oyster varieties taste like and recommend a drink to go with them. What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here? Bring out-of-towners here to not-so-subtly brag about the local seafood. Bring a date here to show off. Bring anyone else footing the bill here to slurp oysters for hours. Or come alone and savor every last smoked scallop yourself without having to share." - Naomi Tomky
