Jason V.
Yelp
I'm still working up my affinity for oysters: an arduous process, but one that has shown growth over the last few years. And for some reason, something about our visits to Whidbey Island seems to kickstart the whole affair into high gear. So when my wife suggested we stop in to Saltwater Fish House & Oyster Bar, I knew what was coming, and prepared myself accordingly.
Ordering a sampler tray of three different oysters, two a piece, I contemplated each of the menacing mollusks before me with a critical eye, an apprehensive stomach, and a gag reflex on high alert. I had only just learned how to properly chew the darn things the night before at a restaurant in Coupeville, which helped. It's also apparently acceptable to dress them up in whatever sauces or garnishes fit your fancy, which is also blessing. With horseradish, vinegar, and a house-made jalapeno sauce liberally applied, I took the plunge. Or rather, the oyster did, straight down my gullet, with only a modicum of chewing.
Verdict?: Well, I can say I am growing as a person. Of the three, the smallest, a Kusshi from Deep Bay, BC, was easily my favorite, and not just because of its decidedly diminutive dimensions when compared to others, but also because of its pearlescent presentation, but also its pleasant pliability and potent palate. It was sweet, refreshing, went down easy, and hey, didn't insist on coming back up!
The other two, a Fanny Bay and a Royal Miyagi, were a little more of a struggle. I should clarify that flavor is never the issue: for me, it's always texture. I'm this way with a lot of foods (mushrooms are another that give me hard pause). These two were noticeably larger, meaning that I would definitely have to engage in battle with them directly, and for a longer period of time. I survived. They weren't my favorite. Maybe someday they will be, but for now, I'll stick with the cushy Kusshi as my preferred phylum, my choice-ster of oyster.
Let me be clear that my evanescent aversion to bivalves in no way should be taken as a slight on this restaurant: Saltwater Fish House & Oyster Bar is an impeccable establishment with uncommonly excellent serving staff, who were gracious even in the face of me accidentally knocking my glass of water onto the floor while trying to feed our toddler son, shattering it all over the place. They also generously offered to microwave the pre-packaged meal we brought for him, which only furthered my already esteemed opinion of this place. Funnily enough, he probably would have eaten the oysters himself, without complaint: the kid LOVES seafood; a trait unquestionably inherited from his mother. Seems like I could learn a few things from *him* about fine dining!
While I may have a long way to go before I can call myself a shellfish shuckster, my experience here showed me that there is a light somewhere down at the far end of a long, dark, pungent, moist, damp saltwater tunnel, if only I have the fortitude and perseverance to reach it. Achieving that level of epicurean enlightenment would be a pearl worth more than any found in a shallow-water shell.