Wednesday, February 1, 2012

B&G Oyster

I’ve always been a Barbara Lynch fan, and have tried all of her restaurants (some several times). After recently trying B&G Oyster in the South End for the second time, I decided my favorite might be a tossup between the two in the South End (Butcher Shop and B&G Oyster). They fall in the middle of the spectrum her restaurants, not quite as high end as Menton or Number 9 Park, but not as casual as Sportello. They are located on the same block on Tremont Street; both are small and have an atmosphere more like a wine bar, although they offer full menus. 

B&G has a handful of high top tables inside and out, and a bar surrounding the kitchen. During my most recent visit, I sat at the bar and watched the food being prepared. I’ve only ordered oysters and appetizers, but when I saw the entrees being prepared I made a mental note to try them again for dinner. All of the meals looked delicious and cooked perfectly.  

I started with a selection of oysters based on the bartender’s recommendation asking only for a mix of east and west coast. He explained that the selection changes twice a day with a different menu for lunch and dinner, and brought out a sample of the following along with a printed list of what was included:
  • Malagash, Malagash Basin, Nova Scotia
  • Umami, Narragansett Bay, RI
  • Gigamoto, Deep Bay, British Columbia
  • Deer creek, Puget Sound, WA
My knowledge of oysters is limited; I like them but have a hard time distinguishing between the different types and knowing what to order. I have learned that west coast oysters are typically smaller and have a smoother taste, so I expected to like those the best. I was surprised to find that my favorite ended up being the east coast, although they were all very good. 

I also tried the lobster beignets, which were served with a truffled celery root puree and topped with pickled fennel. These looked like little balls of fried dough, the outside tasted like almost like a doughnut and the inside reminded me of something similar to a crab cake. It was an unusual twist on the doughnut trend, but it worked. The components all came together really well, and the dish tasted great. 


B & G Oysters on Urbanspoon

2 comments:

  1. Hey! Great to hear our Malagash Oysters were enjoyed.
    Come visit us in Malagash and we will take you ringht out on the water, teach you to fish up and oyster and open it for you right then. Man that FRESH!
    Keep on shucking!
    Charles

    ReplyDelete
  2. They were great! If I'm in the area, I may take you up on that! Thanks! Kerrie

    ReplyDelete