Oyster Club
Farm to Hearth Whole Wheat Bread, Housemade Cornbread, Herb Butter
New England style Quahog Clam Chowder, Bacon, Celery, Potato, Fresh Parsley
Bibb Lettuce Salad – Anchovy and Garic Dressing, Parmigiano Reggiano, Farm to Hearth Croutons
Housemade Prosciutto, Fermented Chili Honey, Stone Acres Peanuts, Fried Bread, Parmigiano Reggiano
Goose Fat poached Stonington Scallops, Celery Leaf Powder, Goose Prosciutto, Fermented White Pepper, Pandan Vinegar
Butter Roasted Carrots, Black Garlic Parsnip Chips, Mystic Cheese Co. Darwin, Honey-soaked Maitake Mushrooms
Spaghetti, Prosciutto, Red Onion, Black Pepper, Parmigiano Reggiano
Garlic Knot
Zeppole, Powdered Sugar
Toasted Coconut-Rum Pot de Crème, Whipped Cream, Orgeat Almonds
Coffee-Pecan Malt Blondie, Bourbon Caramel, Whipped Cream, Cocoa Nibs
Almond Brown Butter Cake, Vanilla Bean Crème Anglaise, Whipped Cream
When any serious diner does her or his research on Mystic two names are repeatedly the center of most conversations, Chef James Wayman and Dan Meiser who opened Oyster Club in 2011 and virtually changed an entire city’s food culture overnight.
Now the proud owners of three Restaurants including Engine Room and the recently debuted Grass & Bone, the later complete with a Butcher Shop that on this particular evening saw Chef Wyman cooking a special Dinner alongside Boston’s Jamie Bissonette, it was several minutes early for a 6:00pm reservation that two guests were welcomed to the converted carriage house at 13 Water Street, the warmth of the foyer bolstered by a fireplace with dining room left and Bar to the right.
Open nightly from 4pm for Happy Hour, dinner beginning at five and Weekends also offering Brunch, it was with coats checked that guests were led to tables in a room heavy with wood, a list of Cocktails presented along with menus that change daily to reflect the market, one of them more lengthy and the other a bargain $25 Pasta Prix Fixe.
Treated to the cooking of Sous Chef Dave Vacca given Wayman’s busy schedule, though the executive Chef’s fondness of Charcuterie and local sourcing played a prominent role, it was after lengthy perusal while weighing appetites that the decision was made to order one Tasting and further supplement from there, the total tab of $145 including one Cocktail a veritable bargain and Dinner starting off with the first of two complimentary Baskets of Bread including a Cornmeal variety just as good as that at Engine Room.
Deferring the meal’s course to a friendly and informed waitress, her honest answers about portion sizes helpful in allowing a party of two to sample a wide swath of the night’s offerings, it was with Oyster Club’s famous Quahog Clam Chowder alongside Salad dressed in Anchovies plus crispy Croutons that things got underway, a large bowl split into two portions at the kitchen’s discretion proving thinner than most and all the better for it as Clams and Bacon came through unmuted by Cream, Potatoes or Seasoning.
Refreshing share plates and silverware for each course, a request easily accommodated with the room less than 1/4 full, course two featured a duo of daily specials including pieces of housemade Prosciutto layered amidst Toast, Hydroponic Greens and Peanuts plus a touch of hot Honey, the quality of each ingredient magnified by the others and a trend also witnessed in room-temperature Scallops poached in Goose Fat served with cured Bird Meat and a light dressing imbued by Screwpine.
Told that Oyster Club’s Tagliatelle is something of a signature but at the time more interested in housemade Spaghetti served simply with Prosciutto, Peppers and Onions next to a buttery Garlic Knot, the flavors all present but the end result admittedly a little underwhelming, course three concluded savories by way of roasted Baby Carrots wrinkly and tender beneath Root Vegetable Chips along with local Cheese and “Honey-soaked” Mushrooms, a never-before-seen idea that surprising worked well in this context.
Rounding out the evening with Dessert but no Coffee, a long day of driving to follow and sleep at a premium, suffice it to say that the Tasting Menu’s lone choice was more Funnel Cake than Zeppole while the regular Menu fared far better, an $8 Blondie topped in boozy Caramel and Whipped Cream probably best shared given its richness while both the Pina Colada-esque Pot de Crème or signature Almond Brown Butter Cake with a texture akin to Sticky Toffee Pudding are so good that one per diner is well advised to prevent battles for the last bite.
http://www.oysterclubct.com
