The last stop of our West Coast trip was Seattle, Washington. Oysters were at the top of my mind in this seafood town.
The best place we had oysters was at a Taylor Shellfish Farms Oyster Bar. We walked to the Melrose location from our hotel and were glad to see that the restaurant is in a residential area that holds a lot of interesting brick and mortar, such as local record stores and book shops.
We walked in for lunch during a weekday, so we avoided the crowd.
The oyster varieties were largely familiar to us, having lived in Vancouver. We ordered a dozen and slurped them down.
The waiter recommended pairing the raw oysters with a stout. Seems to be a Seattle trend. I wouldn’t have thought to pair a bold-flavored beer with delicate seafood, but I can report that the combo works. The stout didn’t overpower the raw oysters.
I tried geoduck for the first time here. The Oyster Bar served it sashimi style, shaved thinly. I like the flavor: light and clean; similar to octopus.
The Melrose location has a bright and open, modern and casual atmosphere. There’s good people watching from any spot, with the floor-to-ceiling windows offering a view of the street.
A note on the current Seattle dining scene: I noticed that pairing sweet with seafood is a thing. Example: berries with salmon. While I have to give a nod to local chefs trying to be creative, I can’t quite say I like the execution. The sweet notes skew toward desserts and confuse the savory or light aspect of a seafood dish. But, to each his own. Maybe that combo suits the local palate.
ATB 