any good oysters recently?

[wild bill]

just checking if anyone has had any really good oysters in the area recently. either at a restaurant or from a seafood vendor/market. i am thinking of grabbing a couple dozen and shucking them myself this weekend. any recs?

[crosby_p]

Yup...Conrads...and I use a big ole leather glove PLUS the dishtowel.

[baltimorejim]

Hey, why shuck them when you can go to Ryleigh's and have oysters from as many as 14 different locations. I went with friends who frequent the Grand Central oyster bar recently and they couldn't believe the variety of oysters for the happy hour price of $1 each. We had northwest coast, northeast coast (Maine and Canada) virginia and Maryland. My least favorite was the Choptank oyster which may be perfectly fine for frying but did not fare well against the competiton that night. This has got to be a place for a chow outing if there ever was one.

[matt8313]

Yeah, since the renovation and the new management, Ryleigh's oyster selection has been legitimately fabulous, especially at the dollar each price. I'm not as huge a fan of the cooked stuff I've had, but they've become my go-to raw bar.

[JonParker]

Love Ryleigh's. I've only had a sandwich there from the menu and thought it was just ok, but the oyster selection is fantastic, and during happy hour all beer is $3 each. One of the best deals in town.

[Hal Laurent]

Is Ryleigh's where Sisson's used to be?

[ko1]

And when exactly is their happy hour? Do they do it on weekends?

[JonParker]

To Hal: Yes, that's it. Beats Sisson's all to hell.

To ko1: it's from 3-7 weekdays, so the only weekend slot is Friday evening. There's one night (Tuesday I think) where the happy hour runs until 10. Incidentally, I'd be up for it just about any night after work.

[ko1]

I'll email you when we go!

[matt8313]

It runs later both Monday and Tuesday (although on Monday it they don't open until 5).

[Hal Laurent]

Sisson's was very good in its heyday (back when the Sisson's owned it). Its heyday was a long time ago, though.

[baltimorejim]

I would like to go as well. However I haven't set up an address on - is it Yahoo?

[JonParker]

The Yahoo group used by Baltimore hounds for planning our regular outings as well as occasional more informal get-togethers is at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/charmci...

All you need to join is an email address. Alternatively, you can email me directly through the address in my profile.

[hill food]

for anyone non Balto in DC lurking; Eastern Market has been carrying a dozen Chincoteagues for $8.50.

as an amateur, for shucking I prefer twisting a small flathead screwdriver over the knife.

[plop82]

I saw some at Wegman's last week.

[wild bill]

i've always thought the wegmans oysters looked ok, but for some reason and this is out of a dozen times being there and looking at them in the case for a minute or two, i have never been able to pull the trigger on buying them. maybe subconciously my brain cannot buy oysters from a grocery store. it's a tough proposition.

[Hue]

Franks Seafood in Jessup Market

[JonParker]

Aside from my shucking aversion, I agree completely that it just feels odd to buy them from a grocery store. Not sure why that is.

[hon]

balto. or dc?

[JonParker]

Looking as his history, I'd guess Balt, in which case I'd say Faidley's. I think crosby recommended Conrad's as well.

Of course, I'm a firm believer in having someone else do my shucking. Oyster shuckers rank with teachers and street cops as being a boon to society far beyond what they are paid, IMO.

[wild bill]

sorry about that, yeah i'm talking about baltimore. i have never shucked my own oyster, and i want to learn. you never know when a skill such as that should be needed. i just want to try it. i have heard good things about conrad's, but have never been. that i probably where i am going to go.

[Chowtimore]

Conrad's Maryland oysters - 1 doz. for $4.99. It's a steal and the dozen I pounded a couple of weeks ago were great. They usually have several other options for $12-15/doz.

Whole Foods usually has some decent options from $.99 to $1.49/each.

I would strongly recommend against buying oysters from the fishmonger in Broadway Market. Three in the dozen I bought from them were bad and the ones that weren't bad weren't too good, either.

Shucking is pretty easy, just don't think you're a hot shot and skip the safety precautions after getting a few right. It only takes one slip of the knife to remind you that you aren't. Well, that's all it took me...

[hon]

I 2nd Conrads, in addition to the Chespeakes, they usually also have Chincoteagues and Blue Points.

[JonParker]

Will Conrad's shuck them for you?

[hon]

I am not sure, I don't see why they wouldn't!

[wild bill]

i will head the advice and continue to use the dish-towel as a buffer between the oyster knife and my hand. i might just get the glove anyway.

[Hal Laurent]

When did you get bad oysters from Broadway Market? I've never had that happen (although lately their oyster prices have been higher than Whole Foods).

[Chowtimore]

I got the bad batch last Friday, 2/22.