Fried Oysters, anybody?

[LDWmoorestreet]

Where in the LA area (westside, Hollywood, downtown?) can you get good fried oysters? I love oysters, but I'm pregnant and can't eat raw oysters for another 5+ months (so sad). My birthday is tomorrow. I thought The Water Grill downtown would be a sure thing, but they don't have fried oysters on the menu. We had some leads on divey soul food joints with fry oysters, but nothing upscale and appropriate for a birthday dinner.

Just curious. Any help is appreciated!

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Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

[FoodLizzard]

Gulfstream for absolutely-positively certain!

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Gulfstream
10250 Santa Monica Blvd 656, Los Angeles, CA

[Dommy]

My favorite, is R23, but sadly they only serve it for lunch! Believe me, I've tried and pleaded at dinner.. *sigh*

--Dommy!

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R23
923 E. 3rd Street, Los Angeles, CA 90013

[kevin]

i just hate it when restaurants do that, esp. when you can't get the good dinner items at lunch time.

[tissue]

Sushi Go 55 has lovely fried oysters

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Sushi Go 55
333 S Alameda St Ste 317, Los Angeles, CA 90013

[fishheadk]

Kings seafood restaurants sister restaurants of water grill they fry all sorts of seafood including oysters (they look like malpeques or blue points) not to mention phenomenal oysters on the half shell, hands down the best in california

[hnsbmg]

Who are you comparing King's oysters to when you call them the best in California, fishheadk? I had a dozen delicate oysters on the half shell at Marché Modern the other night, and they were better than anything I've ever had at King's (and more expensive, of course). I also remember all those excellent oysters in the Bay Area and northern coast from when I lived in Silicon Valley. I like King's -- it's a good concept, well-executed in a mid-range chain -- but I don't think anything they do is the best in California (except copy their mother restaurant, the Water Grill, by providing napkins with buttonholes for the neatness-challenged ;-).

[mucho gordo]

I don't know if they're still around but there was a Chinese restaurant called the Mandarin Cove downtown. They had 2 fantastic oyster dishes and I could never make up my mind which one: stir fried with ginger and green onion or sizzling black pepper oysters.

[luckattack]

I am finding a lot of the restaurants, at least the Chinese ones in SGV are saying they are out of clams and shellfish due to the oil spill. You guys don't have a problem?

[Hughlipton]

They sure grow a lot of oysters up in the Bay Area and in Washington and most likely Oregon so I don't think there should be a problem finding oysters. Can't really answer about the clams but my understanding was most of them came from Asia.

[bulavinaka]

Second Hugh's thoughts. Pacific Rim oysters are fantastic and relatively close. NorCal and Washington have perfect settings for oyster farming.

[ipsedixit]

Which "Chinese ones in SGV" are you speaking of?

Most of the shellfish and clams that Chinese restaurants use are not from the Gulf Coast; they're usu. locally sourced or from Thailand or SE Asia.

[LDWmoorestreet]

Wow everyone, thanks for the many replies. So far, I'm leaning to Blue Plate Oysterette, which I didn't even know existed, so that is an exciting find! But also considering the Gulfstream as it is mid-city and easier for my friends to get to. I had forgotten about the Reel Inn, another great tip. Thanks again.

By the way, I called the Water Grill and they said they actually couldn't help out a pregnant lady with her special request b/c they don't have the ability to fry anything! They were very nice about it, though. Interesting.

Laura

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Water Grill
544 South Grand, Los Angeles, CA 90071

Blue Plate
1415 Montana Ave, Santa Monica, CA 90403

Gulfstream
10250 Santa Monica Blvd 656, Los Angeles, CA

[Will Owen]

Having spent most of my life in Illinois and Tennessee, I must say that the concept of a seafood restaurant with no frying capabilities is enough to induce a state of cognitive dissonance. Of course there are other ways to prepare fish, clams, oysters and the like, but is fried not sorta basic?

Anyway, I do dearly love fried oysters, and will happily join the OP in thanking everyone who posted their suggestions.

[hnsbmg]

Forget the seafood -- how do they fry their Twinkies?

[creamfinger]

The Water Grill serves fried Twinkies? I can't even conjure that image in my mind.

[foodiemahoodie]

Best I've had are at Taiko - a Japanese restaurant in Brentwood.

However, I haven't tried a lot.

I'll have to try the Oysterette.

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Taiko Restaurant
11677 San Vicente Blvd Ste 302, Los Angeles, CA 90049

[que ball]

Know OC is way off, but I was Jonesin' for good fried oysters for a long time...Los Alamitos Fish Co. came through, as they usually do with things seafood...

[creamfinger]

I always liked the fried oysters at the Reel Inn on PCH in Malibu.
http://reelinnmalibu.com

[J.L.]

Place Yuu has Japanese style fried oysters. Yum.

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Place Yuu
2101 Sawtelle Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90025

[bulavinaka]

We enjoyed some outstanding fried oysters (kaki-furai) at Kagura on Cabrillo in Torrance. I know this isn't the area you specified, but I have a feeling someone doing a word search on this subject will fall upon this thread...

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Kagura
1652 Cabrillo Ave., Torrance, CA 90501

[degustateur]

Happy B-Day, LDWmoorestreet!

Check out The Tar Pit. Upscale locale, nice vibe. Cool meet-up for a birthday celebration. Live entertainment. Fried oysters on the menu. Haven’t tried them yet but they should be good with Mark Peel (Campanile) at the helm.

609 N La Brea Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90036
[phone]
http://www.tarpitbar.com

Another option is Gulfstream. The fried oysters were amazing at the Newport Beach location, perhaps a bit far for your party. I understand that the one in Century City features the same menu. The crab cakes and the wild rice salad are sure bets as well if available there. Again, a very cool, upscale venue.

Gulfstream
10250 Santa Monica Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90067
[phone]
http://www.hillstone.com/#/restaurants/...

[Bibi]

The fried oysters at Gulfstream (in Century City) are BY FAR the best I've had in Los Angeles!!!

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Gulfstream
10250 Santa Monica Blvd 656, Los Angeles, CA

[Ernie]

Agree 100% about Gulfstream. I am not a big fan of raw oysters but their fried ones are delicious

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Gulfstream
10250 Santa Monica Blvd 656, Los Angeles, CA

[ipsedixit]

Beacon has it as an app. www.beacon-la.com

Also, the Boiling Crab in Alhambra has it. http://www.theboilingcrab.com Not upscale, but then not "divey" either.

Good luck.

[Hughlipton]

I don't know if you would find it birthday appropriate although I'm taking my duaghter there Sunday for her 20th birthday, but the deep fried oysters at Hop Li on Alpine St. in Chinatown are wonderful as is the rest of their food. There is always back and forth debate on this restaurant on this board but I have never been disappointed.

[Liquid Sky]

Great thread! Oysters... YUM!

[hnsbmg]

The Water Grill is a great place and very friendly. I'd explain the situation to them and see if they won't help out a pregnant birthday girl by frying up a mess of oysters for you. In any case, happy birthday!

[wienermobile]

At Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica they are wonderful. They are not always on the menu so call first but they had them last week.
http://blueplatesantamonica.com/bpo/h...