Food for Thought
Food poisoning followed by oysters: A new twist
Last week started with food poisoning and ended with raw oysters.
You’d think that might be the other way around, but no. The two events are actually unrelated. But I can tell you two things from last week: One, always check the expiration date on those cans in the back of the pantry. And, two, check out the new raw bar at Gravitas.
It’s not like raw bars are anything new. We’ve been hanging at Pesce’s for years and those braving the I-10 traffic rave about the one at Eddie V’s Prime Seafood in CityCentre since it opened last year. But it’s always nice to have one in the neighborhood.
“I just wanted to bring some really good quality oysters to Montrose,” chef/owner Scott Tycer says. And he’s got some very nice mollusks to choose from.
Since bringing chef Ryan Hildebrand on board at his Textile restaurant, Tycer has had more time to spend at Gravitas, fine-tuning the menu and adding some flourishes like the new raw bar. Right now it’s just a temporary bar by the entrance to the main dining room, but Tycer’s in the process of building out a permanent fixture that will offer up delights from the sea weeknights. (Currently the bar is only available Thursday through Saturdays.)
Raw bar may be a bit of a misnomer as the mounds of ice are topped not only with oysters but also some steamed prawns about the size of those in District 9, plus yummy stone crab claws and mussels.
But after a week of gelatin and Gatorade, it was the cold, briny oysters that I slurped down with wild abandon, along with a cold vodka martini and plenty of Tycer’s Krafts’men Baking warm bread. It’s a great start to a dinner at Gravitas, a perfect cocktail nosh or a meal unto itself.
And now — to the oysters: Tycer doesn’t discriminate, unless you count the lack of Gulf Coast bivalves. But the East and West coast varieties are well represented and welcome. First there are the popular Malpeques from Prince Edward Island, light-bodied and clean with just a touch of brine. Then there are the West Coast "lady-sized" Kusshis, grown in floating trays and tumbled into small, compact tasty bites. And don't forget their larger cousins the British Colombia Fanny Bays.
Coming off a three-day queasiness fest, I tried to restrain myself, but it was the Naked Roy’s Beach oysters that did me in.
In a good way, that is. I couldn’t get enough of these rich, sweetish oysters named for the Puget Sound stretch of sand where a guy named Roy used to work on his full-body tan.
There are several sauces offered, but Tycer prefers the mignonette, and I have to agree. A vinegary broth swimming with finely chopped shallots, it’s the perfect drizzle for the cold oysters before you upend the shells into your mouth.
Yes, there can be a risk to eating raw seafood, but what’s life without a little risk?
Or life without some cold oysters on the half-shell?
