Oysters – Acme Oyster Bar, NOLA + Parrain’s, BRLA

Whether they’re boiled, deviled, chargrilled, or charbroiled (because believe me there is a difference in Louisiana), oysters are one of the definite favorites of any seafood lover. Well, at least it’s one of mine. Ha.

Personally, I like them Raw. With a capital R.

At Parrain’s, the oysters on the half shell were served almost as if they were just fished out of cold water–meaning the temperature was quite perfect. The size of the oysters, I think, were what I remembered to be most impressive. One of the shells was of greater size than my very own fist. (Though in actuality that probably doesn’t say much, considering how the tips of my fingers always only reach to any of my friends’ second knuckle when we compare hands. But that’s okay. It’s not about size… Oh right. Not that kind of blog.*)

Anyhoo. The oysters in Parrain’s were delicous. Served with my very own personal basket, nay, bin of saltines**, cocktail sauce, and a unique tartar/horseradish sauce with a single lemon wedge, it was quite the experience. The tartar/horseradish sauce was something I’ve not seen before. Loved it? Why yes. Horseradish = plant family that produced Wasabi = Asian = Awesome***. Oh yes. I went there. However, when I eat oysters at home, I eat them with a bowl of vinegar that has a splash of soy sauce, diced onions, and pepper. Sigh. I think back to the days when I used to make oyster runs with my mom to the nearest Kroger. How sadly desperate we were.

Oh yeah. The food at Parrain’s was good. Btdubs.

Oysters, in my opinion, is the physical and very edible manifestation of all the flavors of the sea. When served very fresh, which is highly preferred by this foodie, it has less of a fishy taste and more of a… sea taste. It’s hard to put into words, but here’s me taking a whack at it:

If I were a meat lover (I eat meat, and I love steak, but I don’t consider myself a meat lover) a truly amazing mouthful of raw oyster is analogous to a 4-star-restaurant’s filet mignon. Not to mention that oysters help with your sex life.**** Again, not that kind of blog.

This one was from the famous Acme Oyster Bar in New Orleans. It rates second on Urbanspoon, second only to Cafe du Monde (which, if you knew New Orleans, is admittedly a good “number one” but in a very casual, very sugary, and very beignet-y way. But that’s for another day’s scribblings.)

Now the oysters here are quite possibly the freshest I’ve ever eaten/consumed/inhaled since I’ve left the sunny tropics of my country. And in fact, these were not the best that Acme could offer. I’m quite immovable with my choice in seafood, and when I saw I like my oysters raw. I. Like. Them. Raw. Despite the fact that the Chargrilled oysters came highly recommended. But no worries, I’m only an hour away. <3

I think that perhaps the best serving of oysters I’ve had, other than the oysters on the half shell here at Acme were the Oyster Shooters that Acme also served.
 It was amazing. If someone took that same bite of filet mignon I mentioned and stuck it in a shot glass, added A1 steak sauce, and filled it to the brim with vodka, I highly doubt that the result would come out half as awesome as these. Only $1.49 (which is butt cheap since a proper shot is around $5 on Bourbon street), it entails the oyster (without the shell duh), a spoonful of cocktail sauce,  a pinch of Worcestshire sauce (I think, you can never tell with all these secret ingredients), and of course vodka (not much of a secret there).

Ask for a second dollop of the cocktail sauce. It gives a nice kick as it goes down your throat, and is a definite contrast to the vodka. You in fact don’t even taste the oyster. Just a brief glimpse of the wonderful soft texture.

Oysters, in summation, are amazing.

*HAHAHAHAHAHA. Er, I don’t know. It must be because oysters just do that to you.
**I never understood what role saltines played. It brought out the flavor, but not as well as the cocktail sauce. It could give a break from the texture, but in my opinion, that’s the best part of the oyster.
***I’m pretty ethnocentric. If you’ve not noticed.
****Yeah, it must be that.

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