Front Page
Subscribe-Free
News Index
Calendars
FEATURES
  Eye on Sports
  Larchmont's Reading
  Lauren's Kitchen
  Career Doctor
  Teen Health
  Tax Advice
  Tech Talk
  Travel
COMMENTARY
  Editorials
  Op-Ed
  Letters
  View from Albany
LOCAL GUIDE
  Local Directory
  New to 10538?
  Local History
  Dining Out/In
  Photo Galleries
Weddings & Births
Obituaries
Advertise
Contact Us
About Us

Dining Review: Larchmont Avenue Oyster House

(July 30, 2002) Time was, if you were a fish lover in search of the more exotic varieties of seafare, you'd have to travel into Manhattan to restaurants like the Oyster Bar in Grand Central Terminal, or Le Bernardin on West 51st Street, to satisfy your craving. Now, however, you need go no farther than the Larchmont Avenue Oyster House, where Chef Miguel Medina serves an impressive array of seafood from around the globe.

On a recent sultry Sunday evening, my dinner companions and I decided it was too hot to cook at home, so we strolled over to the Oyster House, in what is fast becoming Larchmont's "Restaurant Row." The charming interior, long and narrow, with an open kitchen, old-fashioned pressed-tin ceiling and hardwood floor, can be a bit noisy, but the din is the friendly sound of happy diners tucking into good food.

The evening's specials are listed on a green chalkboard along one wall, a cute idea that doesn't work very well in practice. Once seated, a diner can't read the entire list without serious neck-craning, and to properly view it, you need to get up and walk a bit. A printed menu insert would be kinder to the diner and allow more leisurely consideration of the night's specials.

From the regular menu, Oysters Rockefeller, while rich and tasty, was too heavy on the bacon, obscuring the delicately flavored oysters. Littleneck clams, served French-style on ice in a two-tiered china dish, were fresher than fresh, tasting cleanly of the sea. Marinated seafood salad, a special, combined good shrimp, scallops, mussels and squid in a lemony vinaigrette on a bed of lettuce. A chopped salad in a rather bland Gorgonzola vinaigrette was refreshing but uninteresting.

One adventuresome diner in my party ordered opa (po'opa'a in Hawaiian), a firm-fleshed, meaty white fish . She asked for it grilled, and it arrived perfectly cooked, with a crisp exterior and moist, flavorful interior. Chilean sea bass, another of the night's specials, was pan-seared in butter and lemon juice, also perfectly crisp on the outside and tenderly firm inside. Two dishes from the regular menu also satisfied: butternut squash ravioli with scallops and lobster, and a very wild-tasting wild Scottish salmon with a tarragon-butter sauce. There is a big difference in taste between farm-raised and truly wild salmon, and too many restaurants don't bother to find the free-swimming variety.

The Larchmont Avenue Oyster House kitchen is known for its seafood, of course, but the chefs also show a deft hand with side dishes. A stand-out Sunday night was broccolini, a sweet/bitter cross between broccoli and Chinese kale. It arrived intensely green, just lightly steamed and sautéed in a bit of olive oil and garlic, full of flavor.

The Gazette needs a new crop of restaurant reviewers, because everyone at our table that night was either dieting or lacking a sweet tooth, and nobody ordered dessert. This review is therefore incomplete, but in the interest of good journalism, a repeat visit in future will include dessert. Oh, the sacrifices we make for the reading public!

The Oyster House could make the dining experience even better if it would upgrade its ventilation system. On a hot night, the temperature inside the restaurant can become uncomfortable, and even on cooler evenings, the atmosphere can be a bit close.

Meticulous home cooks have been thrilled to discover the restaurant's raw fish and seafood items for sale during the day, from a small refrigerated case near the entrance. There are also a few cooked items to go, like crabcakes and boiled shrimp. Prices are comparable to other fish markets in the area, although they tend to be higher than in supermarkets. Higher prices, but much higher quality.

 

Larchmont Avenue Oyster House 147 Larchmont Avenue Larchmont, NY 10538 914-833-7659 Open for dinner every night Open for lunch Monday through Saturday Sample Menu