Great Oysters in the Burbs: Café Blue

Growing up in New England where clams on the half shell ruled the day, I came down here with a complete lack of appreciation and understanding of oysters. Well that certainly has changed. Ever since Auggie Garrido coaxed me into my first platter of oysters at Eddie V’s about 14 years ago, I have been hooked. And sure, downtown has plenty of pricey oyster joints.

But what about southwest? Well, that would be the Galleria and most notably Cafe Blue.

Exec Chef Ben Nathan prides himself not only on the quality but the diversity of his oysters. Basically here’s how it works. The Gulf Oyster season runs from September to early summer. So Cafe Blue focuses on Gulf Oysters then. Café Blue also features scrumptious Oysters Rockefeller at this time baked with spinach bacon and Pernod. Mon dieu!

Once the waters in the Gulf top 70 degrees, Ben shifts to the universally popular Blue Point from my old stomping grounds of Long Island Sound between Connecticut and Long Island, NY. The Blue Point is large, full in flavor and brine, and exceptionally crisp and clean. (I love them.)

But Café Blue offers much more than just Blue Points. There are Wellfleets and Cinemarks from Massachusetts, Wild Seasides and Delaware Bay from Virginia, Hog Islands and Rhode Island Wilds from Rhode Island. Beau Soleils from New Brunswick (Canada) and the cold water beauties from Prince Edward Island like Piper’s Point and Watch Hill. Each of these has their own legions of fans and vary in size and taste: but they are all quite good and that’s the point.

So can’t get downtown? Café Blue at the Galleria can hold their own with anyone in the city with their variety and quality of Oysters. I now know why when Café Blue first opened the oyster shucker looked so exhausted. He had opened 60 dozen oysters that night, and I doubt the number has dropped much if at all since then. :]