Restaurant Review: The Oyster Club

The Oyster Club in Mystic is easily one of the best restaurants in our area. Fine dining in a casual environment (really, the food is amazing but the wait staff wear jeans!) makes it easily accessible for anyone to go and have a great meal, prepared by talented chefs using local, seasonal foods. I have visited this establishment a few times, much less than I would have liked, and each time it just gets better. This visit was inspired by an email they sent out (you can join the list on their website) informing me of their “winter warmers” menu, as well as happy hour specials.

During the winter, their happy hour is 7 days a week from 4-6 p.m., and specials are only available in the bar area. Those amazing oysters you saw at the beginning of the post? One dollar a piece. They came with cocktail sauce and an amazing vinegar garlic sauce I seriously want to put on everything I ever eat from this point on.

The full menu is also available for order in the bar at this time (dining room opens at 5 p.m., and they are offering lunch hours over the winter as well) making it a great place to enjoy a quick dinner alone or with a date.

Especially if your date likes oysters and good beer. The bartender was very friendly and helpful, quickly refilling drinks and oysters as needed as well as checking the table availability for us and putting us on the list without us even having to get up once.

As for dinner, their menu changes daily because they do use locally sourced ingredients, but a sample is available on their website to give you an idea of what you are in for. The”Winter Warmers” menu that brought us in that night offers heartier dishes at very friendly prices (you will get a gourmet meal for the price of Applebees) and is available Monday through Thursday in the bar and dining room. We chose to move our meal to the dining room, because we had no children with us and wanted to indulge ourselves. And while the subject has been broached, I would not recommend bringing young children here. There is no children’s menu (that I am aware of) and it is more of a date night type environment than family friendly dining. But hey, if you think your little ones can handle it, try it out and let us know how it went!

We started our dinner off with a couple of drinks, mine being the “Blood Oyster” – a delicious bloody mary with all the fixings, including an oyster on top – and his being the “Blood & Sand”, which you will enjoy if you like alcohol. Lots and lots of alcohol. The drink was one of the “scotchtails” available, and according to the menu was a recipe from 1922, so it is fun to see what people drank way back when. Those people were hardcore.

We started our meal with a Chinese Meat Pie Appetizer, which came with a ginger-soy dipping sauce that was light and not too salty, a great way to start the meal. Then we each ordered from the “Winter Warmers” menu, him having chili and me the pork sandwich. Both were generously portioned and absolutely delicious. They were very filling and we actually had to pass on desert because we were so stuffed. Although we had a great time in the dining room – the wait staff here is very friendly and extremely helpful in regards to the menu and ordering – these meals seemed perfect for eating at the bar with a nice cold beer.

Whether you visit soon to take advantage of these special or wait until the summer when the outdoor seating is available, the Oyster Club will not disappoint. The menu is always fresh and delicious, offering exciting combinations and tastes I know I at least wouldn’t find in my own kitchen. If you have a less than adventurous eater on your hands, their burger is always available year round and I can tell you it is accompanied by some of the best french fries you will ever eat. Just make sure you make reservations – online or via phone – because this place fills up fast!

To see this review (with more pictures) and reviews like this one, please visit Southeastern CT Kids or sectkids.com.