Something to look forward to. Once every month or so, a group of New Yorkers with a shared passion for oysters get together to take part in a great meal, and delightful conversation, both centered around the revered ingredient. These are the members of New York City Oyster Lovers Meet Up group. And this past Wednesday we all met up for a fabulous meal at Lure Fish Bar, in Soho New York, prepared by the talented Chef Ryan Schmidtberger.

The menu, specifically created for this exclusive dining affair, consisted of four courses, each with a dish using a different oyster. We began with the trio of oysters served on the half shell, each one with a different flavor enhancing topping. The Beau Soleil, a very mild oyster, was subtly accompanied by the clean taste of the Meyer lemon granita. The Pineapple-cucumber salsa rounded out the brininess of the Point Judith oyster. And the Jalelpeno Ponzu added spice to the otherwise sweet and melony Kumamoto oyster, our favorite of the three.

The second course was a duo of fried oysters. The Blue Point, encrusted with Graham Cracker, served with tarter sauce and thai slaw closely resembled the taste of a fish taco. It was flavorful and perfectly crispy. The Fanny Bay oyster covered in a potato tempura, wrapped in smoked salmon, and topped with a fine herb aioli and caviar screamed to be placed on top of a toasted bagel. It was salty, tangy, and savory.

Next up, Chef Ryan presented us with the Shibumi Oyster Stew. A heavy broth of potato and leeks, it was very similar in taste to the familiar soup. Topped with bacon and fried shallots, it was a bit too heavy and rich, lacking the taste of the prominent ingredient.

For the final course, we were served a roasted chicken with an Kusshi Oyster stuffing on top of a potato puree and foie gras sauce. The chicken was perfectly tender, the stuffing savory and the fois gras sauce exquisitely delectable. All three components of the dish combined effectively to put forth a tasty last bite to the oyster centered meal.

The dinner concluded with a creamy Tapioca dessert served in a beautiful clam shell. It was as appealing to the eye as it was to the palate. The Tapioca pearls were topped with refreshing sorbet, small chunks of fresh pineapple, tangerine and coconut flakes. The various textures of each component came together to create just the right amount of sweet to follow our savory oyster feast.

We look forward to seeing what the next meet up has in store.

Lure Fishbar

142 Mercer Street

New York, NY 10012-3806

(212) 431-7676