Home >> Boston >> Island Creek Oyster Bar

Island Creek Oyster Bar

Posted by Edmund in Boston, Featured Articles, Restaurants, Seafood | 0 comments

Feb 07, 11

Cuisine: Seafood.
Specialty: Oysters.
Address: 500 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston, MA 02215.
Price: About $50/person, including drinks.

When I think “oyster bar,” I typically think dinky, crusty, and musty—a low-key restaurant, with cramped seating, minimal decoration, and the permanent stench of dead fish.

…And then I walked into Island Creek Oyster Bar, to be left in utter shock at the ultra-modern, sleek grandiosity. Entering through the large glass doors, I found myself in a bright dining room, filled to the brim with diners around an enormous bar, which glittered with innumerable bottles of just about any liquor you could want. And even with hundreds of seats in the house, the restaurant was already so crowded that my friends and I had to snake our way through a throng of bustling diners and drinkers. But it was worth it, as we entered onto a secluded, circular nook, surrounded by massive steely walls run through with simple, but captivating, modernist designs of straight lines and jagged ridges. Surrounded by that type of energy, liveliness, and sheer splendor, I knew that this was definitely the place I wanted to be on a Saturday night, and I could sense the food would live up to my expectations.

That was unfortunately only half-true, as I found the menu a confused mix of the sinfully good with the sinfully mediocre. For the most part, when we stuck to the oysters and appetizers, we were almost always satisfied, but the main dishes simply could not deliver.

Among the favorites was a clam chowder so delightfully light, yet milky, that it retained all the flavor of traditional clam chowder with little of the clingy fattiness. Tossing in some succulent, smoky bacon and honey-sweet buttermilk biscuits—both charred just right—into the soup made it easily one of the city’s absolute best (perhaps only behind Legal Sea Foods’).

Not to be outdone, though, was a full portion of the buttermilk biscuits, this time served in the form of one miniature cake. It came crispy on the outside, buttery on the inside, with an almost pound-cake like spongy, cakey grittiness—simply superb. It also thrilled the taste buds with a light touch of honey up-front and a delightful kick of saltiness at the end.

And the legendary oysters? I tend to stay away from oysters, but from the two that I tried—the signature Island Creek (which the restaurant farms itself at its nearby oyster farm) and the Humboldt Gold—I could tell that Island Creek does it right, serving each perfectly clean and fresh, with a side of herby vinegar. And the restaurant has 13 different varieties, enough for even the pickiest of connoisseurs. There isn’t much more that you could want from a good oyster bar.

Still, there are some things that simply cannot compare to the excellence of the rest of the food. Especially disappointing were the entrees, two of which I tried. First, the lobster roe noodles seem like a dream, combining grilled lobster, short rib, and mushrooms with fresh pasta. And yet, while I enjoyed the slight saltiness that hit the palate after slurping up the thick noodles, the lobster was tough, the short rib simply did not blend with anything on the dish, and the noodles were nothing special, especially for a town of superb Italian food.

Nearly as confused was the cod, served with an intriguing, but clashing, mix of lentils and bacon. While the cod was cooked incredibly well, so that it could be cut through like butter, it was over-salted to death. Adding in a mountain of gritty lentils and hard, fatty bacon didn’t help all that much, muddying up the tender texture. I did, however, enjoy the smokiness of the bacon with the earthiness of the lentils.

Nor did the service do much to improve the experience. While it was amiable enough, the night was riddled with errors. First, the hostess forgot to give me a number for my coat check, which created a hassle at the end. Next, obtaining water and silverware was often problematic, though understandable, given the hoards of people. Third, the waiter forgot to place an order for one of our appetizers. Finally—and most egregiously—when my friend asked for a bottle of Gruner Veltliner, the waiter tried to hustle him with a very basic ploy, suggesting that a man of his class should drink the higher-end bottle. The other problems I can stand, but I’m not fond of waiters who try to pressure their customers. Regardless, I generally enjoyed the people, who knew how to crack a joke and serve you with a smile.

All in all, then, Island Creek Oyster Bar was both better and worse than expected, in different ways. I expected a dump, and I got a palace. I expected a one-shot oyster specialist, and I had some of the best clam chowder I’ve had in my life. At the same time, the service and the entrees could stand some more polish.

Still, if you’re looking for a hot place in town to have some fresh oysters and hearty food with good company, Island Creek is an easy recommendation.

What I Tasted

Pan Fried Maine Crab Cake (with Shaved Fennel, Arugula Pesto, and Pistachio Relish): Quite a unique crab cake—I’ve never seen one quite so stringy, or one tossed with so many interesting ingredients. The crab cake itself has a very nice, crispy top, almost like a crispy polenta, while the inside is tender, slightly chewy, and somewhat gritty. The crab itself tastes great, but it’s not enough to impress on its own. What really elevates the dish is everything around the crab, as you get herby fennel to cleanse the palate, the slight bitterness of the arugula pesto, and a very interesting citrus (lime, I’d think). Very, very complex, with the palate picking up tangy and herby flavors constantly, which serve as a great backdrop for the saltier crab. 4.5/5.0
Potato Gnocchi (with Spinach and Fried Egg): Another very novel dish—I don’t think I’ve ever seen gnocchi topped with a fried egg. And boy does it make a difference. After mixing in the egg yolk, the gnocchi picks up a gooey richness that really integrates all the disparate elements together, softening some of the stronger flavors, like the bitterness of the spinach. And the complexity is again surprising. The gnocchi hits you with a rather neutral starchiness, but it’s cooked very nicely. Add in the bitterness of the spinach, the fat of the egg, the tender egg white, and a bit of tanginess (from what I don’t remember), and you’ve got a fantastic dish. 4.4/5.0
Local Clam Chowder (Hand Dug Clams, Buttermilk Biscuits, and House-Cured Bacon): One of my favorite dishes of the evening, and one of the best chowders in Boston. First, while I typically love my chowder rich, this one somehow manages to capture the same flavor of rich clam chowder but with a rather light broth—one that has an interestingly milky undertone that clings to the palate. Add in a boatload of chewy clams, extremely smoky bacon with a deliciously succulent oiliness, and charred, honey-sweet miniature biscuits, and you have a nearly unforgettable chowder. I also like that the restaurant uses vegetables to thicken the chowder naturally. My one big complaint is in the toughness of the bacon and the biscuits, which feel as though they are overcooked or over-charred. 4.7/5.0
Salted Cod (with Bacon, Lentil, and Vegetables): A conceptual mess. Cod, being such a light, neutral fish really does need something to give it some flavor, but that something is definitely not a mountain of gritty lentils, which simply clash with the tender, melt-in-your-mouth cod. That fish is cooked beautifully, but it is so over-salted that I have to use the lentils to counterbalance it. While I enjoy those lentils alone, though, they simply muddy up the texture of the fish and almost completely cover up its flavor. I do enjoy the deliciously smoky, greasy bacon, which adds some very needed savoriness to the dish (and to the lentils), but it is very tough. 2.7/5.0
Lobster Roe Noodles (Grilled Lobster, Braised Short Rib, Pecorino, Chanterelle Mushrooms): My least favorite dish of the night, combining boring ingredients into an incredibly discordant mix. First, and most egregiously, the lobster is extremely tough. The braised short rib has some better flavor, with a good sweetness, but the starchy noodles don’t really mesh with it, and it seems tacked on. The mushrooms add some nice earthiness, but they are mostly a no-show. I also don’t taste the pecorino. Thankfully, I do like how the noodles are cooked, and they have a very light saltiness that hits you at the very end—one that I find delicious. Overall, though, those noodles have surprisingly little flavor, though they come in what seems to be a red sauce. 2.1/5.0
Island Creek (Duxbury, MA, Skip Bennett): The signature oyster of the house, from the restaurant’s own farm. And you can tell just how fresh it is. Very clean flavor, without any creaminess, richness, or gooeyness. Instead, it hits you very mildly at first, with the emphasis on the chewy, delicious meat. Near the end, it picks up a strong saltiness that I personally find overpowering. However, most of the others at the table considered this their favorite oyster of the night. 3.0/5.0
Humboldt Gold (Humboldt Bay, CA, Todd Van Herpe): Surprisingly complex for an oyster. This variety comes thick and meaty, so that you truly get a mouthful. Like the Island Creek, it hits you mildly at first, though with a rather noticeable sweetness. As you savor it, it begins to develop some creamy richness, almost beginning to melt in the mouth. It also gets an undertone of very mild saltiness. 4.5/5.0
Hand-Cut Fries: Cooked with a beautiful golden gloss, making them deliciously crunchy. Moreover, the salt is nearly perfect, leaving you with just enough to crave more, but never so much that you can’t eat the fries without ketchup. And they’re cut on the thinner side, too, so that the cooking is even and so that you get a nice balance of crunch and oil to potato. The problem? Even though the fries are relatively thin, they are still slightly mushy, to the point that I actually did have to use ketchup, just to cover up the mush. 3.2+/5.0
Buttermilk Biscuit: Easily the best thing we had the whole night. Biscuit is somewhat of a misnomer—I’d call it more cake than biscuit. It comes out with a perfectly crispy crust, almost as though it has been charred. And yet, when you bite into it, it has an almost pound-cake like consistency—buttery with a semi honey-like stickiness and a slight bit of grittiness. And in terms of flavor, this just can’t be beaten. It starts out with a natural honey sweetness, giving way to butter and then to a delicious kick of salt that leaves you smacking your lips. 4.8/5.0
White Chocolate Rosemary Bread Pudding (with Vanilla Ice Cream): A very hit-or-miss dessert, depending on the person. I personally enjoy some of the flavors, but I’m not impressed much with the texture or with the white chocolate. Most impressive is the slight hint of rosemary, which hits you just as you’re picking up the buttery, cakey sweetness of the bread pudding, cleansing the palate and leaving you with a slightly herby aftertaste. Moreover, the deliciously strong, rich vanilla bean ice cream melds into the slightly crunchy, very buttery bread pudding nicely and gives it some much-needed sweetness. That bread pudding doesn’t impress by itself, though. It has only a very subtle hint of white chocolate, so that the white chocolate is almost unnoticeable under the weight of the vanilla and rosemary. I very much enjoy the golden, charred crunch of the outside, but I find the interior somewhat boring and slightly spongy / muddy. Very little sweetness, even for bread pudding. 3.5/5.0