Top 5 Pearls for Oysters in West Chester (in Mary's Daily Dish)

Oysters. The pearl-maker and aphrodisiac…no matter what you call them, nothing else perfectly captures the sweet, salty taste of the sea like an oyster.

“They” say you should avoid eating oysters in any month that doesn’t have an “r” in it. The truth is that oysters are safe to eat year round; they just supposedly aren’t as tasty during summer months because of warmer waters. I wouldn’t know any better; I’ve enjoyed tasting them all summer long. But, I’m excited for the colder months, because that’s when the oyster’s flavor is supposed to be perfecto!

Oysters happen to be one of my favorite foods, and luckily there are some great spots in the WC area to gobble them up! In celebration of September, here are the best places to grab some oysters!

Best Deal: Monday night at Doc Magrogan’s

$1 oysters with a few beers takes away any signs of Monday not-so-fun-day. You just can’t beat that deal! More about Doc Magrogan’s

Best Starter with Oysters: Riverstone Cafe

The tapas menu makes this the perfect spot to start off the meal with a few plump and tasty oysters before moving onto other small-plated bites. The menu changes every four months, so you will never get bored with the oysters or other offerings! More about Riverstone Cafe

WC Dish’s Favorite: Teikoku

The freshest, coldest, best-quality oysters outside of the city. Try the seasonal chef’s choice toppings with ingredients like melon and herbs. More about Teikoku

Best Raw and Cooked Oysters: Brickside Grille

I checked this place out after reading that they were voted the Best of the Mainline. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a bit of a hike and hidden in the shipshape community of Eagleview (think Truman Show), but it’s a great spot to get oysters. I tried a few raw varieties, but fell in love with the Wasabi Oyster baked with wasabi butter and the Chipotle Oyster baked with chipotle butter and parmesan cheese. Mmm. More about Brickside Grille

Best for a Home Oyster Party: Gadaleto’s Seafood

This is the best spot in WC to grab some oysters and surprise your loved ones with an upscale appetizer. Ask the owner, Andy, to help you with your shucking skills to impress your dining partner. More about Gadaleto’s Seafood

WC Dish Oyster Ordering Tip:

Despite the long list of names you may be presented with at an oyster bar, there are just four species of oysters: Atlantic or Eastern oysters, European flat oysters, Pacific or Japanese oysters, and tiny Olympias. What makes one oyster flavoring different from another depends on the region where it was grown.

The Final Dish: Happy September and happy oyster eating!

About the Author

Mary Bigham, the creator of wcdish, is a self-admitted sushi and travel addict. She has a crush on just about every food but refuses to eat American cheese.

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2 Comments So Far

Andy – Sep 04, 2007

Mary
Thanks for the informing article on oysters here at Gadaleto’s Seafood Market we are currently featuring several varities of oysters

The Bee’s River oyster. The Bee’s River oyster is farmed in Eastham, Massachusetts in the Cape Cod Bay. The oysters take approximately two to three years to reach market size. A Bee’s River oyster is dark green in coloring and has a medium sized cup with a strong shell. The flavor is marked by a distinct seaweed flavor that is similar to a Wellfleet oyster only saltier. Bee’s River oysters are a family farm so production is limited to only about 1000 a week.

The Cape Breton Oyster. Cape Breton Island is located off the Northeast side of Nova Scotia. Cape Bretons are harvested by one of three methods: Tonging, dragging an oyster dredge behind a small skiff, or by divers. Cape Breton oysters have hard green shells with deep cups. Their flavor is medium in salinity and has a slightly copperish aftertaste.

The Moonstone Oyster. The Moonstone oysters are farmed in Point Judith Salt Pond, in Narragansett, Rhode Island. The oysters take approximately two to three years to reach market size. The shells look almost peral white because they are washed after being harvested. The meat is silky and smooth with a crisp salty flavor.

The Onset Oyster. The Onset Oyster is a farmed oyster that grows at the head of Buzzards Bay near the village of Onset. Moonstones take three to four years to reach market size. They hace very large plump meat with lots of liquid. They are salty with a sweet seaweed finish.

We also have many other oysters available and our dynamic inventory is updated regularly. So feel free to come in and slurp down some oysters… Andy and Staff
Matt Perkins – Sep 27, 2007

Actually, the folklore about eating oysters in months that have “r” in them is not related to the taste. It is concerned with reducing the risks of eating oysters contanimated with the bacteria Vibrio vulnificus. This bacteria is present worldwide, but prefers warmer waters.

If you are interested, try this long but detailed study -http://www.who.int/foodsafety/publications/micro/mra8.pdf

Or if you are not, here is an excerpt from page 37 -
“Typically, USA Gulf Coast oysters harbour about 1000 V. vulnificus cells per gram during
the warmer months of April through to October, and usually less than 10 per gram during
other months, although V. vulnificus may become undetectable in Gulf Coast oysters during
unusually cold periods (DePaola, Capers and Alexander, 1994; Motes et al., 1998).”

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