MERMAID OYSTER BAR- NYC
79 Macdougal St. New York, NY 10012
Rating: 6.5
Photo courtesy of: www.newyork.metromix.com
The Mermaid Oyster Bar is a cleaned up New York version of a seaside lobster shack. With three locations in different parts of the city one does not need to travel very far to get a decent lobster roll. The Oyster Bar is the more focused on the raw bar than the other two locations and also feels a bit more modern with whitewashed wood and white plastic chairs than the darker, more rustic sister restaurants.
A big platter of shellfish is a compulsory order at an oyster bar. We ordered several dozen for the table as well as a tuna tartare with avocado which was easily overshadowed by the big beautiful trays of chilled shellfish.
Oysters & Tuna Tartare
This is a pretty good lobster sandwich which they call the “nearly famous” lobster roll. I am not sure it will ever be red carpet status because it is on a hamburger bun (albeit a brioche hamburger bun) rather than a griddled, buttered hot dog bun. While this makes it easier to discard part of the bread for the carb conscious, it also means that a fork and knife are required to eat it. The sandwich is served with old bay fries which are always good.
Lobster Roll
To add a bit of green to our briny, salty meal we also had brussels sprouts with marcona almonds and apple smoked bacon and some charred shishito peppers.
Brussels & Marcona Almonds
The whole ambiance is very charming at all of the restaurants but the nicest touch is the little dessert they bring at the end of every meal. A little chocolate pot-de-creme in an espresso cup topped with a little dollop of whipped cream arrives unsolicited with the bill. What also arrives with the bill is a fortune telling fish for everyone at the table – a creative touch.
The Mermaid restaurants are very cute and casual with reliably fresh seafood.
Pot de Creme
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