Grand Central Oysters

Grand Central in general is a great place to take out of towners. Last time I was there for a lunch meeting, the food at one of those mezzanine restaurants was beyond bland and overpriced - but - but - you just can't argue with the feeling of being able to look over the marble railings at the commuters below. Can't beat Grand Central for atmosphere.

It's such a classic place. Even the food court mezzanine place has serious style - I enjoy lunching there on my way to/from somewhere else

I've never really thought of Grand Central as a lunch destination...or any kind of food destination. When I used to spend a lot of time at the New York Public Library I always had trouble locating a decent lunch spot. It was always waaay too expensive or else a pretzel from a food cart vendor, but little in between.

There are all kinds of cool things to check out in Grand Central, uraniumfish! There's a spot on the ceiling that they never cleaned and all kinds of secret histories.

I don't think I've eaten in Grand Central in a good ten years or so. What oyster place are we talking about? ...Do we know where they get their oysters? Hopefully not locally.

I usually have oysters in NYC at the Ocean Grill Restaurant on 78th Street and Columbus Avenue but earlier this month had fantastic sea food (broiled lobsters, oysters, clams) at the Southside Fish and Clam Restaurant in Long Island. The restaurant is rustic but the seafood is fresh and best of all not too pricey-http://www.southsidefishandclam.com/ordereze/default.htm

Neversleeps: It's just called the Oyster Bar. Been there forever.
Uptowngirl: That place sounds great! Can't wait to check it out.

I've had oysters at the bar at Balthazar's, which was a nice thing to do on a summertime evening, and best of all we didn't need a reservation to sit at the bar.

@Uraniumfish that's my trick to getting into a restaurant when I don't have a reservation. Honestly I actually like sitting and eating at the bar and chatting with the bar tenders. It usually more fun and less formal than being seated at a table.

How are oysters? I never had them. I'm not much into seafood, except catfish and tunafish.

@hhusted they are slimy but quite delicious with a pinch of Hollandaise sauce. Sometimes when they extremely fresh I can almost taste the sea.. blissful...

@Uptowngirl: Hmmm. Sound great. Perhaps when I'm in a restaurant next time, I'll ask for them, if they serve that dish. Thanks for letting me know.

You have to know what you're getting into with oysters. Not everyone can stand them. A lot of people retch the first time. They're an amazing experience once you get the hang of them, though.

Oysters and Champagne at Blue Ribbon is a great date if you can swing it! The place is open til like 3 am too!

I'll take the oysters. Forget the Champagne. I'm not a drinker. I'll have a Ginger Ale, or apple juice with it.

I've been asking around and everyone agrees the Oyster Bar at Grand Central can't be topped as far as oysters. Apparently a while back their oyster shuckers went on strike, though, and they had to use scab oyster shuckers. I don't know how they worked it out since.

@DBlack: Thanks for the update. The next time I am at Grand Central, I'll look them up and see what they provide.

@DBlack Do a lot of people "retch" when they first have oysters? Can't even remember the first time I had them, but that certainly wasn't my experience. All the same, I can see how the texture might not be so pleasant to some.

@everyone Oysters as we know are rumored to be an aphrodisiac(http://www.livescience.com/health/top10_aphrodisiacs-1.html) true or just another myth..( for the record I don't thnk they are .. though they taste good...)

@NeverSleeps Okay, maybe not a lot of people. I had the feeling I might retch when I first had them in front of me, but then didn't once I tried them. So there you are. It was just me, and I thought I might retch.

Yeah, oysters are definitely an acquired taste. I like to spice them up a bit. They are supposed to be an aphrodiasiac; but, I've never found that it worked for me.

They are definitely better with a little horseradish and a little hot sauce.

@ NeverSleeps, JenMac, And with a little champagne. Which might be the part that functions as the aphrodesiac.

I love oysters with mignionette sauce - I think it's the connotation of "luxury" that is the aphrodisiac rather than anything specifically chemical - although in the case of champagne I'm sure it's both!

I honestly don't need anything that is a aphrodisiac. And I won't say why. However, if oysters taste good, I won't mind trying them.

Oysters.... Someone was just asking me what I want for my upcoming birthday, and I think I've found the answer. I haven't had oysters since I lived in Florida....

I talked to my girlfriend about oysters. She told me they are slimy and salty creatures in a shell. If that is what they are, I think I'll pass. I hate anything slimy.

I had oysters on Saturday night at STK in the meat packing . . .and they were pretty darn good. So, I'll guess we'll have to add that to the list.

@hhusted Did you really not even know what oysters are?

But like I said before, I can see how the texture of oysters may not appeal to everyone.

@NeverSleeps: Honestly, until this forum, I didn't have a clue as to what they were. I just guessed by many of your comments that they were something good to eat. I guess it depends on who you talk to. Each person has his and her own experience.

@BroadwayBK That might rank up there among Best Birthday Presents 2010. I'd take a sit-down at an oyster bar and some champagne on any birthday...

@Uraniumfish I second that !!

Well, Uraniumfish, if you do that, all I can say is enjoy it.

Yes - I can't think of anything I want more now. I had some oysters at Hotel Delmano the other night, and they were good, but I'm still craving some from the raw bar.

Tried them at Craft last night: amazing. And, they have oysters at Shaffer City in Flatiron for like 1.50 per oyster during happy hour. We were a little skeptical but they were decent.

@Everyone just walked by a new restaurant on the UES called Gina La Fornarina ..they were advertising a champagne and oyster special on Wednesdays.. alas I don't remember the pricing ...

@JenMac Ah! I love when happy hours include oyster specials, especially if they are actually decent.

@hhusted How crazy that you didn't even know that oysters exist!

I used to work in a restaurant that had oyster specials during happy hour, and I absolutely hated it. They were the same quality oysters as we would regularly serve, though, so it's not like the lower price meant we were serving crappier oysters. Anyway, people would come in and order so many of the things, and I would always be running back and forth for more oysters and more horseradish and whatnot... ugh, I think going to an oyster happy hour will just dredge up too many bad memories for me, no thanks.

@BroadwayBK Ah, too bad. Try to think of it this way: you can be on the other side of the oyster experience, and enjoy having them served to you for once. You should just allow yourself that indulgence.

@DBlack Ha, I guess I'm only all about oysters when I have to pay full price for the things.

@BroadwayBK and they can cost a pretty penny as well .. am talking about my Ocean Grill and Atlantic Grill dinners which can get pretty pricey.

@NeverSleeps: I heard of them. I just didn't know what they were until now.