Seattle: Elliott's Oyster House - Oyster Porn.....

Elliott's Oyster House is sort of a guilty pleasure for us. I've been coming here since my very first visit to Seattle in 1993. I've always thought of it as sort of a tourist-trap spot, but we've always had a good time at Elliott's.

There's really only one thing we get here....

In fact, one of the reasons we keep returning to Seattle, is to have oysters...many, many, oysters!

If you aren't interested in oysters, this is probably the time to leave and return on another day...because from here on out, it's pretty much wall to wall oysters.

Except for some liquid refreshment.......

For some reason, the Missus, usually a non-beer drinker loves the draft Pyramid Hefeweizen..but only from here, and only on vacation.

Elliott's is the first place I really, had good oysters....and I mean, no lemon, no mignonette, just oysters! I love the texture and wonderful after taste of good oysters. My favorites are the varieties of Pacific Oysters with a mild ocean-cucumber-beef after taste. Over the years, our typical MO at Elliott's is to just walk in, and head on over to the bar area, find a table, and grab some oysters...and hopefully some Copper River Salmon as well. This being a Sunday, gave us no reason to think that we should change our usual strategy. Boy were we wrong! The place was packed to the gills, and even the bar was being used by the restaurant with at least an hour wait.

I've never seen this place so packed. But after about 20 minutes we lucked out, two seats opened up at the raw bar......talk about our luck!

We had checked out the plates of Copper River Salmon passing us as we waited, and were unimpressed, they looked over cooked and dry...probably because the placed was just "slammed". So we decided to stick to oysters, and there was a nice variety available...about 30 to be exact!

One thing that has changed about Elliott's over the years are the prices. I'm pretty sure when I first enjoyed the oysters at Elliott's they weren't even close to the current price of $26 a dozen. If there was one individual who made this whole experience a really great time, it would be this dude:

He goes by the name of Nhi, and was in charge of the raw bar. And though much of his time was spent putting together stuff like this:

The always smiling Nhi was always there to answer questions. In fact when he found out that two  hungry oyster junkies were on hand, we received a great deal of attention. During the evening there were several people coming up to the bar and asking for stuff like, "gimme your biggest oysters", and "I want really meaty oysters"..... When I started asking for something " with a meaty-creamy flesh, a  mild brine taste, more on the clean side, with a rare steak-cucumber finish" we were off to the races. Nhi smiled and said, "I have the perfect thing..." And quickly shucked  2 samples, which were very good. These nice deep cupped oysters were called "Kusshi's", which is roughly translated to mean "ultimate" in Japanese, and had a nice mild flavor with a light sweet finish. When we both expressed our approval Nhi smiled widely, and said, "hey, I told you these were good!"

And so we started with a dozen Kusshi's and a dozen mixed:

I found that the one thing Nhi was not good at was counting.....count the oysters and you'll see what  I mean! Along with the smooth Kusshi's, the slightly larger Malaspina's were quite good as well. When the Missus started asking questions about European Flats(not my favorite), Nhi quickly shucked a pair and brought them over to us. The Missus enjoyed the metallic-iodine aftertaste, which I found to be much too salty and bitter for my taste buds. But since the Missus enjoyed them so much we had a few added to our next 2 dozen(or so) order.

Our Server Tera, kept us plied with rye and sourdough...to clear our taste buds between oysters. Nhi included a half dozen Olympic Oysters along with our Kusshi's and Penn Cove Flats. I've never developed a taste for Olympic Oysters, and these tiny, slightly muddy tasting oysters did nothing to change my opinion. I really don't enjoy the coppery finish either.

By this time the Missus had more or less "hit the wall", and though I've been known to consume 8-12 dozen(or more) in a single sitting, it seems that time has diminished my once voracious appetite, so I decided to order one last dozen and call it a night.

So I finished the evening with a half dozen Kusshi's, and a half dozen(or so) of another one of my favorite Pacific Oysters - Little Skookums. Those Skookums did not disappoint, I was especially pleased with the nicely flavor "liquor".

All in all, another wonderful evening of oyster eating at Elliott's, made even better by the great service we received from Nhi. We did notice that everyone (except us) sitting at the raw bar were locals, one was even a fisherman by trade, so I guess Elliott's isn't just for tourists. Regardless, a stop at Elliott's is a must whenever we visit Seattle.

Elliott's Oyster House
1201 Alaskan Way, Pier 56
Seattle, Wa 98101

Elliott's also has a "Progressive Oyster Happy Hour". Starting at 3 pm selected oysters are 50 cents a piece. The price increases by 20 cents every 30 minutes until 6pm. One of these days, I'm hoping to attend the Oyster New Year celebration at Elliott's in November!

Comments

[howie]

"I've been known to consume 8-12 dozen..."

Is this a typo? That's a lot of oysters :-) I don't blame you though; those oysters look absolutely beautiful.

[nhbilly]

Good lord - oyster PORN!
It's been so so so so long that I can recall enjoying oyster shooters.
Pretty much hard to find a place you can trust around OC.

[steamy kitchen]

I am SO *($&!U$#@% jealous!!! I want some oyster porn too!

[Kathy]

OMG - you can eat a lot of oysters in one sitting, lol! I can't even remember the last time I've had a fresh oyster, this post truly is oyster porn! :)

[daweekendfoodie]

OMG is right...that's an awesome amount of oysters to eat! Looks delicious though... Any side effects from the large amount of oysters consumed? :)

[CharSiuBao]

looks like you've been doing a lot of traveling lately!

144 (12 doz) oysters in one sitting sounds delectable. any idea where i can get some good oysters down here in SD b/c Seattle's just a tad too far? btw, images of Nathan's hotdog eating contest keep floating up to my mind.

[Nick]

wow kirk you travel far for good food! elliot's is very good for oysters, right there on fisherman's wharf. last time I was there with some of my cousins we had at least five dozen including some other bar food. I also enjoy that pink salt that is included. do you like how seattle does parking, by taping the receipt to your window.

[Candice]

This is where my Seattle relatives took me for oysters so I think it's a local's spot too. We need to meet up for Oceanaire's $1 oysters at happy hour!

[Wandering Chopsticks]

Whoa! I like oysters too and all but I can't consum 8-12 dozen in one sitting!!! The only oysters I know I like are the little Kumamotos. But I like oysters in general anyway. :)

[Kirk]

Hi Howie - On my first visit to Elliott's over a decade ago, I was totally blown away by the oysters and consumed 12 dozen! Believe it or not, I went back for dinner! I have a pretty nice story about it, so maybe one day.....

Hi Billy - Really? I think there must be some great oysters to be found in the OC....

Hi SK - Nah....you already have gnocchi porn(man, that sounds really.....) going on!

Hi Kathy - As you can see, we love our oysters!

Hi DWF - He-he-he.....only good side effects!!!

Hi CSB - Oh no, not a Chestnut/Kobayashi eating thing.....these oysters are to be relished! We took about 2 1/2 hours. I've had decent oysters at King's Fish House(I know it's a chain), and as mentioned below, Oceanaire(also a chain, but a bit more pricy) is supposed to have good oysters as well.

Hi Nick - Thanks for stopping by and commenting! You'll find this funny, we hardly ever drive in Seattle, we find the public transportation quite good. And we usually stay Downtown anyway, so even though we've had a car at times, we enjoy the walking.

Hi Candice - $1 oysters sound great!

Hi WC - I've found that as my age increases, and not so coincidentally prices as well; I'm not able to consume quite as many oysters. But on my first visit to Elliott's I did finish 12 dozen, and paid just about the same amount as on this visit. Times sure have changed.....
BTW, I know you're having technical difficulties, so I really appreciate you making the effort to comment!

[Craig]

Hmmm, eating oysters in a month without an "r"?!

[Kirk]

Hi Craig - Nice article from Gourmet online:

http://www.epicurious.com/gourmet/features/oyster_primer

To quote:

"These days, you can find good oysters in the summer; as mentioned in the magazine, some growers keep their oysters in deeper (colder) water so that they don't spawn and become oozy and bitter."

Or maybe this one:

http://clarionherald.org/20050420/stall.htm

To quote:
"Today, the best thing about oysters besides their taste is the fact that we can eat them every day of the year, including those months without the letter "R."

http://www.marylandseafood.org/facts_and_nutrition/featured_species/oysters/qa.php

To quote:
"Q. Can I eat oysters in months without an "R"?
A. Oysters can be eaten year round because of present day refrigeration. Formerly, oysters were eaten during months having an "R" in their name. This old "R" rule is no longer followed, and availability alone now governs when and how oysters may be eaten. In June, oysters spawn, which make them less plump; they are still safe for consumption."

http://www.globalgourmet.com/food/egg/egg0298/oyfacts.html

To quote:
"Folklore says that oysters should be eaten only in months with "r's" in them—September, October, etc. Maestro S.V.P. educates people that oysters can be eaten 12 months a year. The notion that oysters should not be eaten in "r"-less months—that is, months that occur during warm weather—may have started in the days when oysters where shipped without adequate refrigeration and could spoil. But today all that has changed and we can enjoy oysters twelve months a year."

The water temperature in the Pacific Northwest is much colder, so the oysters don't get into spawning mode to change the texture and flavor. It is important to know where your oysters come from, you really don't want to get a bad case of Vibrio parahaemolyticus:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vibrio_parahaemolyticus

So bring on the oysters!!

[Carol]

Wow, and I thought I could throw back oysters. I think my most was 3 dozen. The Mister and I don't go out for oysters much anymore (sad, sad, sad), only on special occassions when we go to places like Oceanaire. Guess if I ever get up to Seattle, I'll know were to go!

[MessyJessy]

Yum! I love oysters! My favorite style is steamed and shucking them myself...but raw is good too! I would have loved to been a third wheel for this adventure! Oh now I am pea green with envy! :)

[Alice Q. Foodie]

I loove those Seattle seafood places, they're just more "real" than the places we have here - and there's nothing better than good oysters and beer. If you guys do the Oceanaire happy hour - please call me, I'm dying to try it!

[RONW]

I really enjoyed reading your world is my oyster post even though I've eaten a total of 2 oysters my entire life, and those were fried oysters which I didn't like that enormously. I might eat those Kusshi and Skookums oysters if I can find them....they sound awesome.

[elmomonster]

As a Valley Girl would say "OMG!"

I'm in awe of this. I am in love with oysters, and you just made me salivate on my shirt.

[Kirk]

Hi Carol - The oysters at Elliott's are very good.

Hi MessyJessy - We always enjoy ourselves here.

Hi Alice - If we do an Oyster happy hour, we'll let you know.

Hi RONW - There's gotta be places in Honolulu....just where I'm not quite sure.

Hi Elmo - LOL! Gotta find an oyster bib???