There are more ways to eat oysters than there are stories about their aphrodisiac properties. In the South they are eaten with saltines, in Paris with small toasts, and in Seattle with lemon, mignonette, fresh horseradish, cocktail sauce, and a large vat of Tabasco. Other very satisfying pairings include oysters with champagne, a dirty martini, or dry white wine, and it's always a treat to follow them with a cup of chowder and a salad. Though many consider oysters beyond their pocketbooks, or outside their taste range, this is a delicacy worth trying. Oysters invite you to eat them the way you prefer--slurped or chewed, with a fork or with your fingers, upscale or down-home.

In a city full of fresh shellfish I find myself preferring the old Sinatra-style Oceanaire when I really want to get my raw bar on. The last time I visited Oceanaire, my server recommended the Hama Hama ($1.85) and Westcott ($2.35) oysters. Both were perfect. The Hama Hamas were medium sized and plump, tasting both buttery and clean. The Westcotts, harvested from the Sound, were smaller, flatter, not quite so plump, but slightly sweeter. (True oyster lovers should come down for Oceanaire's half-off oyster happy hour on weekdays from 3:00-6:00 p.m.)

The service at Oceanaire is always efficient--and old school. On my last visit they actually split a cup of chowder into two small bowls ($4.50) and served their large garden salad ($5.95) with a gravy dish of very creamy blue cheese almost as if they were presenting a slab of Kobe beef. The courteousness practically extended to tucking our napkins into our collars and smoothing our hair off our foreheads. The royal treatment is part of what makes Oceanaire such a classy joint (that and serving up some of the freshest seafood in town).