Bar Exam

The economy remains tanked and the rain has set in. When the sky’s a
mass of solid gray that begins tending toward darkness at 3:00
p.m., any silver lining can seem pretty damn elusive. One of the
few discernable bonuses of the annual regional chill: the return of
spectacular-quality local oysters. And in these hard times, Seattle’s
oyster happy hours mean that with $20 or so, you can go have a
first-class early evening instead of creeping home like a suicidal
mole.

What’s in it for the fancy seafood places is full seats with the
quick, tidy profits of half-shell and drink-special sales (they all
offer accompanying bargain-priced cocktails or wine). Several of them
have been doing it long enough to attain cult status. Elliott’s
on the waterfront (all addresses and info at thestranger.com/happyhour) has a
“progressive” price structure—that is, cost per oyster goes up
every half hour—and if you’ve never eaten a raw oyster, your
first one is on them (honor system). Early evening at Belltown’s Flying
Fish, oysters are 50 cents each, and it is commensurately mobbed; even
if you get a seat, you won’t have the luxury of elbow room. The
spacious Brooklyn downtown has a proper mounds-of-ice oyster bar and a
dollar-per happy hour, but they don’t really do the standing-room
thing. People tend to settle in and not budge; get there before
quitting time to be sure.

I haven’t made it to Ravenna for relative newcomer Frank’s Oyster
House & Champagne Parlor for happy hour (early and late, with
relatively expensive $1.50 oysters), but “Power Hour” at
Anchovies & Olives on Capitol Hill demanded examination. The latest
from Ethan Stowell Restaurants (Union, Tavolàta, How to Cook a
Wolf), Anchovies & Olives opened in February and started its
early-evening and late-night oyster happy hour last month. Oysters are
$1 each, and whereas most such deals dictate chef’s choice, here it is
up to you. This past weekend, favorites Totten Virginica, Kumamoto, and
Kushi were available, along with the all-the-rage Shigoku, the latest
from Washington’s Taylor Shellfish. (These are Pacific oysters, grown
by a special new process to make them smaller-sized and
deeper-cupped; the people at Taylor chose the name shigoku,
which means “the ultimate.” In their second year of production, they
are in high demand.)

The kitchen at Anchovies & Olives dresses each kind of oyster
with tiny cubes of pickled beets, or olive oil and lemon, or lime and
horseradish. Purists will want to order them naked. As for the
stark A & O aesthetic, a wood overlay on two walls has had a
warming effect, and there’s now a seascape painting behind the bar. And
in complete defiance of the contemporary look, a big chalkboard with
drawings of sea creatures pronounces Power Hour “Off da hook!”