The power of eating an oyster raw on the half shell lies in the immediate consumption of an entire organism. If eating your enemy’s heart gives you their life force, an oyster—cool and (yes) slimy and salty-
gorgeous—gives you the life force of the sea itself. Anchovies & Olives dresses each one—a tiny confetti of pickled beets, lime with fresh horseradish—but purists will want to order them naked. The thrifty will want to order them at Power Hour, when they’re one-third the price—$1 each—and 100 percent as delicious. Bonus: prosecco and other Italian wines for $5 a glass, and $2 Peronis. (Anchovies & Olives, 1550 15th Ave, 838-8080. Daily 5–6 pm and 10 pm–midnight.)

12 replies on “Power Hour”

  3. The Stranger and I are of one mind on this subject. If I haven’t told you already, I will bore you with it sometime: the story of the most perfect bite I’ve ever encountered — raw, unadorned kumomoto oysters on the half shell at Palace Kitchen in Seattle. All else pales in comparison.

  4. I’ve never understood the appeal of oysters. I’m a chef and have tried them several different ways – yet, they always taste like a big ol’ glob of salty snot. Reminds me of when I’m sick. : No thanks.

  5. Oysters are the shiznitz. Gotta get ’em fresh. The ones that are too big to swill (after some crunching beforehand, yes, you must chew) go nicely on the grill. Just throw the shell on there. Hell, you don’t even need a grill, just throw ’em on the fire.

  10. Just make sure to avoid them if you:
    *have hemochromatosis (iron overload disorder)
    *are an alcoholic or have chronic liver disease
    *have diabetes, cancer, stomach disorders or HIV infection

    And you probably don’t want to eat them if harvested from the Gulf of Mexico in a month that doesn’t end in “R”…

    http://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/…

  11. My favorites are the Olympia oysters. The season is very short, but these little gems are the best ones to eat raw, IMHO – the size of a quarter, and they taste like essence of oceanic joy when they’re perfectly fresh.

    If eating an oyster raw seems too much like horking back snot, then either the oyster is too big to be enjoyed properly on the half-shell, or it’s not fresh enough. Pan-fry those suckers! Half-shell is for the little ones just plucked from the beach.

  12. “Gotta get em fresh” “not fresh enough”
    “kumamotos”….

    All obvious comments from oyster noobs.

    Look, any time an oyster is served on the half-shell, it is STILL alive– not fresh, as in dead. Alive.

    If you are going to pay too much for tiny oysters, #11 nailed it…kumomotos are pretty good — they’re kind of the entry-level oyster is all. A bit mild and small to be put on such a pedestal as #3 does. To each his own (cough, noob!).

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