It’s Oyster Week at Galaxy 66 Bar & Grille (October 6-13), and as avid oyster fans, we can’t wait to try the inventive line-up of oyster dishes awaiting us. Besides slurping down some of the area’s freshest raw oysters, there’s an entire menu of oyster-centric dishes to dive into. Fried oysters arrive tucked inside a wrap along with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and srirachi mayo. Or take your fried oysters on a pizza, with alfredo sauce, bacon, spinach, and caramelized onions. For an amped-up raw oyster, consider the South African Rubbed Oysters, what arrives are 6 raw oysters, tossed in South African spices and topped with pickled onion and cucumber relish.
Oysters are a bit of a mystery to most people. Are they alive or not? What months is it safe to eat them? Is it normal to find a tiny crab inside a freshly shucked oyster? Is it true oysters are an aphrodisiac? Why are some oysters salty while others have a buttery aftertaste? We certainly aren’t a walking oyster encyclopedia, but we will tell you this much…we love oysters. Raw, fried, topped with sautéed spinach and hollandaise, you name it, we’ve slurped it down. In our opinion, finding a good oyster is like finding a good man – you can’t have just any old oyster. So what to look for? Well for starters, freshness. Walk into an oyster bar to find a pile of pre-shucked oysters and you’d be wise to avoid the raw bar and head toward another section of the menu. A good oyster arrives artfully shucked with no ragged edges or mangled bodies, no questionable coloring or offensive smells. The perfect oyster lies in a shell its own cool liquid, ready to be slurped (or delicately spooned out if you prefer) in all its briny glory. On the cooked end of the oyster spectrum, it’s all about delicate battering and frying, sauces, and pairing. No one wants a friend oyster that simply tastes like fried batter – what’s the point? And sauces, nothing too overwhelming as you want to actually enjoy the fresh, local flavor of the oyster. When it comes to food pairings, oysters get along with most of the food groups from pastas and pizzas to soups and even cocktails (oyster shooter anyone?). Here’s a look at what Galaxy 66 has on tap for their Oyster Week:
Oyster Stew
Baked Oyster Stuffing
Oysters “Piri-Piri” – 6 raw oysters topped with mango salsa and house made Piri Piri
Oyster Tacos – two soft shell tacos stuffed with crispy fried oysters, lettuce, tomato and guacamole
Buffalo Oysters – fried oysters tossed in house made hot sauce and sided with ranch dressing
Linguine and Oysters – sautéed in garlic, herbs and white wine, topped with parmesan
South African Rubbed Oysters – 6 raw oysters tossing in South African spices and topped with pickled onion and cucumber relish
Oyster Pizza – Alfredo sauce, bacon, spinach, caramelized onions and fried oysters
Oyster Wrap – bacon, lettuce, tomato, fried oysters and sriracha mayo
Daily oyster on the half-shell specials are also available.
