Neptune Oyster – Where Seafood is King

Neptune Oyster is a no frills restaurant where the focus is on serving great seafood. It’s a narrow, rectangular shaped restaurant with a few tables/banquettes alongside the bar – the space is very tight so get ready to know your neighbors. The dark brown wood, the white tiled walls, and cozy, red booths give it an old East Coast bar/bistro feel.

They don’t take reservations and are quite popular, so B and I came early (before 6pm) to try to beat the rush. Unfortunately, there was already a crowd, and we had to wait 30 minutes.

New England Clam Chowder – not as thick or buttery as most new England clam chowders, but still very hearty and the seafood flavors were much more distinct in this chowder. I could really taste the clams, which were large and tender. The firm chunks of potatoes and celery also added a nice contrast to the texture.

Oysters and Sea Urchin – they have one of the largest oyster selections I’ve ever seen, and I appreciated the helpful descriptions listed on their menu for each oyster (e.g. nutty finish, sweet pea taste, salty, sweet, size, etc). The Wellfleet and Kusshi oysters were my favorite, although the Kusshis weren’t as plump or crisp as the ones I had at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Sea urchin was good, but wasn’t that creamy.
Warm Buttered Lobster Roll – heaping with warm, sweet buttery meat from a 1 ½ lobster in a toasted roll…straightforward and perfectly executed. It’s also served with a generous portion of fries - because the fat from all the butter isn’t unhealthy enough, of course. :-)
Lobster Stroganoff with Wild Mushrooms – again, they don’t skimp on their seafood here…there was more lobster than pasta in this stroganoff. And because they use crème fraiche instead of sour cream, the sauce was less tangy and enhanced the sweetness of the lobster meat. The egg noodles were delicate, while the flavors were rich and earthy. Admittedly, I thought the dish could have used a little more salt or something else to perk it up. It’s a huge portion, so I got kind of bored half-way through it - although B loved this stroganoff and happily finished the rest.
Overall, I really liked the unfussy personality and plethora of seafood at Neptune Oyster. I will definitely be coming back to check out their Fish Taco Sundays and Lobster Spaghettini Mondays.

BITE METER: Neptune’s Oyster – 3.5 bites (out of 5.0)