“Oysters are the most tender and delicate of all seafoods. They stay in bed all day and night. They never work or take exercise, are stupendous drinkers, and wait for their meals to come to them.” -Hector Bolitho
If you’re one of those crazy people who hates seafood, you may have interest in reading on. But if you’re a seafood fanatic like myself, keep reading, you’re going to love this.
The beloved Sole Proprietor’s OysterFest is back and the offerings are seriously out of this world. You can enjoy baked oysters, raw oysters, fried oysters, stewed oysters and everything in between. With 8 hot appetizer options ($10.99), 4 entrees ($21.99) and 5, yes 5, $1 oyster options between 4-6PM, it’s mandatory that you make time, and sneak out of work a little early if need be, for this buck-a-shuck oyster extravaganza!
Here’s how it works – you can sit in the bar area from 4-6PM Monday thru Friday for a variety of dollar oyster happy hour offerings, or you can enjoy the OysterFest menu (excluding dollar offerings) from open to close.
When I walked in on Tuesday at 5:30PM the bar area was slammed. The after-work crowd, young and old, getting their oyster and cocktail fix with coworkers made it a lively atmosphere.
I was told by my server that the $1 oyster menu ends strictly at 6PM, so I immediately ordered a dozen Blue Point Oysters and a few of everything else. Here’s the breakdown:
Blue Point Oysters – From Long Island, NY, all 12 of my oysters were a respectable size with mild salinity and a faintly sweet finish. The cocktail sauce added a kick but they were perfect on their own, too!
“Be Hoppy” Oyster Shooter – The Wormtown oyster shooter is so New England. One shucked oyster, cocktail sauce, horseradish, and lemon juice, served in an oversized shot glass full of Worcester’s own Be Hoppy IPA. Fantastic.
Buffalo Oyster – Huge fried oysters drenched in a spicy buffalo sauce. So good it could have passed as buffalo chicken!
Bang Bang Oyster – Tangy and sweet with a touch of spice, the fried bang bang oysters were my favorite of the bunch.
Kimchi Oyster – This was a fried oyster atop of Korean kimchi and a pita crisp. It had nice spice to it and reminded me of an oyster nacho. Now there’s an idea!
After finishing all of the dollar offerings, it was now 6:15 and I was full, but still wanted to try something off of the Hot Appetizer section. I went with a bowl of Classic Oyster Stew which consisted of cream, butter, sherry, celery, shallots, a dash of Tabasco, and a lot of oysters. It had good consistency, creamy but not too thick, with a hearty serving of vegetables, and finished with a hint of heat from the hot sauce. Although it did take a while to cool down it was absolutely delicious and would be perfect on a chilly fall night.
Other items off of the Hot Appetizer menu included an Oyster Po’ Boy, Rhode Island Style Shrimp and Oysters, Oysters Casino and Smoked Bacon and Spinach Oysters, all just $10.99 each. The entrees included a Fried Oyster Dinner, Oyster Ritz, Haddock with Crispy Oysters or Creole Oysters and Shrimp Jambalaya, $21.99 each.
As if all of this hasn’t made you excited enough, The Sole is also hosting an Oyster & Champagne Dinner on October 25th which is just $75, tax and gratuity included. Seats are limited so reserve your seat when you’re in for happy hour!
The world is your oyster, and remember, the first man gets the oyster, the second man gets the shell, so dive into The Sole Proprietor before it’s too late!
