serpentine

Ditto.

This is a little strangely worded. How was it an "offshoot," other than being another restaurant by David Ansill? It changed focus slightly a few times, but other than the Pif nights (which were added later) it was specifically NOT Pif Parte Deux. Also, he's looking to reopen in the fall. He owns the building, so while he presumably has a mortgage to pay, it's not as if the landlord is going to kick him out.

Well, the two-for-a-buck Meyer lemons and perfect, deep, ripe, juicy blood oranges at five-for-a-buck that I got last weekend? (Drank and ate most of 'em, am set to dry the rest.) Ramps were phenomenal, nice generous bunches; bought some for a dinner with friends and then went back the next day for more. (Both times, the same clerk warned me about the price before ringing me up.) Are we getting fiddeheads or not, though? Have been impatiently waiting!

Bitar's! Sahara, Marrakesh, Byblos. The mystery 4th Lebanese could also be Alyan's. (One of my favorites, actually.) For a little more upscale, Shouk and Zahav.

Doing a little research? Way to keep some great news about SSOH under your hat! Congrats!

Eh. Coquette not managing to keep regular hours and the constant rumors of its closing doesn't inspire much confidence in me. Particularly with something like raw oysters. When we first walked into Snockey's, I thought we might get that perfunctory-at-best "you're not from 'round here" service. The guy behind the bar isn't the warm fuzzy type. But I had a nice chat w/the waitress when we walked back to look at the chalkboard of current oyster offerings, and she told us to go talk to the shucker if we had more questions. And the guy behind the bar warmed up to me once we started talking oysters.

First, to allay the suspense: Snockey's was indeed excellent. Yeah, very old-school, unpretentious, unfancy joint. In the best way. Cold, fresh, beautiful, freshly-shucked oysters, shucker knows his stuff, nice variety on the menu. Ten minutes in, I was ashamed that I do not have an allotted day each week to enjoy Clammy Hour, and that I ever let a moment's snobbery keep me away. (The old-timers at the bar were charmingly old-timererific. When word got out at bar that it was my birthday, well, I could'a drank all night on their dime.) And the oysters are the best deal in town even before Clammy Hour. My gal-about-town and myself split a half-dozen bennies, a half-dozen peacocks, and had a couple of lagers. Yeah, yeah, I hear Oceanaire has a nice raw bar, but I just couldn't do the chain with its cruise-ship vibe. For our one high-end joint, I'm very happy that I picked XIX. Faced with a choice of whole lot of oysters, many of which I was unfamiliar, the bartender took great care of us. And recommended me a Bourgogne Chardonnay that was just terrifically pitch-perfect to both my taste in wine and the oysters. We split a dozen oysters, two of each variety: Martha's Vineyard (MA), Quonset Point (RI), Lucky Lime (PEI), Northumberland (Solution Cove, Canada), Pickle Point (Hope River, Canada), Tatamagouche (Nova Scotia). They were brilliant. 'Nuff said. Class act. And the view! At sunset! Last stop, Ansill. Happy Hour. Split a dozen of [notes illegible, not Cape May Salts, though] oysters with that perfect, perfect mignonette, accompanied by a glass of happy hour cava. Lovely, casual, great as always. I love Ansill, and relaxing on a quiet Tuesday in a favorite place slurping down a quick dozen was a fitting end to my oyster crawl.

Hey, can we get away from sunra's "Oceanaire too good to be true" comment and get back to me? Atmosphere/service of Oceanaire compared to XIX -- spill it, peoples, what's up? Is there rawbar seating or would we take a table? I've been to neither. It's going to be one or the other for the "luxe" portion of the crawl.

Oh, and zeffer, thanks for the tip. It's turning out that Sole Food is going to not be so much on the oyster route, I think. But I work right near there. After-work oyster-craving = score!

(Katie, I can't wait until SSOH opens for this oyster crawl -- my birthday is Tuesday! Maybe next year. Or as soon as they open. Anyone know a time frame?) I will report back on Snockey's. (And will sample the oysters cautiously.) I hadn't thought about Bookbinders. Hmm. I wasn't blown away the one time I ate there after the renovation, but I wasn't looking for oysters then, either. I'll compare the selection and price at Bookbinders and Oceanaire and XIX. Sheesh, I may have to hit Coquette just to prove the place isn't a collective hallucination. It's on the way anyway. Maybe I'll go there before we wrap things up at Ansill. I would love a field trip to Fuji, but it's not going to work for this occasion. I know that there's no one like Matt Ito, but are there any sushi places in the city that I should put on my list?

Looking to gorge myself on raw oysters to celebrate my birthday, and my best friend and I intend to do this in the form of an afternoon oyster crawl. But I'm not sure who's got a good raw bar going these days. Since we're not planning on eating much beyond oysters, candidates for the list would ideally have a bar at which to dine, or at least not look askance at lunch diners who won't be ordering full lunches. My former standby was Sansom Street (I never liked anything except for the raw bar there, but they did shuck a fine oyster for a reasonable price.) Obviously not an option now. I've heard nothing but, um, issues regarding food & service at Coquette. But if someone can vouch for the quality and thinks they merit a spot on the tour, I'd go. Of pricier places, any love for Brasserie Perrier? Oceannaire? XIX? I plan to go to Smockey's, because despite living relatively nearby I haven't ever been. And it'll provide a contrast to the more upscale places. Is it good, or just cheap? Likewise, is Pearl's in RTM worth checking out? Ansill and/or Southwark are both pretty much a given, since they're two of my favorite places anyway. Thanks!

Buckethead, the total effin' awesomeness of their beer selection, even without special events, is a given.

Anyone sampled the menu under the new chef? I've heard decidedly, uh, mixed reviews.

Guys, I think you're basically all correct about Salumeria. To my tongue, it's a thickened dijon-based vinaigrette.

That's Lupita. Nice folks. Mottmott, you can start at Lupita and just keep walking down 9th. At Washington, take a little detour -- Veracruzana is between 9th and 10th and there's another market on the same side of the street at 10th, next to the Anvil works. Walk back to 9th and Washington and keep walking south on 9th. I'll bet you an order of tacos al pastor that you'll have everything you need and more by the time you get to Federal Street. Check out this thread for what to eat while you're shopping.