Much of what we review-sampled at the Oyster Bar lacked the sparkle of seafood so fresh it needs little if any embellishment.
There was one conspicuous exception.
Oysters.
Love them and you're almost certain to love the Oyster Bar.
The raw-bar selections on a recent evening included 10 different regionals, each one listed on the menu with name, source and simple yet mouth-watering descriptions (the latter in type so small that a lot of senior diners probably couldn't read it sans magnifying glass).
A big plate of well-chilled Shoalwater and Sunset Beach oysters (both from Washington state) and Pearl Bay (from British Columbia) oysters were the choice of an oyster-loving pal who was so enchanted with the varying flavors and textures - his favorites were the Sunset Beach with their mildly salty flavor and crunchy texture - that he vowed to return just to sample the other treasures on the list.
I was no less enthusiastic over the fried oysters.
The appetizers arrived crisply coated, nested in shells heaped with shredded raw veggies and served with a peppery remoulade.
Tiny, in-shell clams in my seafood-sauced linguine were tender, sweet and appealing.
But the in-shell mussels in the pasta, and in an appetizer serving of spicy mussels with red sauce and garlic toast, were so wizened and raisin-like, one could only assume they'd been cooked hours earlier.
Twin crabcakes served with shredded sweet potato fries and remoulade sauce were slightly tart in flavor and without any recognizable crab presence.
The meat entree sampled by our hungry group was a hefty portion of barbecued ribs nicely flavored with a moderately spicy sauce and served with dull coleslaw and flabby corn-on-the-cob.
On the plus side was a salad of pecans, watercress and blue cheese served with tart, lemony dressing.
Clam chowder, though properly creamy and clam-filled, was served tepid.
