The 25th annual Oyster Fest begins tonight at Shaw’s Crab House with a collaborative dinner put on by Shaw’s and Grand Central Oyster House.
Shaw’s has been our go-to restaurant for decades; it was where I usually took my family – both my kids and my parents – for holidays, birthdays and other special events, and it continues to be the most reliable place in Chicago for seafood…particularly oysters.
One of the things I dig about Shaw’s is that they have a huge range of oysters, and you can rely upon the shuckers to do an expert job of opening the shells while retaining much of the oyster liquor (which is critical to a good shuck). At Shaw’s, all of the oysters are priced exactly the same because, as managing partner Steve LaHaie told me, “We want customers to explore and try new oyster varieties.”
During the week of festivities that officially begins on Monday, October 14, Shaw’s offers ½ priced oysters for both lunch and dinner, all week long, featuring East and West Coast varieties.
The week of oyster enjoyment is capped by The Oyster Fest Block Party on Friday, October 18, from 3:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. This event, which was last year attended by 4.5k happy oyster-eaters, will take place in the parking lot on Rush Street between Hubbard and Illinois streets, one block east of Shaw’s Chicago. This year, Buddy Guy is headlining.
Oysters are not to everyone’s taste, but if you’ve never had one, and think you might like to give them a try, you could not pick any better place than Shaw’s…or any better time than the Oyster Fest.
For more info, check out the site: www.oysterfestchicago.com
