I joined an old coworker for lunch right near my NYC office at a brand new place, L&W Oyster Co (on 5th Ave between 28th and 29th). I think it had been open for just a few weeks.
The menu was a bit different from what is posted online, so here was the lunch meeting from a couple weeks ago:
The restaurant is quirky, small, and fun.
With magnetic poetry on the walls.
And place mats explaining some of their favorite oysters (though not what is on the menu).
My ex-coworker started with the clams.
And I got a selection of the three oysters on the menu and we shared some large shrimp cocktail. (All the fresh seafood was very good and very fresh)
And we were delighted to be given a pack of their homemade goldfish crackers.
They were mildly spicy and baked to a perfect crispy.
Steve got The Popeye with steamed mussels, chorizo, spinach, white wine, and gigantic beans. I couldn’t try it due to the chorizo, but he really enjoyed his meal.
I got the Clam on Clam action which came with a clamwich (fried clams, tarter sauce, and pickled shisito peppers, which I asked to not have due to the my allergy) and some chowdah (brooklyn clam chowder, brooklyn lager, corn nuts, and house cured pancetta). Before my meal made it in front of me, our waiter realized that my clamwich still included the peppers, so back into the kitchen that went. But I got to start on my chowdah and quinoa (which was tasty). I really loved this chowdah. Creamy without being too heavy, good clam flavor, and the corn nuts and pancetta in it were just perfect.
And when my clamwich (with salt & vinegar potato chips… YUM!) came out, I enjoyed that it was on a parker house roll roll. It was a nice fluffy foil for the crunchy clam strips (though I wish they were more clamy in flavor). The sandwich was good, but not as good as the chowdah.
We also ordered some coffee (gotta love a French Press).
And tried their sorbet of the day, which I can’t remember the exact flavor, but I remember it being some sort of citrus, and it was especially delicious. Great flavor and texture. Really great end to the meal.
I was impressed by our entire lunch here and think it’s a great lunch spot. Nothing was among the best of that dish I have ever had, but everything was solidly tasty and I like what they’ve got going on.
Total Nom Points: 6.5 out of 10
