Sometimes, I like to use vocabulary that you probably thought was reserved for teenage girls. Like… right now. Because the ridiculously decadent, over-the-top, delicious fried oyster appetizer that I tasted at The Queen Vic on H Street can only be described as hotness.
Delicious morsel of oyster at The Queen Vic.
This first bite of this hotness was not the first time I’d had the chance to encounter The Queen Vic as an establishment. In fact, the gastropub had already carved a space out in my heart as an incredibly gracious host to my favorite DC rugby team, the Washington Rugby Football Club. It was one night during DC Beer Week 2011, however – one that did not also involve a day full of rugby-watching – that I discovered this fantastic dish.
After filling our bellies with mid-western brews, Dumont and I were not hungry enough for two orders of the Queen Vic’s amazing fish and chips. Instead, we decided to go with one order and an appetizer. After perusing the menu for a short amount of time, the fried oysters on the half shell. But even looking at the menu, we realized these were not going to be just any fried oysters, on any ol’ half-shell. These oysters were going to be fried, topped with duck confit, foie gras*, and cornichons, placed lovingly into a shell for easy handling, resting atop a lemon slice for the always-appreciated-by-when-it-comes-to-seafood squirt of citrus. Hotness, right?
Simply put, the bite was one of the best morsels of food I’ve ever had the chance to put in my mouth. The bite was crunchy oyster, followed by soft and chewy confit, followed by creamy foie, followed by briny cornichons and a hint of lemon.
Oyster love is all you need.
I am not often afforded the opportunity to take part in food-as-art, with one-morsel bites of flavored air and beef tenderloin in truffled cotton candy.** This bite, however, got me pretty close to what I’d expect in fancy, one-bite kitchens…. except maybe a bit more rustic. And, fortunately, a bit more me.
* Please read Foie Gras Wars by Mark Caro. I am not a vegetarian, so I choose not to draw the line at foie gras when it comes to eating meat. But I believe Caro has written an important book that contributes to the dialogue about the dish, as well as eating meat on the whole.
** Yes, I made that dish up.
