Lewes Oyster House
The consumption of raw oysters largely started in the mid-17th century, and was confined to the European wealthy, who could afford to pay fisherman to harvest and shuck the salt-water bivalve molluscs. Oyster saloons first sprouted in England, and London’s oldest restaurant from 1798, Rules, still operating today, began as an oyster bar. After colonization by the U.K., oyster consumption expanded in North America but was never confined by class. It is believed that the oldest restaurant in the U.S. is Union Oyster House in Boston, which opened in 1826, still featuring oyster-shucking in front of patrons, a practice common in many saloons today (New York’s Grand Central Oyster Bar opened in 1913).
Opening in 2002, Lewes’s best oyster house forged a similar path, creating a modern tavern experience based around the oyster, including grilled, fire-roasted, raw, and in cocktails. Lewes being a resort town, however, the Oyster House also features typical seafood and land options, including steak, chicken, and duck dishes, along with the common salmon and halibut, all of them well prepared by a seasoned kitchen with plenty of big-city and local big-operator cooking experience. Oysters, however, are the star, though the boardwalk fries, prepared with various garnishes and toppings, are not far behind. Service also is a star, with most of the staff comprised of seasoned professionals trained by seasoned professionals, all reflected in the numerous recognitions Lewes Oyster House has achieved, including high-profile press and attention in its meager two years of existence. Note that Lewes Oyster House, being an oyster house, meals can get expensive, after all, there is a healthy investment in serving this type of fresh seafood in a dynamic setting, and with so many quality libation options, the check has a way of surprising the inattentive diner. Still, the food and experience is worth the reach, enjoying in Delaware’s first town, one of America’s first raw seafood delicacies, even if the oysters are farmed from commercial hatcheries among the several Atlantic coast states, rather than collected from their natural growing environment in the Atlantic. Like the old days that Lewes Oyster House portends, the menu features no Tik-Tok bait and no artificial dining trickery; instead the food, while seemingly ordinary in terms of oyster bar menu items, displays the considerable skills the chef has to grab your attention.