Oysters Rockafeller
Dining critic Allison Austin Scheff discovers bivalve bliss at Shuckers.
By Allison Austin Scheff December 13, 2010
This article originally appeared in the January 2011 issue of Seattle magazine.
Usually, I’m an oyster purist: raw, on the half shell, with nothing but seawater and its own liquor to slurp down. But at Shuckers, the clubby oyster bar tucked ac a corner of the Fairmont Olympic Hotel (downtown, 411 University St.; 206.621.1984; fairmont.com), the old-school mahogany furnishings, plush banquettes and brass accents work their magic, and I find myself ordering Oysters Rockefeller ($3.25 each, $15.50/half-dozen, $29/dozen) instead. Roasted under a tangle of freshly wilted spinach and blanketed in warm, buttery hollandaise sauce, the still-soft oysters add just a tinge of minerality and a silken texture. In the depths of winter, with the hubbub of the holidays over, a plate of these luxurious beauties is mighty fine indeed.