I'm a huge fan of
Shaw's Crab House and
have visited their restaurants many times over. However, once a year, they bring one of my favorite festivals to Chicago,
Oyster Fest! This year's fest was held in a huge lot at Grand and the river and featured a selection of East, South and West coast oysters! I stopped by the fest with the BF and taste tested oysters from all over, as well as some non-oyster items.
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| West Coast Oysters & Seafood |
First up was a sampler of the West Coast oysters. I realize the taste and texture of oysters isn't for everyone, but I'm a big fan of raw oysters. I usually eat them with just a bit of lemon juice squeezed on top, but I tried some of these with a small dab of cocktail sauce too.
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| West Coast Raw Oysters |
The BF was a trooper and tried some as well...
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| The BF Trying a West Coast Oyster |
...I think his face says it all :)
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| Mmmm... |
Next, we hopped on over to the other side of the fest where they were serving up Southern coast chargrilled oysters from
Bub City, one of my favorite Lettuce Entertain You spots.
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| Chargrilled Southern Coast Oysters from Bub City |
The chargrilled oysters were grilled to order and I got to watch them pour a little butter and paprika on top.
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| Chargrilled Southern Coast Oysters from Bub City |
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| Southern Coast Oysters from Bub City |
These cooked oysters had a ton of smoky flavor and were sizzlin' straight off the grill--I just wish there were more than three to an order!
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| Chargrilled Southern Coast Oysters from Bub City |
We also tried Bub City's Fried Chicken Biscuit with oyster gravy. The one bite I had was good, but the BF really enjoyed it!
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| Fried Chicken Biscuit with Oyster Gravy |
Lastly, we made our way over to the East Coast oyster booth...
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| East Coast Oysters |
I tried another sampler of raw oysters for comparison, and these ended up being my favorite. I was surprised because I tend to prefer the sweeter West Coast varieties.
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| East Coast Raw Oysters |
I put some hot sauce on top and slurped away! I'm pretty sure I need to enter next year's oyster slurping contest.
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| Ready to Devour My East Coast Oyster |
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| Down the hatch! |
With our few remaining tickets we tried the New England chowda which was insanely creamy and decadent. So much so we both could only eat a few spoonfuls.
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| New England Chowda |
The fest also included an oyster slurp off contest, and several musical performances, including headliner singer/songwriter Brett Dennen.
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| Main Stage |
Be sure to check out Oyster Fest next year, and if you can't wait that long, stop by Shaw's Crab House for their huge selection of fresh seafood, including those delectable little oysters!
Note: my entry to Oyster Fest was complimentary; however, the opinions expressed herein are my own.
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