If you are a fan of oysters, then you have undoubtedly tasted the omnipresent Island Creek Oysters that appear on menus across the country.  What started as an oyster farming business has grown into a restaurant empire as the team behind Island Creek has gone on to open Eastern Standard, Row 34 (now in Portsmouth, New Hampshire as well), The Hawthorne and Branch Line.  Another restaurant is in the works we were told.

Island Creek Oyster Bar in Boston has been around for quite some time now and to be honest, I have never been there.  Yet, I have tasted many of ISO’s Duxbury grown oysters to know that they are among the very best (my opinion).  So when the restaurant recently opened its second location in nearby Burlington, Massachusetts last November, I was pretty excited to check it out.  The restaurant is part of The District Burlington which is adjacent to the mall.

I have been there twice now since the start of the new year, and what struck me almost as much as the promise of delectable oysters was the gorgeous design of this restaurant.  Decorated in tones of grays, whites and blacks, the restaurant is chic while also feeling very serene.  Industrial lamps are hung like soldiers and encased in wire caging.  Bar stools are painted a calming shade of gray while luscious gray leather banquets are ample in size and extremely comfortable.

The ceilings soar and with so many large windows the space is very well lit as we experienced during our daytime visit. Ample seating is available at the bar as you can see below…

Fresh shellfish is on display at the oyster bar itself…

This is the other end of the display so I imagine if you are just in the mood for oysters, this is where you might like to sit…

One of the walls in the main dining room is covered with oyster cages that have been stuffed with used oyster shells (they’ve been bleached!).  During our daytime visit, manager Erin told us how they were each filled by employees and then mounted against the wall, similar to what was done at the Boston location.  These cages were slightly heavier so there was a little sinking of the oyster shells when they were placed against the wall so some last minute shell stuffing needed to happen…

My first visit was for lunch and I was joined by my friends Susan and Cathy.  The menu is printed daily and includes a few special appetizers, soups and entrees.  The regular menu is seafood-centric as you would imagine, including everything from raw bar to oyster sliders, a few salads, freshly made soups and entrees including a yellowfin tuna melt, fish & chips and lobster rolls.  There is a classic angus burger for the non seafood lovers.

In addition to oysters from Island Creek and Row 34, selections are available from other Massachusetts farms as well as a few from Washington state, New Brunswick and British Colombia.  Cathy and I chose to order Island Creek’s on this visit ($3 a piece) and our waiter brought us some freshly made striped bass ceviche to go alongside as a little bonus.  The fish was mixed with mango, bell pepper, cucumber, red onion, chile flakes, mint and citrus.  Really delicious as were the oysters…

Susan ordered the clam chowder ($10) which was made with hand dug clams and house-cured bacon.  Topped with buttermilk biscuits and chopped chives, the soup was hearty and delicious…

For our lunch selections, we were all over the map.  In a perfect world, I might have liked to see a salad choice that you could add a piece of grilled fish to, but that was not on offer which I respect.  So, Cathy chose the daily special which was a toast that was layered with an avocado mousse, lots of fresh Maine lobster and topped with a sunny-side up egg.  While Cathy enjoyed the dish and thought it was delicious, (and I also took a bite and thought it was very good), she felt that she would order something different on her next visit as it wasn’t particularly inspired at the end of the day…

Susan chose the Jalapeno Buttermilk biscuit that was served with maple sage sausage, a fried egg and cabot cheddar (another option if you don’t love seafood).  The biscuit had great flavor and overall she enjoyed her lunch as well…

I think my order may have been the best of the bunch.  Grilled salmon was served with a cucumber salad, Israeli couscous, kalamata olives and a lemon vinaigrette.  The salmon was perfectly cooked and the bright vinaigrette with the fresh vegetables, pasta and briny olives made for a lovely, albeit filling dish.  It was almost too beautiful to eat!  I would definitely order this one again…

Here’s a look back at the restaurant so you can see how pretty it is…

On my second visit, I went with my friend Ann for dinner.  We ordered our own request for margaritas which was Don Julio tequila, a splash of cointreau and lots of fresh lime juice.  Delish.  Ann is crazy for oysters so in addition to the Island Creeks, we ordered several from Chatham which were saltier than the Island Creeks but equally delicious.  We had a long chat with the evening’s manager Chris about oysters when he came to check on our table which was an added bonus to our evening.

The dinner menu is very similar to the luncheon menu except the burger is joined by a strip steak and a roasted chicken for those who are not seafood fans.  A selection of fresh fishes are also available or if you are in the mood for something more homey, you can try Mrs. Bennett’s seafood casserole, a nod to owner Skip’s grandmother’s recipe.  Ann and I decided to split the Baby Iceberg salad that is served with Great Hill blue cheese, house-cured bacon, scallions and butternut squash.  The kitchen kindly split the salad for us and it was more than enough, not to mention fabulous…

And we finished our meal with an insanely decadent basket of fried clams and french fries.  The clams and fries were perfectly fried and not greasy at all.  Both were delicious as were the tartar sauce and coleslaw that were served alongside. Our only complaint might be that we wished there were some more bellies in the basket given the price for the dish ($15 for a small order and $27 for the large)…

Service on both occasions was terrific (I had the same server both times and each manager took time to come to our table and say hello).

So there you have it.  Island Creek has made it out to the suburbs, conveniently situated near the Burlington Mall and near to 128/95.  Keep it in mind for a future outing!

See you next week!

One Year Ago:  Spicy Sesame Noodles

Two Years Ago:  Turkey and White Bean Chili

Three Years Ago:  Chicken with Red & Yellow Peppers

Chicken with Red and Yellow Peppers