42nd Street Oyster Bar in Raleigh

With my aunt and uncle in town for the Easter weekend, we went to 42nd Street Oyster Bar for dinner.  The 42nd Street Oyster Bar is a Raleigh institution, open since 1931, serving all types of seafood (raw, fried, etc.) as well as steaks and chops in a festive atmosphere complete with a huge raw bar and a bar area with live music at night.  The restaurant is always crowded and hectic, but we were able to get a reservation for dinner at 6:15 PM (a bit early but oh well) by calling just a few hours ahead.

I had eaten here probably six or seven times before this trip, and on every occasion, I ordered the fried shrimp platter.  They fry the shrimp perfectly and give you more than you can eat in one sitting, but ultimately, I'd say it's a bit more expensive than you'd expect for what you get (don't get me wrong, it is delicious, but it's just something that a lot of places do well).  On this visit, however, I wanted to try something different to really see what they had to offer in the way of good, fresh fish.

Our table split two appetizers, both recommended by the server (who was really good all night for our table); the fried calamari and the blackened bacon-wrapped sea scallops.  Fried calamari is almost always the same; crispy and fairly flavorful but with slightly chewy calamari inside (and I love it every time I order it).  At 42nd Street, however, I truly feel like they put theirs in a category above the rest.  The breading is crunchy and not greasy, but more importantly, the actual calamari is tender and flavorful rather than chewy and bland.  For me to notice this tells you just how different and impressive it was!  As for the blackened scallops, they were large (normally bacon-wrapped scallops are of the bay variety) and perfectly cooked, with an excellent seasoning that matched perfectly with both the scallop and the bacon.  To summarize, the appetizers were out of this world and set the stage for a great meal (the hush puppies are also fantastic, and sometimes ruin your appetite here by being irresistible).

Straying from my standard fried shrimp platter, I ordered their pan-seared Pacific tuna with wasabi and ginger dipping sauces for my main course (accompanied by mashed potatoes, which were actually really good, and not just because I had low expectations and didn't really care one way or the other).  The first thing that stuck out on the plate when I got my entree was the quantity of tuna; there were three HUGE medallions that each were probably four or five ounces.  Each was seared perfectly with cool, rare, red tuna in the middle.  The sesame crust was a perfect flavor enhancer to match with the sweet dipping sauces, although the tuna itself had far more taste than I've had in other preparations.  Without much difficulty, I was able to get through my entire plate, as it truly was the best tuna I've ever had.  Normally I'd say tuna is good when there is mild flavor and it is tender, but this packed plenty of taste on its own, but reached a whole new level of enjoyment when the wasabi and ginger sauces were combined for a bite.

After limiting myself in ordering, and limiting my view and opinion of the restaurant, I finally opened up and enjoyed 42nd Street Oyster Bar for all it had to offer.  While the live music and festive atmosphere make it a fun place to go, I really never put the food on my short list of desirable seafood restaurants in Raleigh.  Now, however, after a meal filled with classic dishes prepared perfectly with amazing flavor, I can't wait to return to try something new.