Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar

Just realized I made reference to Jack's Luxury Oyster Bar and haven't logged here what we had there. I'll see if I can reconstruct it in my head and get it down on paper[sic].

M and I waited until the night after Valentine's Day to go out to dinner, which made it much easier to get a table at Jack's. It was a great meal. As I just observed about Hearth, it's pretty easy to blow $75 on a tasting menu in this town, but at Jack's, you get a lot for that.

Here's the rundown:

• The amuse bouche was a mini lobster panini (pronounced by our Latino waiter meanie puh-neenie, which I suppose was correct, but has since become a running joke). It was buttery and rich, about the size of a matchbox.
• Next came caramelized scallops with pistachio butter and baby artichokes. This was M's favorite, and really a standout for me. The brown crust on the sea scallops was delicious.
• A raw bar selection: two oysters, a raw clam, a cooked shrimp, and a piece of toast with egg and parrotfish caviar.
• Potato leek soup with white truffle oil, poured over 3 kumamoto oysters. Really fantastic, if a little salty. The oysters had some sort of sauce on them before the soup was poured over, but it escapes me. This was a great dish and a great combination.
• Lobster Newburgh. Creamy, a little spicy from the paprika. Very rich and luxurious.
• Sauteed monkfish over shallot puree, surrounded by a white port porcini broth.
• Mint tea sorbet
• Chocolate sampler for dessert: chocolate-mint cup (a shot glass filled with mint-flavored rich liquid chocolate), mini dark chocolate box with caramel mousse and fleur de sel (salty and chocolate), and a white chocolate tart.

It was all pretty darn good and worth the price of admission. We shared a bottle of New Zealand sauvignon blanc over the meal, and a glass of champagne over dessert. A really fine meal.

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