[New York] Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar

January 30, 2013 · by Shanghai Girl · in Shanghai

Upstate Craft Beer & Oyster Bar | www.upstatenyc.com
Address: 95 1st Ave, New York, NY 10003
Date visited: 2013.01

Total bill: ~$160 + tip for three people
Verdict: This place doesn’t have a freezer. Translation: everything is fresh.
Will return: Definitely
What to get: Everything listed below

We came around 8:30pm one night and the place was packed. People weren’t really leaving but we were determined to eat here so we waited (they don’t take reservations).

The manager came over a couple of times to update us on seating and fed us beer samples. When we were finally seated after about 45 minutes, more beer samples came our way. The service here is superb, genuine, and homey. Everything we ordered was great and I would order them again next time. The man sitting next to me at the bar also turned out to be the owner’s uncle, which was an added bonus to my meal.

Yes, I know these photos look like they were taken by a 1998 flip phone. I wouldn’t subject you to bad lighting if it wasn’t worth it.

Oysters

We got two dozen oysters, mostly West Coast. West Coast oysters tend to have a sweeter finish while East Coast oysters have a saltier finish. The Steamboat (Vancouver, BC), was by far my favorite.

Look at the itty bitty bottle of Tabasco sauce ^^

We love our West Coast oysters

Grilled Squid Kale Salad ($8)

Excellent flavoring with the ponzu sauce dressing. Good mixture of chewy (squid) and crunch (kale). I recommend this as a starter.

Upstate Squid Salad

Scallop Risotto ($18)

This is a perfect example of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. Individually, the scallops and the risotto were good. But together, the combination was bomb.

Upstate Scallop Risotto

Fettuccine with Clams ($15)
I’m usually pretty meh about pasta but this sauce was really good. The sauce is ~~a heart attack on your plate~~ made from fish stock and white wine along with your usual parmesan cheese, bread crumb, garlic, and onion essentials. Get the recipe from Upstate here.