Mill Street in Greenwich, CT- December Challenge 3 of 17, Oyster Three Ways

This is my writing challenge 3 of 17: writing a post a day until I leave for vacation on the 21st. Let me begin by telling you that this was a decadent and sinful enjoyment. It was a survey of the Mill Street Bar & Table’s best, i.e., seafood. I went with someone who knew the restaurant well and was lucky enough to benefit from his prior experiences. Thank you, Mustafa Mansour.

I am very tempted to let the photos and the descriptions of the dish stand by themselves on this post, especially the oysters. Oysters are a slice of heaven, reminding me of what could be and what I should strive for. We had them three ways: raw, fried, and grilled.
ICED OYSTERS ON THE HALF SHELL:Mignonette, Cocktail Sauce, Lemon Stella Mar, Greenwich, CT • Island Creek, Duxbury, MA • Basket Island, Casco Bay, ME • Lucky Limes, PEI, New Brunswick, CAN • Tisbury Pond, Martha’s Vineyard. This by far is the best way to eat the oysters. You get to enjoy the rawness of the oysters, experiencing the salinity, the cleanliness, and the texture of the oysters. I love the way the oyster go down when you slurp it up. The smooth and the slimy. Yes, there was also a discussion on how oysters are being farmed in the east coast of the US.
FRIED STELLA MAR OYSTERS: Kimchi Mayo, Lemon. The fried oysters here surprised me. They were much better than expected. The batter was thin and tasty. The whole ensemble was excellent.  GRILLED STELLA MAR OYSTERS: White Wine, Butter, Thyme. This was good but in comparison to the raw and the fried, it would be my third favorite way to eat the oysters.
BAKED CLAMS Spicy Peppers, Butter. Baked clams are more superior than the grilled oysters since they are more meaty and you can retain more of the sea when baked.
ROASTED CAULIFLOWER: Pine Nut Butter, Capers, Lemon. I loved this. I am a fan of cauliflower and roasted foods. The burn with the acidity of the lemon made me very happy.   Thin-Crust Flatbread: Potato, Crispy Pork Belly, Caramelized Onions, Crème Fraiche. This sounded like an intriguing proposition – crispy pork belly with Crème Fraiche but it was the worst combination imaginable. The flavors were fighting against each other as was the texture. The potatoes were lame on top of the flatbread. This dish fell very flat and most was left uneaten.
CRISPY SWEET POTATOES: Black Garlic Aioli, Herb Salsa. This came highly recommended and was my friend’s favorite dish at Mill Street. The black garlic aioli apparently makes the dish. Unfortunately, I couldn’t appreciate it at all due to my bias towards sweet potatoes.  CHOCOLATE CAKE: Cookie Crumb & Milk Ice Cream. This was a complete flap for me. I took two bites. Pedestrian at best.
ETON MESS: Passion Cream, Granola, Muddled Berries, Meringue. I didn’t know what Eton Mess was and Mustafa kindly explained it to me. His verbal description painted a picture that the actual dish couldn’t beat unfortunately. The visual of the dessert is beautiful though.

I would say that the Mill Street’s oysters rival with that of the Elm Street Oyster House. Both restaurants are in Greenwich, CT. I would definitely return to both. My experience here was delightful.

But… for the die-hard oyster fans, my favorite way to eat oysters is on the bar stool at La Boîte Huitres in the Jean-Talon Market in Montreal where there are numerous varieties from the east and west coasts of North America and Galway of Ireland. Try that next – They have a great selection.  You will love it. #Oysters

This experience took place at

Mill Street Bar & Table
230 Mill Street
Greenwich, CT 06830
(203) 813-3323