Oysters Archives ~ NC Triangle Dining Food Blog

August 22, 2020 by Ron Wen

St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar in Raleigh – A Taste of New Orleans Seafood for the Discerning Palate

Front of St. Roch in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Front of St. Roch in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

While Raleigh may be a bit land-locked in the center of the state, thankfully great seafood is only a couple of hours away at the coast. And in the past two years we’ve seen the addition of great seafood restaurants like Saint James out in Durham along with Cortez Seafood in Raleigh. One restaurant that had slipped past my food radar screen was St. Roch (pronounced “saint rock”) out on Wilmington Street. It’s funny because I never ate much at this location given the previous tenant (Joule) and that just continued on as it transformed into St. Roch. But eventually I decided it was time to see what this eatery was doing for seafood in the Oak City!

Dining room at St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Dining room at St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

The first thing you’ll notice about St. Roch is the unique entryway: white tile floor, long, glass display windows to either side that give away its origins as an old men’s clothing store. Out front, St Roch exudes an early 20th century art deco feel but inside, it all gets hip! St. Roch’s dining room is a great looking place with a long bar to the right (perfect for slurping oysters), leather button-tufted booths down the middle and little two-tops to the side.

Main dining room at St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Main dining room at St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Showcase dining area at St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Showcase dining area at St. Roch Fine Oysters in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

A white metal stamped ceiling and stainless steel lamps hanging overhead give the space a great evening ambiance that’s dark and sultry. Some chalkboard menus behind the bar show off the daily specials along with the raw oysters available. If you’re feeling a bit daring, grab one of the little tables that sit in a glassed-in showcase area at the front of the restaurant! You’ll get a great view of people passing by but of course, they’ll get a great view of your meal…

Oysters, crab claws and peel and eat shrimp on ice at St. Roch in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Oysters, crab claws and peel and eat shrimp on ice at St. Roch in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

The staff at St. Roch is young, hip and they know the menu very well. I’d recommend starting with a plate of fresh oysters on the half-shell. Here at St. Roch, they are served with cocktail sauce, mignonette (red wine vinegar-shallots-pepper), jalapenos and fried saltines, yum! Putting a plump bivalve on that saltine with a dollop of cocktail sauce seems like a classic way to go. Take advantage of dollar oyster Tuesday’s if you want to save some money!

Fried oyster poboy at St. Roch in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Fried oyster poboy at St. Roch in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Crab St Roch at St. Roch in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Crab St Roch at St. Roch in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Roasted oysters at St. Roch Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Roasted oysters at St. Roch Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

For the rest of the menu, I’ve tried an fried oyster poboy which literally had oysters spilling out of the roll. Perfectly fried plump oysters served with remoulade, lettuce and chives, a great sandwich. The crab St. Roch is a chilled mix of crab, shrimp, and egg (seafood dip) served with those fried saltines again. And the fries at St. Roch are excellent, served skin-on with aioli and ketchup.

Fries with aioli at St. Roch in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Fries with aioli at St. Roch in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Brioche beignet at St. Roch Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Brioche beignet at St. Roch Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Sinner roll with pralines at St. Roch Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Brioche beignet at St. Roch Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Over the course of several visits at St. Roch, I got the feel the St. Roch has a bunch of regulars here given its innocuous and slightly hidden space. And it’s earned that loyal following by dishing out great seafood prepared as a homage to the Big Easy. While it’s certainly not inexpensive, good seafood rarely is and St. Roch is serving up very good seafood with a touch of New Orleans. Offering up brunch, dinner and now lunch, you’ve got a lot of options to try out this great seafood eatery out on Wilmington Street!

St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar

223 S Wilmington Street

Raleigh, NC 27601

919.322.0359

St Roch Oyster Bar menu

Location on Google maps

May 17, 2016 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

First Take: Fresh Seafood at Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville

Front of Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

When you think of seafood, it’s hard to go wrong with oysters, shrimp and fish. And with the lengthy NC coastline, we’ve got access to some great seafood options here in the Triangle! Full Moon Oyster Bar is a small seafood restaurant chain with four locations in state. The Morrisville location is one of the newer ones and located in the Park West complex along with Bad Daddy’s and Buffalo Wild Wings. Thankfully I had an excuse for a lunch visit recently and there were a couple of surprises that popped up during my visit…

Front bar at Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

Up front, Full Moon Oyster Bar is really deceiving. Narrow storefront with the generic strip mall signage. When you step inside you’re immediately in front of a bar-bar area with lots of weathered and antiqued woods. The main dining room is to the side and quite deep! The decor here at Full Moon Oyster Bar is totally nautical with heavy beach influences. The chairs are made of worn colored box slats with oyster bucket lamps overhead. What’s odd is the seating. There’s no standard four tops but instead, 4 or 5 horse-shoe shaped oyster bars with high-chair seating! So not a great option if you’re dining in a larger group and want to have some table conversation. My friend and I grab a couple of seats at the first bar to keep things easy for the staff.

Dining area at Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

The lunch menu here at Full Moon Oyster Bar is pretty sure, primarily sandwiches but they do serve the full dinner menu all day. My first visit here means I get to try out a lot! We order up a dozen char-grilled oysters to start with and the daily special is a Calabash seafood platter so we’ll take two of those, oyster bar-keep! But before we even get our food, a couple of aluminum trays are brought out with some pre-lunch snacks on it: a dish of slaw and seasoned red-skin potatoes. I’ve never seen this before but I can go with the food flow. The taters are tender and nicely seasoned while the slaw is pretty standard.

Cole slaw and seasoned potatoes at Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

Our oysters come out to start the real meal. We’ve got 12 seared oysters with some butter and cheese melty on top. Two pieces of toasted bread are served on top, it reminds me a bit of the char-grilled oysters I’ve gotten in New Orleans. And it’s a tasty, salty and rich treat, while I sometimes enjoy raw oysters, I prefer them cooked up in my world and Full Moon Oyster Bar does a nice job here.

Char-grilled oysters at Full Moon Oyster Bar in Morrisville- NC Triangle Dining

The seafood plate come out next and includes a piece of fried flounder, some smallish shrimp, hush-puppies and seasoned fries. Served with some cocktail and tartar sauce, it’s a good looking plate. Looks like they are using a light corn meal covering here on the fried foods for a bit of substance. The seafood is all solid and fresh, I wasn’t a huge fan of the hush-puppies but the fries are a nice accompaniment to the meal! Overall it’s just the right amount of food and nicely fried (little grease) for lunch.

Oddly enough, service at Full Moon Oyster Bar was a bit slower than expected. While the lunch crowd did grow over time, it was pretty empty coming in and getting the meal wrapped up and grabbing the check took longer than expected. But it doesn’t seem like a regular problem on their online reviews so maybe we just caught them on a tough day. So overall I was pretty impressed with Full Moon Oyster Bar. Standard seafood menu around here but pretty cool decor and reasonable prices for what you get and I’ve got few complaints. So if you’re in Morrisville and wanting a taste of the beach and NC coast you might want to stop by Full Moon Oyster Bar. They’re as real as you get for seafood but in nicer digs, enjoy!

Full Moon Oyster Bar

1600 Village Market Place

Morrisville, NC 27560

919.378.9524

Location on Google maps

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June 11, 2018 by Ron Wen

Media: Cortez Seafood + Cocktail Offering Up Fresh Flavors and Seafood to Raleigh!

While the S. Glenwood neighborhood has always been known for fun bars, lively clubs and friendly pubs, good food was always tougher to find. There are some half-decent options for dining but not as many as you would expect on this popular and busy street. So when I heard that Cortez Seafood + Cocktail was coming to S. Glenwood, I was pretty pumped! Brought to you by the Ibarra family that runs Jose and Sons along with several other Mexican restaurants in the area, Cortez would be taking over the old Helios space next to Solas. And since I live in the neighborhood, I was able to watch its build out over the months. Thankfully, I received and invite from the Ibarra family to preview Cortez Seafood as it was in its final shake-down run before its opening. And it was a great experience, here’s how it all went down!

Ambiance and interior at the Cortez Seafood + Cocktail, Raleigh

Patio at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Patio at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Heading on over to 413 S Glenwood, the first thing you’ll notice is that the patio area at Cortez Seafood has been opened up. Previously a wall of hedges to provide privacy, the lovely patio is now more visible from the street and sidewalk making for a more inviting destination and dining location. The staff at Cortez is decked out in more traditional black slacks and white shirts. I check in at the small hostess kiosk up front and head on over to the bar to wait for friends.

Bar at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Bar at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

At the bar I get a chance to scan Cortez Seafood’s menu for the evening. Given it’s a friends and family night, there are no prices and it may not be the official menu for the public opening but it should give you a good idea about their food concept. Raw oysters, seafood salads, some larger plates and sides along with a short selection of wine, beer and cocktails! So you need to be a seafood lover outside of a handful of dishes with meat.

Stylish dining room at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Stylish dining room at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Cortez Seafood seats about 70 people in the dining room and on the patio. The dining room is clean and gives a Mediterranean feel with the turquoise leather bench seating, chamfered table tops and chairs along with speckled floor. It all feels very comfortable, open and stylish, very nicely done on the interior. With about 12 seats at the bar you’ve got some good seating options depending on the weather. My hungry friends show up ( including Kristen, @gadaboutfood) and we’re seated at a 4-top and ready to eat!

Food and menu at the Cortez Seafood + Cocktail, Raleigh

Fresh NC oysters at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Fresh NC oysters at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Poached shrimp w dill at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Poached shrimp w dill at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

We start off with a plate of raw NC oysters on ice served with rose mignonette and cocktail sauce. These bivalves are beautifully briny with the pure taste of the ocean. Raleigh’s been on an oyster roll of late, don’t miss these! Our next small plate is the wonderful cold, poached shrimp. These plump shrimp are paired with tzatziki and some dill making for a bright and light bite, loved this fresh starter plate of shrimp. The dill really pops out on the palate and pairs perfectly with the seafood.

Mackerel gazpacho at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Mackerel gazpacho at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Leche de tigre ceviche at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Leche de tigre ceviche at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Yellowtail poke nori at Cortez Seafood - NC Triangle Dining — Yellowtail poke nori at Cortez Seafood – NC Triangle Dining

My friend has ordered up a beautiful mackerel gazpacho that’s full of color and texture. I’ve always been impressed with Chef Oscar’s food at Jose and Sons and I think you’ll see the same great preparation and plating here at Cortez Seafood. And it will be interesting to see what he comes up with, moving into a different category and cuisine of foods! But I have full faith he will dazzle your taste-buds like he usually does. The leche de tigre consists of yellow tail in an aji sauce and mixed with corn nuts, red onion, and avocado. Very creative and a bit creamy. We finish up with a yellowtail poke nori served with crunchy seaweed crackers, yum! All of Cortez’ cold plates are nicely balanced in terms of textures and colors along with taste, of course.

Mexrib sandwich at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Mexrib sandwich at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Seared mackerel with rapini at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Seared mackerel with rapini at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

Now it’s on to the warm plates! At the table we’ve got the Mexrib sandwich (rib and pork shoulder patty) served with Carolina gold barbeque sauce and chips, it looks great. My seared mackerel is soft and tender on the tongue with a bit of crispy skin on top. I haven’t eaten a lot of mackerel, it’s usually considered an oily fish but the seared fish here is delicious and plays off nicely against the bright Carolina sunshine sauce. The warm potato salad and charred rapini are huge hits mixed with a bit of salty country ham and love the rapini topped with a soft poached egg.

Warm potato salad at Cortez Seafood - NC Triangle Dining — Warm potato salad at Cortez Seafood – NC Triangle Dining

Charred rapini with country ham at Cortez Seafood - NC Triangle Dining — Charred rapini with country ham at Cortez Seafood – NC Triangle Dining

Over the course of my meal at Cortez Seafood, you’ll notice the homage and tip of the hat to local NC ingredients. Which in my mind says, fresh! And the seafood preparation cuts across a swath of cuisine categories, playing with a lot of different styles and flavors. But all quite delicious.

Creamy creme brulee at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh - NC Triangle Dining — Creamy creme brulee at Cortez Seafood in Raleigh – NC Triangle Dining

We finish off with a dense and creamy creme brulee that’s perfect for a single person or a sharing couple. A really wonderful ending to our meal. The staff at Cortez Seafood is fairly new and working into their roles but they are well-trained and amenable. Again, I have no concerns here given my experience at many meals at Jose and Sons over the years. So a slow round of applause for the new Cortez Seafood + Cocktail! Love the concept, love the food and the great space. And while there may be a bit of menu overlap with what Vidrio is doing across the street, I think you’ll find the experience to be quite different here at this cozy little seafood eatery. Looking forward to my first visit after your official opening!

The Cortez Seafood + Cocktail

413 S. Glenwood Avenue

Raleigh, NC 27601

919.342.8227

Location on Google maps

July 3, 2021 by Ron Wen Leave a Comment

Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh for Some of the Freshest Seafood Around

Retail area at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Retail area at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

When it comes to seafood, things are looking up in Raleigh! With the recent addition of Cape Fear Seafood Company at Cameron Village, we now have several great places like Cortez Seafood and St. Roch to get your seafood on. One other option you may have overlooked is Locals Oyster Bar, part of Locals Seafood Company. While Locals Seafood focuses on the retail sales side, the Locals Oyster Bar part of their business gives you a dine-in option at both the popular Transfer Co Food Hall and Durham Food Hall! Most of my dining experience has been at their Raleigh location, here’s what to expect when you visit!

Dining area at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Dining area at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Inside the busy and popular Transfer Co. Food Hall, you’ll find Locals Oyster Bar in the southern end of the space, across from Benchwarmers and near the patio. While the majority of Transfer Co’s seating is communal and shared, Locals Oyster Bar offers a more private dining option with individual tables and seating, just for the restaurant. In traditional oyster bar fashion there is stool seating along the counter and a handful of 4-tops deeper inside. The feel is industrial: concrete floors and brick but with some interesting, white lighting above. While the noise from the food hall keeps things from being really romantic at Locals Oyster Bar, the space does take on a different feel in the evening.

Dining room at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Dining room at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

If you’re wondering who the culinary talent is behind the Locals Oyster Bar, it’s Chef Eric Montagne who has cooked at the Boiler Room in Kinston along with the old Standard Foods in Raleigh. Usually Oysters Local Bar has a small menu hung up behind the counter along with a paper menu up front at the order area. Note, that there may be a slightly different menu at night and during busier time periods when they will have more entrees and specials. One challenge I’ve had at Locals is their service style and menu changing from time to time and being unaware of how exactly to order, so ask questions up front. Currently, beer served at the main Transfer Co Food Hall bar can not be brought into the Locals Oyster Bar area and vice-versa. A more recent beverage change that confused me during my last visit. The menu consists of mostly smaller plates, appetizers and sandwiches along with beer and wine.

Oysters on the half-shell at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Oysters on the half-shell at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Peel and eat shrimp at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Peel and eat shrimp at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Once you figured out the details of how to order, you can focus on the food and it is VERY good. Prices are decent given the more casual counter order set up and of course, I’d recommend oysters on the half-shell! Usually they’ve got a local NC oyster option and the bivalves are served up with mignonette, cocktail sauce, horseradish and lemon. These oysters are SUPER fresh as you’d imagine and you can also do oyster kits (oysters, ice, accoutrements) if you’re willing to shuck them yourselves at home. I’d also recommend the spicy peel n eat shrimp, served up cold and with some butter. Two great seafood starters to share before your main meal!

Chicken-fried fish collars at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Chicken-fried fish collars at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Fried oyster poutine at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Fried oyster poutine at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Some favorite dishes that I’ve tried at Locals Oyster Bar is their fried fish collars with hot honey along with fried oyster poutine! The fried fish collars have a lumpy and bumpy coating covering tender, white fish with some bone. A quick drizzle of spicy honey and tangy pickles on the side make for an interesting appetizer! And the fried oyster poutine is a wicked concoction of skin-on fries, gravy and plump, freshly fried oysters! It’s not currently on the menu but hopefully it will be back in the fall time. A more recent meal showed off a fantastic crab roll stuffed with tons of fresh crab meat and topped with fragrant dill. I added some hushpuppies with honey butter on the side, making for a perfect summer meal.

Crab roll and hushpuppies at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh - nctriangledining.com — Crab roll and hushpuppies at Locals Oyster Bar in Raleigh – nctriangledining.com

Overall I like what Locals Oyster Bar is consistently delivering: fresh, well-prepared seafood at a decent price. I trust Chef Eric’s skills in the kitchen, I have yet to be disappointed over 5 to 6 visits. And while it’s certainly not cheap, it’s reasonably affordable compared to other seafood options in the area. I like that they can keep things simple with fried seafood or push harder with fancier preparation of their fish. And certainly, you can’t get much fresher than dealing with a restaurant who offers seafood in a retail setting. So rock on, Locals Oyster Bar! While the service may be quirky at times, love your food and casual environs. Seafood doesn’t have to be served up fancy when it’s as fresh and good as what Locals offers.

St. Roch Fine Oysters and Bar in Raleigh – A Taste of New Orleans Seafood for the Discerning Palate