North Square Oyster: Celebrating the Joys of Seafood
Located in Boston's North End, North Square Oyster is an upscale establishment known for its quality seafood. If you can't find it, you're in luck because it's located on the Freedom Trail so if you follow the markers on the ground, you'll find North Square Oyster eventually!
The ambiance of this venue is difficult to rival. On the ground floor, imagine all-white marble counter tops, white tiled floors, simple wooden cafe-style seats, and a mint green painted interior. The natural light is abundant thanks to the large, near floor-to-ceiling windows.
I came here with my friends Dan and KT. Given the structure of the menu, we decided to get a few small plates to share in addition to our own entrees. The Charred Brussels sprouts were notable but we really wanted to have some badass seafood. Perhaps we visited on an off-day but they didn't have any more clam chowder and our choices were just slightly above par.
In the end, we were not as satisfied with our experience as we would have liked. The quality of the food was good but not impressive. For its price, I expected a little more. In terms of ambiance, North Square Oyster is definitely a winner. I could see myself coming back to try some more small plates and a "little bit" of wine.
To share, we all got the Charred Brussels Sprouts. The brussels sprouts were prepared to perfection and seasoned with Maple and Togarashi. No lie, these were really good.
Togarashi is a Japanese blend of spices that includes bits of sesame, nori, chili, and a variety of other ingredients. It's popular in Japan and would be used to season anything from grilled meats to soups. [$13 USD]
We also got the Crab and Avocado, which appears as a layered cylinder. The crab is chilled, juicy, and refreshing. It's also topped with Grapefruit, Crème Fraîche, and Chive. [$13 USD]
I got the Halibut. The presentation was almost surreal. Sometimes halibut can be a boring fish. Poor guy... It's fairly lean but when cooked properly, you'll be able to experience its sweet taste. It's fairly flaky but has tender characteristics. It's one of those types of fish that loses a LOT of its greatness when frozen.
The halibut was paired with some King Trumpet Mushrooms, White Asparagus, and Almond. Damn. I think that this was one of the best dishes here. [$23 USD]
Me, Katie, and Dan all got the Lobster Roll. It looks big in the photo but it's not that large. It's actually quite small but the meat was pretty good. I wish we could have had more butter on this. Butter is my favorite ingredient (I think).
Anyway, the bread was nicely toasted so I appreciated that. The lobster itself was meaty and had a elegant texture. I can't say it's better than what we have in New York though so I was a little underwhelmed. [$25 USD]
The Octopus was alright. The texture was quite good but parts of the meat were a little bit too tough. It was accompanied by some Saffron Aioli, Dried Olive, and Chervil.
For $17, this was a little bit too tiny.