Taste Test: Oysters Rockefeller is no shell game

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the winner | the rest | the scoring | The judges

Way back in 1899, way down in New Orleans, in the kitchen of a French restaurant named Antoine's, Oysters Rockefeller were born. The original recipe - so rich it was named for one of America's most moneyed men - remains a closely guarded secret. Imitations abound, including scores of versions served in local restaurants and bars. Readers cast nearly 300 votes for 33 restaurants, and exactly 100 readers applied to be testers. On a recent Sunday, our panel sampled Oysters Rockefeller from the three restaurants most recommended by readers and discovered three distinctly different variations on the theme. And that left our panel divided.

First stop on the oyster odyssey: Smackwater Jack's.

Locals might be surprised that this venerable Virginia Beach bar made The Virginian-Pilot's taste test finals. It's been around for 27 years and is known more for live music than fine dining.

But the regulars rallied and submitted lots of votes. And so on a recent Sunday our testers met at Smack's just as the Cowboys vs. Redskins game finished the half.

The place was dark, a few people lined the bar, and a scattering of people at tables were watching the game.

Oysters Rockefeller are only served here in cold-weather months, the traditional oyster season. They're listed on the menu as "Touchdown Specials," alongside fried cheese, spare ribs and burgers.

More than 40 minutes after placing our order, ceramic oval plates arrived with a half dozen Oysters Rockefeller on each, garnished with flat-leaf parsley and a fat lemon wedge. Appearance/aroma scores floated at above average, and when testers lifted the bivalves to their lips, they awarded above-average scores for the James River oysters, as well.

Monique, who awarded a perfect score for the oysters, thought them just the right size and didn't mind at all that they weren't seawater salty. Others liked the size, but docked points when it came to the toppings.

The typical recipe for this dish calls for oysters topped with a spinach puree, chopped bacon and then broiled. Cheese and hot sauce are common flavorings, as well as licorice-flavored liqueurs.

Smack's kitchen manager, Nathaniel Funderburk, said he has tweaked his recipe for years. He uses spinach, heavy cream, rendered bacon fat, chopped bacon, white and red chili peppers and a bit of Texas Pete. A bit of Parmesan is stirred into the mix.

The women loved the layer of heat in the dish, but the men thought it was too hot for the average palate. When it came to value, scores were split again along gender lines. Ladies will be back, but not the men?

Still, the scores made Smack's a serious contender.

Seaside Raw Bar

Next stop, a slim slice of a raw bar right on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront strip.

Testers ducked under the bright blue awning to see a long bar lined with football fans. At the back of the narrow room, past a row of wooden booths, a steaming breakfast buffet offered eggs, hash browns, sausage and Spam.

Another long wait ensued, but soon our friendly waitress, Iris, dapper in a derby cap, shuttled paper plates of browned oysters from the bar to our table. A lonely quarter lemon served as the sole garnish. Appearance/aroma scores couldn't catch up to Smack's, and the oysters themselves lagged a few points behind, too.

Sandee (whose family ran an oystering operation on Broad Bay for years), Larry and Gordy (who grew up on the Eastern Shore) all liked the texture of Seaside's oysters.

"Firm and meaty with a good balance of sweetness versus salinity," Larry said. In fact, these would be Gordy's favorite Oysters Rockefeller of the day.

But Monique and Shaheed couldn't find any love at all for these bivalves. They awarded extremely low scores in every category because they found them overly crunchy and overcooked.

A taste from the second batch served to Larry and Gordy - the broiler here is quite small - was more pleasing, but the couple steadfastly stood by their original scores.

Duane Fling, Seaside's cook-bar back-bartender, said that Oysters Rockefeller are among the raw bar's most popular dishes. The James River oysters are topped with spinach, bacon, Parmesan, herbs, spices and a splash of chardonnay.

The guys much preferred these toppings to Smackwater Jack's.

"The taste and combination of flavors makes this worth the trip," Gordy said.

Cumulative scores for value lagged behind Smack's, despite nearly perfect numbers from Gordy and Larry. With one restaurant to go, this 25-year-old institution stood firmly in second place.

Lucky Oyster Seafood Grill

The Lucky Oyster is a window on all things sportfishing. A fighting chair is stationed at the entrance - the kind of boat apparatus that anglers brace themselves in to reel in mammoth marlin and other game fish. The entire stern of a sportfishing vessel divides the main dining room, and well-dusted tackle, citations, rods, reels and old tin cans of oysters decorate the dining room.

The football games had ended, and the last NASCAR race had a few laps left, but still the bar was filled with a lively crowd. A friendly hostess in red Topsiders showed us to a table in the dining room. In record time, testers were dissecting the last Oysters Rockefeller of the day.

Served on metal plates on a bed of rock salt and garnished with lettuce and a lemon twist, the presentation impressed. Lucky eclipsed other restaurants' scores for appearance/aroma.

The James River oysters were varied in size, and everyone but Gordy rated them about equal to those at Smack's, leaving Lucky and Smack's tied in the oyster category.

The race for first shifted into high gear.

After we introduced ourselves, manager Cat Kiley came by the table with a splattered recipe in hand. Lucky's oysters, she said, are topped with steamed spinach, bacon, onions, garlic, crushed red pepper and smoke flavorings. That's all heaped on heavy and broiled to a golden brown.

While some people might like a lot of toppings, most testers thought there was so much topping that the taste of the oyster was lost. That put Lucky just behind Smack's in the toppings category.

The point spread between the two restaurants continued to narrow.

Both Smack's and Lucky served their oysters warm and toasted on top, but the former edged ahead with the smallest of leads in the cooking category.

With only one category left - value - the battle for first place continued.

A half-dozen Oysters Rockefeller at both restaurants goes for about $8. A dozen at Lucky Oyster is $14.99, a buck and a penny less than Smack's.

When testers considered whether these oysters were worth the price or drive, they gave Smack's a slight edge, eking them into first place by a fraction of a point.

THE WINNER

SMACKWATER JACK'S
3333 Virginia Beach Blvd., Virginia Beach
(757) 340-6638

Price: $16 a dozen; $8  for six 

Score: 71

What they said:
“Very simple appearance. The topping was nicely browned, crunchy and delicious. This was my favorite oyster of the day.”– Sandee Marshall Maggi

“Nice-sized oysters. Small enough to allow the other ingredients to be enjoyed, big enough to still be able to taste the oyster.” – Monique Gray

“Slightly too much heat for the average person.” – Gordy Thornes

“The bacon tasted fresh, and there was a rich flavor from the heavy cream. Nice blend of flavors. If you like them hot, this is the dish.” – Larry Sarosdy

THE REST

LUCKY OYSTER SEAFOOD GRILL
2165 General Booth Blvd., Virginia Beach
(757) 430-9600,
www.luckyoystervb.com

Price:  $14.99 a dozen; $7.99  for six

Score:  70.5

What they said:
“The presentation – in a pewter-type plate in a bed of rock salt – made me excited to eat these.” – Sandee Marshall Maggi

“The aroma was of bacon, oysters and cheese. It smells as good as it looks.” – Larry Sarosdy

“The oysters were huge! How did they fit the topping in the shell?” –  Monique Gray

“The cooking was excellent, but way too much cheese.” – Gordy Thornes

SEASIDE RAW BAR
2014 Atlantic Ave., Virginia Beach
(757) 428-2760,
www.seasiderawbar.com

Price:  $14.95 a dozen; $7.95  for six

Score:  56

What they said:
"Very crunchy, but couldn’t really taste the different flavors. The cheese overrides.” – Monique Gray

“Lots of spinach, hot sauce on the side and a good balance between the bacon and the cheese allowed the opportunity to really enjoy the oyster.” – Larry Sarosdy

“A mild flavor of mostly bacon and cheese.” – Sandee Marshall Maggi

“Very satisfying. The presentation of this dish showed a dedicated cook or chef.” –   Gordy Thornes

THE SCORING

Oysters Rockefeller were scored in five categories: appearance/aroma; oysters; toppings; cooking; and value. Testers’ scores were added and averaged to arrive at the final scores.

THE JUDGES

 Larry Sarosdy
52, Virginia Beach
Occupation:  Owner of Landscape Redesign Services
Nominated:  Dan & Louis Oyster Bar Restaurant, Portland, Ore.
On Oysters Rockefeller:  I suppose the best plate of Oysters Rockefeller I had was not made using the traditional spinach-based sauce, but rather a collection of pureed fresh herbs (which I understand is how they were first made at Antoine’s in New Orleans), including tarragon, chervil, parsley leaves, herb saint and even watercress. I also like the idea that the oysters are baked on a bed of moistened rock salt. Cool!

Sandee Marshall Maggi
56, Virginia Beach
Occupation:  Developmental disabilities specialist, teacher assistant, Inclusion Staff, Virginia Beach City Public Schools
Nominated:  I like Oysters Rockefeller anywhere, any way I can get them.
On Oysters Rockefeller:  The perfect Oysters Rockefeller consists of the perfect combination of blended herbs and sauce. Of course, the oyster underneath is what makes it a truly mouth-watering dining experience.

Gordy Thornes
76, Norfolk
Occupation:  Retired Air Force and avid golfer
Nominated:   O’Sullivan’s Wharf is a good place to enjoy them.
On Oysters Rockefeller:  A good Oysters Rockefeller depends on two things:  1) Is the oyster fat enough?  2) Is the oyster salty? Only two places in the United States have outstanding oysters: Lynnhaven Inlet and the oyster grounds out of the town of Oyster, Va. The latter produces the finest oysters ever grown.

Shaheed and Monique Gray
both 27, Norfolk
Occupation:  Proud parents of five children
Nominated:  Clayton’s Restaurant, Portsmouth
On Oysters Rockefeller:  I’ve always been a big oyster fan  but couldn’t quite picture them with cheese. My husband, on our second date, made me taste them. Trying to impress a cute guy snagged me a husband and a new favorite food.

NEXT

YEAR IN REVIEW

Nearly 50 readers have sampled fare from nearly 40 restaurants this year. Check out our Taste Test year in review in December. We’ll return to regular taste tests in January.

Food photos by Thomas Slusser

Lorraine Eaton, (757) 446-2697,lorraine.eaton@pilotonline.com