BY ANDREW DAVIS
Be warned: Oyster Bah ( 1962 N. Halsted St.; OysterBah.com ) is a bit deceptive.
I was even thrown off by the restaurant's namea take on the East Coast pronunciation of "bar" as well as a shortened version of "bar on Halsted." ( At least, that's what the bartender told me, and he seemed pretty trustworthy. )
However, this is no Long John Silver's. In fact, Oyster Bah has some of the best seafood I've tasted in Chicago in quite some time.
The decor is about what one might expect in a seafood spotlots of wood as well as boat and crustacean motifs. There's even a cozy Crab Cellar that's for smaller parties.
Given its name, it follows that one of the culinary specialties ischa-ching!oysters. It's a testament to this place that this diner ( who's not the biggest fan of shellfish, whether they're oysters, clams or mussels ) absolutely loved the broiled oysters, which come with smoked bacon and casino butter.
After that, it was a succession of succulent dishes. Ordering the New England stuffies ( quahogs, celery and chorizo ) should be considered mandatory, and the smoked trout dip is tasty without coming across as fishy. The shrimp and grits features lobster-tomato gravy ( a little gravy goes a long way )but it's the Maine lobster roll that should be considered a masterpiece, with the right proportions of lobster, celery and mayo.
Being from the East Coast myself, I'm quite the crab-cake snobwhich is why I'm pleased to say that Oyster Bah's crab cakes almost took me back home. ( A few other restaurants could learn not to use so much filler. ) Even the roasted broccoli ( with garlic, chili and parmesan ) is a delight. By the way, there are also two dessertsincluding coconut cakethat bear ordering to go if you're too full while you're there.
Be sure to check out this spot; you will not be disappointed. Already, the three-month-old restaurant has proven to be popular, as even inclement weather couldn't keep daters and families away on a recent night.