Oysters!

​Last week I posted about the first picnic of the season at Lepreau Falls. In this series, I want to explore all kinds of places that I haven’t been in the three years since moving here to Saint John.

Stay tuned for stories across the province, including my annual lobster roll hunt.

This week, we’re staying Uptown checking out a new-to-me oyster deal.

Décimal 81 is a cozy restaurant located on Princess St. With an eye for fine dining and scratch recipes, their menu includes items like lamb, duck, and seafood. The décor is clean and classic with the bar anchoring the centre of the space. The restaurant also has a patio in the back courtyard, hidden from passersby on the street.
It’s easy to get into a “dining rut” when you live in the heart of a city. There are so many fabulous options, that I tend to linger with the ones I’m most familiar with (either the food or the staff), but when my sister invited me to join her at Décimal 81 I accepted immediately. I can’t believe I had never made it through the door before!
My sister, Nathalie, moved to Saint John a few months ago and works at Picaroons. It’s been fun living in the same city as adults and getting to hang out with each other. We’re both big seafood fans, especially when it comes to shellfish and oysters in particular. This is relevant because, Tuesday is half-price oyster day at Décimal 81!
The restaurant opens at 5pm Tuesday-Saturday, and we were there, seated at the bar by 5:15pm. There were a couple of options for oysters to choose from, but I stayed true to my Maritime roots and went with the Malpeques from Prince Edward Island. The oysters are served with a selection of accouterments including hot sauce, lemon, red wine mignonette and grated horseradish. Definitely worth checking out. And at $18/dozen, you can affordably eat your fill.
NB Wine pairing: there is only one pairing for oysters, and it sparkles. We went with a Prosecco from the menu, but an NB sparkling wine like Dunham’s Run’s Seriously would have been fabulous too