I've been back to Biff's numerous times since my initial review and every time it was great. That's why I suggested to a friend that we meet up there for drinks, oysters and catch up. Little did we know that we had walked in on launch party night for a new Dirty Bits bar menu and oyster party.
We were seated in the last available table in the bar area when we ran into fellow Yelper, Karen L. Not really a big coincidence since we're both oyster fans (I got to witness the new parasite friend in her oyster).
We placed our order for two dozen oysters and 2 Pimm's Cup ($13). Our drinks were long devoured while the wait was on for our oysters. Notably the place was a lot busier than any time I've ever been there but knowing that the event might attract customers, Biff's should have been better prepared.
About an hour after ordering, our server turned up with a plate of oysters on a melted bed of ice. Some of the oysters had fallen into the watery puddle and it did not look appetizing at all.
We ate one and we knew something was off...they were warm and the taste was not particularly appetizing. We mentioned this to our server and his first suggestion was to offer us a few more free (possibly bad tasting warm) oysters.
We declined and he took the plate off our table. As we were discussing going some where else, he reappeared with 2 separate plates of oysters. These ones were on actual beds of ice. Not sure if he just took the oysters from the original plate and replaced them on ice. We tried these ones and they were better, at the very least cold.
We finished up and quickly asked for the bill. Another server came by and asked if we needed anything else and we expressed our disappointment with both the service and quality of oysters.
We did get to sample a few items from the new bar menu including fondue balls, smelts, duck confit poutine, and tuna on radish and one small drink - jalapeƱo margarita. I think the wait for our oysters overshadowed any of the samples.
I think O&B could have had an event with better service to showcase their new menu and get people excited. Too bad because they usually do things up nice and classy.