I think my 5-star rating is based on several factors:
1. Our reservation was purposely made at a time that would coincide with the $1 oyster happy hour. What a deal. Great oysters on the half shell. We ate a bunch.
2. We were celebrating my husband's 50th, and everyone was in a wonderful mood, including the birthday boy!
3. Our reservation was on a Tuesday. As much as I enjoy a bustling restaurant scene, a slower night was perfect for conversation as well as good service.
All servers - bartender, gentleman at the shucking station, and servers that worked our table - were excellent. Very friendly, and generally attentive. Service was well-timed and not pushy.
We enjoyed an amazing assortment of oysters and managed to throw down 3 1/2 dozen among the 6 of us. Good quality oysters, and interesting variety of flavors.
We tried a variety of small plates, including an octopus special (potatoes and sauces), blistered shishitos (slightly spicy and salty, with orange zest), Toad in the Hole (egg in a thick slice bread basket with smoked trout, aioli, caviar- awesome idea), and brussels sprouts caesar (fire roasted dressed with caesar dressing and parm). One person ordered the gorgeous cheese and charcuterie platter (nice presentation), 2 ordered trout, and I ordered the tuna tartare (really amazing recipe, perfect amount of fire roasted bread alongside).
I love that you don't get "over-breaded" here, and that they decided to just be different and not offer boring green salads. Hey, if you're going for a fine seafood dinner, the fish and shellfish are the stars!
Decor is urban-rustic, a combination of low and high seating, with a nice patio. It was a great celebration, and we really liked it. We will be back, definitely for another oyster happy hour!