Oyster House: Learn a Little; Eat a Lot

By Brian Sherman

Oysters have been a Lowcountry staple for centuries, an ever-present aspect of the area’s culinary scene as well as an important part of the history and culture of the South Carolina coast. One restaurant in downtown Charleston gives diners the opportunity to enjoy these tasty mollusks and also learn about why they serve as more than just the star of a raw bar or an ingredient in a savory seafood main dish.

“You can come in and sit down, interact with our shuckers and learn about what oysters mean to our ecosystem,” said Scott Larymore, CEO of Oyster House and four other restaurants in the Charleston area. “You can ask questions about what you’re going to be eating.”

One thing you might learn during a visit to Oyster House, located on the Market in downtown Charleston, is that oysters filter and clean the water where they live, help reduce erosion and act as a buffer from extreme weather such as hurricanes. You may also find out that the oyster season in the Lowcountry lasts from October until March, according to Larymore, which means that during other times of the year, they must be shipped in from other places.

Diners usually have a choice of anywhere between four and eight varieties, Larymore pointed out, and they are all different, depending on where they were harvested. He explained that oysters that come from colder water generally are meatier and saltier. Those from the Gulf of Mexico, he said, are usually on the small side.

Larymore pointed out that the house oyster at Oyster House is from James River, Virginia, but the restaurant’s most popular options are native to Blue Point, New York and to Miramichi Bay in New Brunswick, Canada – the Beausoleil variety.

Opened in 2016, Oyster House offers more than just an education on bivalve mollusks. The rest of the menu plus a reputation for service established and maintained since the company was launched in 1991 with Charleston Crab House on James Island also attracts locals and tourists alike.

A group came in here this past week and said they’d never felt more welcome at any restaurant,” Larymore related. “Everyone here spoke to them. It’s not just about the food. It’s about the experience from the time they walk in until the time they leave.”

In addition to oysters on the half shell, the raw bar offers a variety of options that include shrimp, clams, tuna and mussels; appetizers ranging from crab and avocado toast and grilled street corn to calamari and shrimp mac ’n cheese; soups and salads; sandwiches, tacos and burgers; Lowcountry shrimp boil and the ultimate steam pot, which features Dungeness crab, shrimp, mussels, clams, sausage, corn and potatoes; and a variety of chef’s specialties that include Carolina seafood pasta; Charleston crab cakes; shrimp ’n grits; parmesan encrusted salmon; and a coastal seafood combination of shrimp, snapper and scallops that comes with crispy Brussels sprouts and Charleston red rice.

The most popular items on the menu, according to Larymore, are the baked and stuffed whole snapper, and the seafood casserole, which he said is “absolutely outstanding.” It includes baked shrimp, scallops, crab stuffing, lobster cheese sauce and Brussels sprouts.

Besides the diverse menu and the chance to learn more about oysters, are there any other reasons to visit Oyster House? Larymore thinks so.

“The food is on the fine dining level, but the atmosphere is very casual. You can sit down and enjoy the variety of seafood Charleston has to offer, from oysters from all over the country to filet mignon,” he said.

In addition to nearby Charleston Crab House, Shem Creek Crab House in Mount Pleasant, AW Shuck’s in downtown Charleston and the original location on James Island, Larymore oversees the operations at The Porch at Oyster House, an event space that hosts corporate groups, wedding receptions, business meetings and other gatherings