Island Creek Oyster Bar: Reopened & Still Excellent

One of my favorite restaurants, Island Creek Oyster Bar in Burlington, has recently reopened, and is now available for dine-in, patio dining, and take-out. Their current hours are Wednesday & Thursday 4pm-9pm, Friday & Saturday 4pm-10pm, and Sunday 12pm-8pm (Brunch and Dinner). Hopefully in the near future, they'll reopen for Lunch as well. 

Last week, I dined there with a few family members and we all thoroughly enjoyed our dining experience. Yes, it's a bit different now due to the pandemic and the safety precautions restaurants need to take, but the food and wine remain as impressive as always. They serve their full menu, the same type of items they served before the pandemic, so there's plenty of good seafood choices, from raw to fried. And their drinks list is basically the same too, with a fascinating wine list, numerous cocktails, beers, and other drinks. 

Every day, they offer a special $1 oyster, until they are sold out, and we ordered a dozen of them, the Paines Creek Oysters from Brewster, MA. A nice briny taste and they worked well with a glass of Orlean Borbon Manzanilla Sherry ($9). The dry salinity of the Sherry complemented the oysters. More people should be drinking Sherry. 

From their Raw Bar menu, we also had some Scallop Ceviche ($12), with cherry tomato, jalapeno, cilantro, and lime. Fresh, tender pieces of scallops with bright acidity and a little bit of spicy heat.  An excellent summer choice. 

Also from the Raw Bar was the Yellowfin Tuna Poke ($14), with sesame, chili, nori. As usual, it consisted of silky tuna, with tangy citrus and mild spiciness. The thin, crisp taro root chips were a nice platform for the poke and the sesame seeds added a bit of crunchiness and a nutty element. One of my favorite choices when I dine here. 

The Clam Chowder ($11) is made with hand-dug clams, buttermilk biscuits, and house cured bacon. Creamy, with plenty of pieces of clam, a smoky kick from the bacon, and a nice crunch from the biscuits. 

Even something as simple as the ICOB Caesar ($12), with garlic croutons, white anchovy, and Pecorino, was very well done. Fresh ingredients, well balanced, provided a delicious taste.

One of the highlights of the dinner was the Swordfish Belly Pastrami ($10), atop white rye and topped by a peach mostarda. A nice smokiness to the tender swordfish, with a touch of sweetness from the peach, and some spiciness from the rye. It's creative and tasty, a definite winner of a dish.

We received a complimentary appetizer too, the Blue Crab & Artichoke Dip ($13), which is served with grilled naan. This was another big favorite at the table, and the cheesy crust atop the dip was so enticing. 

With dinner, I opted for a bottle of the 2016 Andrew Rich Marine Sedimentary Pinot Noir ($72) from the Willamette Valley, Oregon. As this wine is about $35 retail, its reasonably priced at the restaurant. Silky smooth, complex, and alluring, with an intriguing melange of flavors, including black cherry, raspberry, some dark spice, a touch of earth and some mineral notes. Well balanced and elegant with a lingering finish. Pure pleasure on the palate.

As an entree, I opted for the Lobster Roe Noodles ($34), with braised short rib, oyster mushrooms, and Pecorino. The slightly reddish noodles were cooked perfectly, and were an excellent palate for the tender short rib, ample and sweet lobster meat, and earthy mushrooms. A hearty and delicious dish, which went very well with the Pinot Noir.

Everyone else ordered a a warm, buttered Lobster Roll ($28) with cole slaw and their home-made kettle chips. The roll is stuffed with warm, sweet lobster, enhanced by the buttered bun, and the sandwich remains together, rather than falling apart like at some restaurants. It is everything you want from a buttered Lobster Roll. And those kettle chips are a delight, with a great crunch to them.

For dessert, we went with one of their standards, the Banoffee Pie ($9) with dulce de leche. This is an English dessert pie, commonly a blend of bananas and toffee, though Island Creek uses dulce de leche. The banana slices atop the pie have a light, crunchy layer of dulce de leche and would be a tasty dessert on their own. The silky and sweet cream is compelling, a fine topping for the thick banana slices beneath. Make sure to save room for dessert. 

Service was excellent, with a few minor differences. For example, once the server pours your initial glasses of wine from a bottle, they aren't permitted to later refill your glasses, You just refill them yourselves, which is  fine. If you want bread, it is brought to you in a small box, that contains two slices and a plastic tub of butter. Just measures intended to increase the safety of their guests, which is very important at this time. The restaurant truly seems concerned and cognizant of safety issues, which help to reassure guests. 

The food was as excellent as always, and their have an intriguing wine list, with plenty of less common selections, sure to please any adventurous wine lovers. The seafood is fresh, prepared well, and is worth the price. I'm so pleased that they have reopened, and look forward to my next visit.