NEPTUNE JOHNNYCAKE @ NEPTUNE OYSTER
Boston chefs are renowned for taking classics and bringing them up a notch, and this is exactly what Neptune Oyster owner John Nace has done with his take on the johnnycake, which once served as a staple in Native American cuisine.
“I wanted to elevate [it] to mirror our style of more upscale and creative food,” Nace said.
The result has earned the restaurant accolades from the city’s notoriously cantankerous restaurant critics. Locals and in-the-know tourists flock to Neptune to rub shoulders over platters of oysters, clams, shrimp, octopus, crudo, or the restaurant’s famed lobster roll. It is considered by many as the restaurant that really began raising the bar for seafood in Boston.
“This hole-in-the-wall broke the mold with a combination of outstanding raw bar and impeccable versions of shore-food classics,” The Improper Bostonian wrote of Neptune Oyster.
The dish that originally earned Neptune renown is Nace’s take on the lobster roll. To please the traditionalists, Nace serves a classic version with chilled lobster perched on a hot dog-style bun with mayo and trimmings. But he also offers a warm and buttery take on the lobster roll, inspired by his grandmother. The freshly cooked warm lobster is served on a hot toasted brioche bun, and drizzled generously with warm brown butter. But those looking to taste something completely unique steer toward the Neptune Johnnycake, which uses the cornmeal pancake as a base for the dish, and comes topped with a sweet honey butter, a briny cylinder of smoked local bluefish, lashings of crème fraiche, and a sparkle of American sturgeon caviar. It’s truly a comfort food with a finesse that makes you feel like a king, according to Nace.
“We are very fortunate to be right next door to the public seafood market and get deliveries of seafood throughout the day,” Nace said, explaining the freshness so evident in the johnnycake and the other offerings at Neptune.
Competition has gotten much more fierce for those wanting to try Nace’s creative concoctions – expect a constant line to get a seat in this small, elegant, and convivial space.
