The Grand Central Station Oyster Bar in New York, much loved by locals and tourists alike, reopened at the end of March, following a major renovation of its famous Guastavino tile vaulted ceiling. Its 10-week closure appears to have made it even more popular!
Executive chef and co-owner Sandy Ingber explained that while the extensive renovations were driven by the need to repair the ceiling, the partners used the downtime to optimize the seating capacity, update the bars and kitchen, and restore the 101-year-old landmark establishment to its former glory.
“We sustained considerable damage in a fire back in 1997 and many of the tiles were ruined then, but some remained, and the new ones have been painstakingly matched to those,” he said. “What we have is an updated new look, but the Oyster Bar still retains its traditional feel.”
For Sandy, the focus is firmly on the food, and his day starts at 3 a.m. when he visits the Fulton fish market at Hunts Point Food Distribution Center in the Bronx, to source fish for the “today’s catch” menu.
“Everything we do is about fresh and seasonal, and it doesn’t get fresher than at the fish market,” he said.
Apart from oysters, which are the ultimate best seller, the top three fish favorites in the restaurant are tuna, lemon sole and red snapper, closely followed by Canadian lobster.
“We also sell species such as Arctic char, black cod, trout, catfish, grouper, mahimahi, monkfish, salmon, sea bass and bream, sturgeon, swordfish and wolfish, but this changes daily and depends on availability,” he said.
There is also a large selection of clams, shrimp, crab and scallops, homemade soups and chowders, and seafood stews and pan roasts, but as an oyster lover, it was these I visited to enjoy. With 25-30 different types to choose from every day, Sandy’s raw bar menu is certainly impressive.
“We sell more than 3 million oysters per year, and I source from both East and West coasts. We have for example Bluepoints from Copps Island, wild Belons from Maine, Irish Points from Prince Edward Island, Kumamotos from Baja and Oregon, and Giga cup selects from Washington State and we develop good relationships with all our suppliers to ensure we get only the best. Oyster lovers appreciate the difference between each type and order accordingly, but for the uninitiated we sell a mixed platter and talk them through the selection,” Sandy said.
Sourcing from a wide geographic area means that he can usually find oysters that are not spawning. “Our customers don’t like ‘milky’ oysters,” he said. “However, to make sure there is always an adequate selection, we import from New Zealand to cover the summer period.”
The need to import shellfish from so far away was explained by Bob Rheault, executive director of the East Coast Shellfish Growers Association. “The Oyster Bar was one of my first customers when I started farming 30 years ago, and I sent oyster to them until I sold up seven years ago,” he said.
“These days I concentrate on regulatory matters for all the shellfish growers, and one of our biggest issues is trying to restore trade links with the E.U., as there has been a joint embargo since 2009 on bivalve molluscs over differences in algal toxin testing and depuration programs. That means we can’t export to E.U. countries and they can’t export to us, and while the FDA and their equivalents in European countries keep promising to sort this out, we are still waiting,” said Bob.
Whilst the cross-pond arguments rage on, customers continue to dine oblivious to the problems, and have long forgotten their temporary distrust of shrimp and oysters caused by the Gulf oil spill.
The 450-seat Oyster Bar is divided into different eating areas, each with a different feel. There is a large space filled with checkered cloth tables, a lounge, an area where diners join each other at long communal bars, and a wood-paneled room more akin to a ship’s cabin. There is also theater to be had, sitting up to the shellfish preparation area, where skilled workers make light work of the mountains of oysters to be prized opened each day!
The extensive menu is the same throughout, and is refreshed daily. It is matched with a fine selection of American wines and beers.
For anyone wanting to recreate one of the dishes, Sandy published a cookbook last year with author Roy Finamore, to celebrate the Oyster Bar’s 100th anniversary. Aptly named ‘The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant Cookbook,” it contains 100 of the restaurant’s favorite dishes from the last century.
