The Mermaid Inn (***)
570 Amsterdam Ave New York, NY 10024 (Upper West Side)
The other day, the hubby and I had a craving for raw oysters. Well . . . it was I who mainly had the craving. We came across The Mermaid Inn because it was the closest restaurant to us in Harlem that had raw oysters. The hubby did not want to risk eating raw oysters in any of the restaurants in our section of Harlem. To be perfectly honest, I don't blame him. As your resident hater, I will say that I absolutely LOVED The Mermaid Inn. It's funny how you always find great restaurants when you are about to leave a city.
First, the restaurant had a pretty amazing happy hour menu. Well, pretty amazing for New York City standards.
Oysters and Salmon Tartare
Fried Calamari & Hushpuppies
I have to say that these hushpuppies were the best that I've ever eaten in NYC. From my previous experiences, I find that many restaurants tend to make hushpuppies too dense. I mean, I want to eat a hushpuppy, not a billiard ball.
For sh*ts & giggles, I ordered the mini New England Clam Chowder because I was wondering how much clam chowder can you get in NYC for $3
That's how much. ;)
While the food was pretty delicious, I really enjoyed my Pink Flamingo adult beverage (gin, strawberry puree, lemon, and basil).
Usually, I'm a bit hesitant with bright drinks (unless I'm on a beach) because they tend to be unnecessarily sweet; however, this cocktail had the right amount of tartness for me. Keep in mind I'm the type of guy who orders his mojitos without sugar. Upon hearing this request, some servers will be like "So, you just want rum and muddle limes + mint in a glass?" To which I always respond "YUP!"
Although we're leaving the city in eight days, I know where I want to eat during a future NYC trip. You know what? Maybe this will be the restaurant where I'll have my post-NYC Marathon dinner (it's only about 20 blocks from the finish). Thinking about it, visiting NYC in the future will be interesting because we will not have to do (or will not be interested in doing) all of the touristy things (eg Statue of Liberty, Times Square, Empire State Building, etc.).