Best U.S. Raw Bars

When the weather gets chilly, I always get a craving for raw seafood--oysters in particular. It's good timing, because fall and winter is when they're at their freshest (waters are generally colder and there's less risk of bacteria). That's where the rule of thumb: only eat oysters in months that have letter "Rs" in them originates. (Hmmm, I wonder about April though . . . .)

Here's a random national sampling of some places that boast the best bivalves:

San Francisco: Hog Island Oyster Company
In the touristy ferry building, oyster-lovers (not just the fanny-pack wearing, souvenir-buying set), settle into seats at the U-shaped bar and suck down everything from "Sweetwaters", "Kumamotos" (tiny and sweet), salty, plump "Atlantics," and Manila clams. The oysters are said to be plucked daily from Tomales Bay or flown in fresh from Washington state and British Columbia. Fans rave about the
$1 oysters and $3.50 pints of beer (many local brews) at Happy Hour on Mondays and Thursdays.   

Seattle: Shuckers at the Fairmont Hotel
Fairmont hotels are known for many fine amenities, but oysters, to my knowledge, had never been among them. Apparently, I was out of the loop. Besides hotel guests, local professionals are said to pop in for lunch and the popular happy hour. Six varieties of local and eight imported are known for their freshness and go down supposedly well with a Martini. Besides oysters on the half-shell, patrons also go ga-ga for the classic rendition of Oysters Rockefeller.

Miami: The River Oyster Bar
It's hard not to find good seafood in this city, but locals say that this place raises the bar (the raw bar, that is) to a loftier level. "Snow Creeks" from the Straits of San Juan de Fuca, "Deer Creeks" from Washington's Puget Sound, "Coromandels" from New Zealand--these are no run-of-the-mill oysters. And then there's the littleneck clams, Florida stone crabs, ceviches, and a wine-list made to coordinate with your briny, sweet, crisp, or salty seafood selection.

New York City: Grand Central Oyster Bar
Yes, there's Pearl Oyster Bar. Then came Mary's Fish Camp. But long before these trendy, tiny, albeit tasty seafood restaurants featuring raw bars hit the downtown scene, the stolid subterranean Grand Central Station Oyster Bar had been serving up its more than 30 succulent varieties of on-the-shell slurpy treats:most heralding from the eastern seaboard (Maine, Long Island, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Nova Scotia). Good luck getting a seat at the bar during lunchtime or after work though when the place buzzes with the business crowd.