Boat Bar

Boat Bar Restaurant Review:

The seafoam green accents and cool marble surfaces at the bar at first glance evoke the sea, while big windows looking onto the street keep this restaurant anchored in its urban setting. The focus here, both visually and culinarily, is the oysters, which reside in baskets on the inside of the bar. The L-shaped space has only one row of tables around the bar, meaning that it's hard to sit without being an ocean-spray away from the nattily-aproned shuckers popping shells open in front of slurping diners. The rest of the menu continues chef Renee Erickson's ode to the sea, with the crunchy fish-skin chips and spot prawn bisque. Heftier dishes marry in a little bit of landlubber, such as the steak tartare or the beef crêpinette. Imaginative desserts have included lemon mousse with kiwi and poppyseed. The drinks menu stars cocktails, including the sea chanty-named Ancient Mariner, which combines mezcal, Ancho Reyes, blanc vermouth and citrus, or the Call Me Ishmael. Wines take their cues from the French, which is fitting given the Northern French inspiration behind the place, and tend to be geared towards selections that pair well with seafood: Sancerre, Chablis and sparkling wines.