Profile

Chances are chef-owner and bon vivant Jay Shaffer will greet you when you walk in, offer you the best seat in the house, and regale you with New York stories. The only thing that steals the spotlight from him is the outstanding selection of oysters. Delivered six days a week in small batches, the more than two dozen bivalves on offer range from the expected (Royal Miyagis and Malpeques) to the lesser known (French Hooters and Rappahannock Rivers) and the exclusive (Shaffer Coves)—which come from one of Shaffer's nine Long Island farms. The oyster menu features two categories, Atlantic and Pacific (salty and sweet, and creamy and musky). Other seafood entrees are expertly cooked and presented, but burdened by multiple and overly rich sauces. The restaurant attracts an enthusiastic mix of suit-and-tie businessmen, tourists, and country clubbers. The back dining room feels oddly like a ship's cabin combined with a bath house: White tablecloths and captains chairs are surrounded by exposed brick and antique tile, engraved angling prints, and model boats. It's more social up front, and the bar is just the spot for an indulgent afternoon of oysters and Muscadet. — Colleen McKinney

Atlantic and Pacific oysters, $3/oyster; pan-seared crab cakes, $8 for two