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The Freshest Seafood Served by the Freshest Chef

In the Press

 

The World's Top Oyster Bars

Few New Yorkers know oysters the way Jay Shaffer does. The Long Island native even raises his own, on beds in Shinnecock Inlet (he sells them here as “Shaffer Cove” oysters). He opened this convivial seafood restaurant in the Flatiron District in 1998, and the bar swiftly became a go-to destination for Manhattan oyster lovers, not just for the dizzying range of East and West Coast varieties but for Jay’s inimitable bluster and banter.

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Travel & Leisure Magazine

The Oyster is My World

Shaffer City has 15 to 20 varieties on offer at any moment, even in summer, and they’re the only one in New York I know of to stock the coveted Olympia oyster, native to Washington State and seldom found elsewhere. Olys are smoky, coppery specimens the size of a bottlecap with a flavor ten times as big. If you run across some, grab them up immediately—and if you don’t like the taste, send the rest to me.

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Travel & Leisure Magazine

Our 10 Best: Seafood Restaurants

Seafood is the great meeting ground of culinary preferences, the foodstuff where all tastes converge. Need a restaurant to please a big crowd? Seafood serves the purpose. Need a place where the scarf ranges from a bland white filet (perfect for dyspeptics) to a quivering raw oyster squirted with lemon and tabasco (perfect for the iron-stomached)? Seafood serves the purpose. And today--what with omega this and omega that--seafood has donned the cloak of healthfulness.

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The Village VOICE

“A small unassuming facade hides the seafood treasures inside. Nautically themed decor of replica boats and maritime paintings line the walls, creating a true Cape Cod feel.”

“Oyster choices consist of selected Atlantic and Pacific varieties, including the Long Island-raised Shaffer Cove oyster unique to the restaurant.”

CitySearch

Best of City Search

"Heaven for the oyster lover, this “friendly, unpretentious”, albeit pricey, Flatiron seafood grill presents a “grand” raw bar as well as “creative fish dishes”; regulars say if “one-of-a-kind” chef-owner-host Jay Shaffer is on hand, you should prepare “to be pampered.”

“The owner is on site and it shows” at this “witty, well-done” Flatiron fish house serving “excellent” seafood in a “cozy” “old tavern” space; though “pricey” it deserves “more recognition.” 

Voted “Most Improved Restaurant in New York”

Zagat

Zagat

“…you can order from the excellent oyster menu, which has dozens of selections, accompanied by texture and taste descriptions”

“the wine list is ample and smart; the menu even suggests the right port to go with the molten-chocolate soufflé.”

Time Out New York

Time Out New York

“An old-time New York City oyster saloon, updated for the 21st century. The atmosphere may be casual, but given the price of seafood, this is not the all-you-can-eat affair of the past. The menu offers a nice selection of seafood dishes, but the best things really are the oysters: raw or deliciously fried.”

The New York Times

New York Times

“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”

Colleen McKinney, New York Magazine

New York Magazine

“Exuberant and gracious owner-executive chef A. Jay Shaffer greets guests with as much gusto as he prepares his food. Sip top-flight wines while enjoying Atlantic- and Pacific-coast oysters and grilled fish in this appealing Flatiron spot”

“Cape Cod meets Gramercy Park in this lively seafood joint”

Gayot

Gayot

"Bob Lape's Dining Diary" is aired 15 times weekly on WCBS Newsradio 880."Bob Lape's Dining Diary" is aired 15 times weekly on WCBS Newsradio 88. Known as "The Restaurant Encyclopedia," Bob created restaurant review columns for the influential Crain's New York Business and New York Law Journal in 1985 and continues themon a weekly basis. He is contributing editor of the annual GaultMillau Guide to New York, The Magazine of La Cucina Italiana, and Pocket Guide to New York.

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