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Category: Toronto

DRINKING WITH SEAFOOD

Pairing wine and food can be intimidating if you let it. 

First Rule – drink what you like.
Second Rule – don’t worry about it.

But – just in case, we’ve got some suggestions from our list for your next visit.
5 things to drink with seafood

Champagne!
It goes with everything. Seriously. It’s the most versatile beverage there is. Fat? Champagne. Salt? Champagne. Bubbles and acids wash the palate clean; autolytic character (that bready note that Champagne has) plays nicely with the umami notes in many seafoods. Put a nice Pinot Noir-forward option like Bollinger against the mighty Kumamoto Oyster for a luxe pairing.
 

Muscadet.
From the Atlantic end of the Loire River, this has nothing to do with the (sometimes sweet) grapey Muscat. Instead, you get crisp orchard fruit flavours, high acids and great texture from long lees aging. We have a few, including this beauty from a subregion called Mouzillons-Tillieres. Try it with an Atlantic (c. virginica) Oyster.

Chablis
Chablis = 100% chard from northern Burgundy,  grown through fossilized seashells (Kimmeridgean marl, for the nerds).  This wine serves any Oyster beautifully.
For the Atlantic Oyster, we like village Chablis – steely, with crisp green fruits and the energy of a greyhound at the gate. At the higher end (think Grand Cru), with maybe some oak and greater concentration, the wine stands up against the more intense European Flat, with its iodine and mineral bite.

And if you don’t have Chablis, look for any unoaked, cool-climate chard – it won’t let you down.

Lager.
What complicate things? Crisp, cold and carbonated, lager has that fresh character that chases the Oyster like a splash of sea water over the bow, keeping things bright and forward-moving. Don’t overthink it.
Sake.
Full disclosure – I find sake pretty intimidating. There’s a whole new set of terminology to learn (“Junmai”,”Yamahai” and so on) and lots of writing in a language I don’t speak. It’s really hard to know what to expect when you buy it.
But – when you get it right, sake really sings. You know how wine can impact the taste of food – think high-acid white wine with an Oyster, where the acid in the wine cuts back the saltiness of the Oyster, and other flavours come through? With sake, the food can actually affect the flavour of the drink. Like steamed rice and plum skin flavours transform into the taste of ripe cantaloupe melons when you’ve just had an Oyster. It’s super cool.
These flavour interactions occur because sake, like lots of seafood (and Oysters, natch) has chemistry that enhances umami flavours. Sake has about a fifth the acidity of wine but more than 15 times the glutamic acid. Oysters too are high in amino acids (particularly succinic acid and glutamic acid) and this is why sake and oysters do so much for each other – they amplify each other’s tastes. So when you get the right sake with the right Oyster, everything amps up.

THE OYSTER GARDEN IS OPEN!

You can reserve after June 1, but until then, if the weather is nice just ask at the front door.

NEXT UP?

OYSTER PRO 101 MARCH 5th at 7pm

We’ve paired up with Le Sommelier wine agency to offer another awesome OYSTER PRO 101 with two great wines. Join us online on Friday March 5th at 7pm.

Eamon Clark, international & 9 x Canadian Oyster Shucking Champion teaches you about the Oyster – how to shuck it, eat it & talk about it. Rodney’s has also chosen two Oyster wines to present; Bonnet-Huteau Muscadet ‘Les Guatronnieres’ AND Oliver Coste Rare (Carignan Blanc) from our friends at Le Sommelier.

This is an Oyster aficionado’s bundle and it’s a fun way to send an hour and a half. 15 Oysters (3 of each of the 5 species we eat in North America) shucked, plus another 10 unshucked Oysters & knife to hone your skills, a Pan Fried Oyster Kit and 2 bowls of Frost Oyster stew, to heat up at home. Wow! Get ready to get feel good. Each Package will do nicely for two people. $175/2 eaters

OYSTER 101 PICKUP                        OYSTER 101 DELIVERY 

NEXT UP:

Oyster PRO 101 – Saturday January 9th, 6:00pm.

Eamon Clark, international & 9 x Canadian Oyster Shucking Champion teaches you about the Oyster – how to shuck it, eat it & learn. Nicholas Pearce, proprietor & sommelier from Nicholas Pearce wine, pairs two wines with the Oyster. This is an Oyster aficionado’s dream package. 20 Oysters (4 of each of the 5 species we eat in North America) shucked, plus another 12 unshucked to hone your knife skills, plus a Pan Fried Oyster Kit to make at home. You also get an Oyster knife & board, and a bottle of Cremant de Jura (French sparkling) and Oregon Pinot Gris to pair. Wow! Get ready to get feel good. Each Package will do nicely for two people.

CLOSED INDOORS.

But we’re working on getting tenting coverage and (more) heat outside, so it’s a little more comfortable.

Until then, our Patio is still OPEN, if you can handle the cold. We’ve got some fire pit action, but let’s not kid – dress warmly. The bourbon will help keep you warm, but that lovely little burst of Summer we saw at the start of November – that ain’t coming back. Sigh.

Wear your masks. Stay safe. We’ll get through this together.

The Passing of a Friend

We’re very sad to report that our Lobster Whisperer and ‘fixer of all things,’ Lorenzo Quilangtang, lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday.Some of you have known him for a long time, as he first started working with us in 1998. Others may not have had the pleasure to have worked with him as much or at all this past year. Lorenzo hung out in the front tank area and received all the product that came into the house. In addition to that, he was the magical fixer of all things, with fabulous penmanship completing all the Oyster signs, chalk boards, you name it. He took great care and pride with all our product; lovingly maintaining our tanks and nurturing all the live lobsters and crabs that came through our door. He was an honourable, genuine, hard working, loving and gentle friend who dedicated much of his career to Rodney’s and the Oyster House.  We have missed him around the House over the past few months-year, as he was fighting hard to recover from the illness that ultimately took his life. His wife and son are in our thoughts as they grieve over this tremendous loss. Those that knew him, take a moment to think about a great man who cared a lot about the Oyster House and all those within its walls (including the lobsters). He was key to our day and his description of that day is one of the main reasons why we have the bow of this vessel swung into the waves and we are ready to ride it out, as ably as possible.  Listen to a great guitar riff tonight and think of Lorenzo, singing along in the front room as we set up the House for lunch. The man loved a great song and wasn’t afraid to belt it out.

RIP to a great person. You will be so missed.

  • The Crew

MARCH 28 Oyster 101

OYSTER 101@ Rodney’s with Eamon Clark the 9 x Canadian Oyster Shucking Champion AND International Oyster Opening Champion. Saturday, March 28th, 1 pm. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Oysters, shuck like a pro, understand how to cook Oysters and enjoy a few drinks while you fill your belly and hang out with us along the West Bar. Just a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Next Oyster 101 is March 28!

NEW Oyster 101 session

OYSTER 101 Saturday, March 28th @ 1 pm

Belly up to the bar with Eamon Clark the 9 x Canadian Oyster Shucking Champion AND International Oyster Opening Champion. Learn everything you ever wanted to know about Oysters, shuck like a pro, understand how to cook Oysters and enjoy a few drinks while you fill your belly and hang out with us along the West Bar. Just a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Seats booked in advance with Elise 416-363-8105 ext. 22 OR email her at foh@rodneysoysterhouse.com Tickets are $65 per person (not including taxes and gratuity)

The 2019 Lobster Boil – Thursday May 30th

UPDATE MAY 23 – THE LOBSTER BOIL IS NOW SOLD OUT. PLEASE TRY AGAIN IN 2020 IF YOU’RE STILL WITH US.

Our annual East Coast Lobster Boil is happening on Thursday, May 30th at 7 pm.  Live music by A Piece of the Rock, Oysters on-the-half shell, Wine by Cave Spring Vineyard and Love Block Vineyard, beer by Steam Whistle, Walter Caesars, P.E.I. Blue Mussels, Whole boiled Lobster from the Gulf of the St. Lawrence, Pie. Tickets are $78 (not including taxes and gratuity). Please give us a ring to book your seats (yes, you have to speak to someone) 416-363-8105 ext. 22.