Raw oysters on the half shell might be the most divisive of all classic New England foods. Oyster connoisseurs in San Francisco, Singapore, London and Abu Dhabi clamor for Island Creeks from Duxbury and Welfleets from Cape Cod. They ship them to six-star casinos in Vegas and Macau, sprinkle on some yuzu or roe, and charge twenty dollars per Massachusetts oyster.
Yet there are some people who grew up right around these oysters who don’t like them on the half shell. These include culinary luminaries like my dad and sister, who just don’t get why you’d want to waste huge amounts of money to slide live, muddy bivalves down your throat and wash it down with a gulp of seawater. This works to the huge advantage of me and my mom, who get to slurp them all.
My favorite oyster find in the Pioneer Valley also happens to be one of the most unique bars in America: Northampton’s beloved Tunnel Bar. The long, narrow space was once a working tunnel that ran beneath the old train station in downtown Northampton — until the geniuses here turned it into something far more glorious. Smooth creamy tiles, oversized leathery armchairs, and a long sleek bar transport you into the 1920s cigar lounge of your dreams. The place is pretty lit on weekend nights, but I like to swing by in the early evening on a weekday, when it’s easier to breathe in the dazzling architecture and ambiance.
The Tunnel Bar has long been known for its stiff, generously portioned martinis and craft cocktails, some of which are smoked (by burning oak chips). The raw bar is a new thing that started in summer 2021. Beyond fresh, clean oysters on the half shell, you’ll find shrimp cocktail and rotating specials that might include little necks, cherrystone clams, or marinated mussels. There’s also a focused menu of small plates, of which highlights include clam fritters, and steak-and-cheese eggrolls, and a luscious duck-confitpoutine (fries with cheese curds and gravy).
The Platform Sports Bar, just upstairs, inhabits Northampton’s grand old train station itself and is served by the same kitchen and menu as the Tunnel Bar. In summer months, the operation moves outdoors and turns into the Deck Bar. This train station is very close to my heart, and not just because it was once home to Spaghetti Freddy’s, the warm-breadstick Italian-American paradise.
The building is a glorious relic of Americana that will make you daydream about the golden age of trains. I can still remember my parents, sometime around 1981, bundling me up in blankets, hoisting me onto Amtrak’s Montrealer in the darkest of wee hours, and chugging me through the night to French Canada. When I couldn’t sleep, my dad took me to play cards with strangers in the café car. What could be better?
After a decades-long hiatus, Amtrak now stops in Northampton again, although the route is now called the Vermonter and its terminus is Saint Albans. May the long-lost days of North American international train travel someday return.
North Shore Seafood is a friendly, hardworking gem of a fishmonger and that’s been on King Street in Northampton since 1991. It all starts with a seasonal assortment of absolutely fresh fish from the docks in Boston, including sensational scallops and swordfish, at totally reasonable prices. They hot-smoke their own salmon, trout, bluefish, halibut and more. This is world-class smoked fish, firm and tender and buttery, and they also whip it up into irresistible fish dip. As for the oysters (and clams), North Shore’s are big and pretty and oh so fresh. If you’ve never shucked oysters before, here’s your chance! Buy a couple of shucking knives and get ready for a family adventure. For safety’s sake, though, wear a glove so you won’t slice off a finger. To mix it up, throw tons of butter garlic onto some of your oysters and char them on a grill. Live lobsters are also available by special order.
Spoletohas been in Northampton since 1987, and they’ve got the most romantic beer garden and outdoor bar in town, criss-crossed with string lights, studded with fire pits, and partially covered by a heated tent that enables outdoor dining for most of the year. The garden is still open and will be until sometime in December — so now’s your last chance to slurp oysters here in the open air. The atmosphere indoors is fun, too, with warm lighting, comfy booths, and a spacious bar that’s great for solo dining, socializing, or making new friends. You can pair your oysters with the wonderfully crusty “house bread,” served with an addictive dip of ricotta and olive oil, and sip on a Manhattan or a local craft beer. Otherwise, there’s a straightforward Italian-American menu whose highlight is a slightly smoky Cajun-influenced plate of pasta shells with tasso ham and andouille sausage. Spoleto opens for dinner seven days per week, making it one of Northampton’s only options for full-service dining on a Monday night.
Bistro 63 in Amherst also does oysters on the half shell, and there’s one other restaurant I’ve already written about in the fried-seafood column (Episode 3) that I won’t re-describe here but deserves mention alongside the greats above: it’s good old Eastside Grill in downtown Northampton, whose oysters on the half shell — fresh and properly chilled, with mignonette on request — are as good as anyone’s in western Massachusetts.
Robin Goldstein is the author of “The Menu: Restaurant Guide to Northampton, Amherst, and the Five-College Area.” He serves remotely on the agricultural economics faculty of the University of California, Davis. He can be reached at rgoldstein@ucdavis.edu.