Osetra Oyster Bar and Fish House

Osetra 203-354-4488

124 South Washington South Norwalk, CT 06854

While relatively new and unknown, I'd been really eager to go to Osetra after seeing several unique dishes on their online menu here. I headed over one weekday night with my dad. Osetra's got a small narrow dining room on the left and a bar on the right, and located right at the front window is their oyster shucking station for everyone to see them shuck fresh oysters.  

Dad and I started with some of their raw oysters (seems to be their specialty). We tried ones from British Columbia, Massachusetts, and locals from right here in Norwalk. The menu spoke of "sugar-cane hints" and "peach finish". But I didn't taste any of those flavors nor did I taste a difference between any of the oysters. Their mignonette sauce was a bit too oily/peppery for my taste, too. Maybe I'm just an amateur at the whole oyster thing. 

Now onto appetizers. I had beef carpaccio with goat cheese. Beef had good flavor and I love goat cheese- but the cheese seemed to be too overpowering for me. Dad ordered cracked oat pancakes with bone marrow chantilly all topped with "caviar" made from currants. A really interesting dish- the pancake was outstanding and the sweetness of the currants was great.

I had yet to order a cooked thing yet. So I got the Osetra cioppino- clams, mussels, grilled salmon and grilled bass all in a spicy tomato broth. Everything in this dish was fantastic- the fish perfectly cooked and the broth seasoned just right. My dad got bbq striped bass with fried onions. Another well-cooked fish. And some of the best onion rings I've ever had. Of the sides we had (our three were saffron rice, summer succotash and asparagus), the grilled white asparagus with fried egg was definitely the best. 

Now for dessert. Homemade blueberry pie. And it was amazing! One of the best pies in recent memory. A great finish to a very good meal. 

So as you can tell we ordered A LOT. I couldn't help myself. Everything just sounded so good on the menu. And for the most part it was (only a few misses). Go to Osetra for some of the best fish dishes I've had in Fairfield County. Our service was solid and the atmosphere was pleasantly casual. But what matters most is that they really know how to do fish. But beware if you don't like fish- they have limited options for non-fish people.