Raw Talent Oysters take center stage at this cool new Campbell eatery. 92 South Bay Accent REVIEW B y S u s a n H a t h a w a y The freshness frenzy of modern diners coupled with today’s more adventurous palate has helped revive the fortunes of a storied ingredient that was once a cheap, plentiful food for the working poor. It’s hard to find something fresher than oysters, consumed while still alive, so the increasing availability of these mollusks on South Bay menus is welcome news for discriminating eaters. The best place to find the most prodigious offering of this no-longer-cheap bivalve is definitely the new Forthright Oyster Bar & Kitchen in Campbell. The latest in a string of new local dining ventures (The Table, Stumpy’s, The Vesper) from chef/restaurateur Jim Stump, Forthright delivers much more than just succulent fresh oysters. Seafood is the specialty but carnivores aren’t abandoned, as seen in dishes like bone marrow, a high-end burger and one of the best pork chop iterations in the region. As with Stump’s other spots, the focus here is on good ingredients carefully prepared, without a humungous check. But back to those oysters. Plucked from some of the most illustrious shellfish farms on the West Coast and around the world, the offerings change but can include as many as a dozen kinds, which are helpfully described on the menu. Try them with fresh lemon, a killer mignonette featuring cucumber or a house-made cocktail sauce with beets. The squeamish might opt for a cooked version, such as butterpoached oysters with garlic and cheese, oyster pan roast gussied up with bacon and cream, or two kinds of oysters Rockefeller that are rich and richer. Perhaps the most ambrosial of the oyster preparations, oddly enough, are out-of-this-world fried oyster tacos in which juicy mollusks in a crisp crust are enhanced by an airy slaw and piquant ponzu sauce on little tortillas. Or order the seriously addictive Peruvian ceviche in which chunks of albacore swim in a sweet, barely tart liquid with corn and sweet potato. Small plates feature some interesting seasonal salads like persimmon with watercress and burrata as well as a T h e D i s h o n H o t L o c a l E a t e r i e s
South Bay Accent - DecJan 2016
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