Superior to Superior: Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar

Other than wickedly potent margaritas, I'm not a huge fan of Superior Grill. The service can be quite sloppy and the so-so cuisine can be phenomenally expensive (ever been during Mardi Gras?). That being said, I do have some great memories of that restaurant, one which particularly stands out because I met one of my best friends there for the first time after she answered my platonic ad on Craigslist.org. An innocent, meet & greet lunch turned into a full day and night of drunken debauchery and it all started with a few pitchers of Superior's notorious margaritas.

Considering my attitude towards the "Grill," it should come as no surprise that I was a bit leery of the fairly new Superior Seafood & Oyster Bar that opened up a couple of years ago. But, much to my pleasant surprise, I discovered that Superior Seafood is ... well ... pretty damn good. Sure, their price to portion size ratio is a little skewed and sometimes it can get so loud in there, it's hard to hear someone talking right next to you, but all in all ... my visits have been quite enjoyable.

For example, a few months back I met my friend Jeanne there for lunch. This wasn't one of my usual feasts, just a casual meal where hanging out was far more important to me than pigging-out ... but I couldn't help but take pictures. Once a foodie...

Jeanne and I started out with a little bit of booze, I had a crisp Mojito and she chose a glass of white wine. We also couldn't resist ordering a dozen raw oysters which turned out to be these huge, plump and briny beauties that I easily could have slurped on for the rest of the day.

For our entrees, Jeanne ordered the Mussels in Meunière which were steamed and served with a cone of crispy French fries, that she couldn't resist dragging through the sauce. They also brought a loaf of warm French bread to the table that was much more effective at sopping up all that rich, buttery goodness.

For many reasons (which I won't go into right now), Superior Seafood reminded me of a California restaurant I used to frequent with my mother where I would always order a Shrimp Louie Salad. So, when I saw their Maison Seafood Salad, I couldn't resist. It turned out to be just what I hoped for with a dollop of boiled shrimp and crab meat mixed with a "Maison" sauce which closely resembled a remoulade. The salad also featured artichoke hearts, fresh avocado, heart of palm and bright tomatoes. I was a bit disappointed because it seemed a bit light on the seafood side, but the salad was crisp and creamy, exactly what I was hoping for.

Although it's rare if I can convince Jeanne to indulge in a dessert, we couldn't resist a simple Crème Brûlée, especially when our server informed us that it would only cost $1! Who can say no to that? Not to mention the fact that it came out perfect, with a crisp, burnt sugar top that my spoon cracked oh-so pleasingly and a light, slightly sweet custard underneath.

To end on a cheesy note, like I always seem to do, Superior is seriously superior to Superior. HA!