Patios, oysters and summer in the city! If today’s sunshine is any indication, Mother Nature wants us to have a beautiful summer after all. So imagine our excitement when we found out that Marco Petrucci of 99 Sudbury and Chef Michael Pataran of Cool City Oyster Yard decided to open a seasonal, outdoor oyster bar at 99 Sudbury. The oyster shucking happens right there in the oyster yard before our very eyes. Just because we can’t all jet off to the ocean on long weekends doesn’t mean we don’t deserve to have a seaside-inspired experience right here in Toronto, right?
“We wanted to bring a more casual approach to enjoying oysters and shellfish to Toronto; one that is fun, engaging and communal, but is also serious about the quality of product and preparation,” said Pataran in a release. “This style of food, much like BBQ, is meant to be shared and appreciated out in the fresh open air, with the sun beaming down.”
Cool City Oyster Yard has a Chalk Market, which details the yard’s daily oyster offerings and special summer cocktails. That’s some serious freshness we can get behind. How about a dozen oysters and a Pimm’s Cup for a late afternoon treat in the sun? There’s also a regular menu, which includes delectable treats like Devil’s Mussels (PEI blues with devil’s cut cream, roast jalapeno, smoked corn and scallions, $14) and Cracked Conch (with garlic oil, chili, lemon, salt, Bahamian scotch bonnet pepper sauce, $13).
Cool City Oyster Yard is open Monday to Thursday from 4:30pm to 1am and Friday from 12:30pm to 1am. Need a summer brunch idea? On Sundays, Cool City Oyster Yard hosts a “Sip n’ Shuck” brunch (featuring DJ Resonate Sound) from 10:30am to 2:30pm and “Paellapalooza” running from 5pm to 9 pm. Clearly, summer is officially here. Follow Cool City Oyster Yard on Twitter for updates.
