While staying in Marco Island, I did some research on happy hour deals. Many places offer happy hour, but it seems like the happy hour at The Oyster Society is one of the best. So, we went to check it out. One of the hostess was a bit rude when we entered…but that didn’t stop us from getting some happy hour drinks and food!
Right off the back, I was amazed by their lovey décor! So classy, modern yet warm, inviting and fun. I really liked the pops of deep blue everywhere.
As most places, they don’t take reservation for happy hour, and you must sit at/near the bar. They had a small lounge area right by the bar, where the happy hour is also served. Actually, they call happy hour “Social Hour” here. We got some drinks off their social hour menu. I went with Mai Tai 1944 ($8/happy hour), made with Rum, Dark Rum Float, Lime, Dry Curacao, Orgeat, House-Made Pineapple Cordial. It was tasty and very strong! They don’t water down their signature cocktails here… The presentation was really pretty, I loved the way it looked. It came with a pineapple slice too, which was fun. And speaking of fun, their coaster is fun too, it is actually a post card!
They also have bubbles for social hour here too. We got Charles Lafitte Rose Prestige ($6/happy hour). It came with a cute little strawberry, nice and refreshing.
If you need something stronger to take your edge off, you could go with Sazerac ($8/happy hour), made with Rye, Absinthe Mist, Sugar, Bitters, Orange, Ice Block. It was high quality and yes, strong. It will help you get chilled out, get ready for the weekend!
And they do more than just great drinks for happy hour. They had very enticing happy hour food menu, I wanted to get them all!!! But, we actually had a dinner reservation here, so these were going to be just “appetizers.” We started off with Baked Oyster Trio ($7/happy hour), which comes with “Casino” made with Garlic, Bacon, Red Peppers & Cheese, “Rockefeller” made with Spinach, Bacon, Onion &Pernod Cream, and “Spaniard” made with Chorizo, Herbs & Manchego Cheese. These were big oysters, great price and all unique on its own way. The Spaniard had a little kick to it, Casino was creamy and cheesy, and Rockefeller was great! I always enjoyed oyster Rockefeller, so I was happy to get one here. They were all super tasty!
Then, one of our go-to appetizer, calamari. They had Sea Salt & Herb Fried Calamari ($9/happy hour), made with Lemon-Roasted Red Pepper Coulis, Aji Amarillo Aioli& Garlic Shavings. It was a nice portion to share among the four of us. The calamari was lightly fried and plump. Delicious!
I had to get one more item that I was very curious about… Ahi Poke ($8/happy hour), made with Tuna, Sticky Rice, Seaweed Salad, Soy Glaze, Avocado & Pineapple. Very impressive with their presentation, it came in a coconut! Yes, a real coconut! Come on, how awesome is this???
It was super fresh with a little kick to it which I really enjoyed. Seaweed salad on top was nice. Had small avocado and pineapples chunks mixed in with large chunks of tuna. It had rice on the bottom which was a great surprise. Totally loved it! I could have this every day…
At this point, I was getting a little full, but then we were ready for our “real” dinner at a table. Hey, I can always make more room for tasty food…LOL. Wait, is this the reason why I can never seem to lose weight??? Hmmmm… Anyways, we went towards the back of the restaurant for our table, I saw that they had another room attached to the main dining area. The room was astonishingly beautiful! A room fit for a mermaid…filled with water, of course.
Once we got settled in our seats, our server brought complimentary breads. They were cornbread and cheese bread. It came with maple cream cheese with dill herb oil. These were so yummy!!! I enjoyed both cornbread and cheese bread. Naturally, it disappeared so fast, and we still wanted more!
Our server, Rochelle saw that, and she brought us another set of complimentary bread right away. Thanks!
My hubby had another drink to go with dinner. Something that was not on Social Hour menu. He chose Kentucky Blushes, made with Bourbon, House Pomegranate Cordial, Lemon, Ginger Beer, Bitters. It somehow reminded me of Coca Cola? Not sure why… Anyways, it was refreshing with a nice sweetness from the ginger beer.
For food, the soup of the day sounded really, REALLY good. It was called the Boardwalk Bisque, made with lobster, crab, and shrimp. It came at the perfect temperature, not too hot but just hot enough. It was creamy without being too thick. A bit sweet with tomato based soup. All the ingredients were mostly shredded or cut up, but still can taste them well, and easier to eat. Our server Rochelle was really awesome, she brought an extra spoon without us asking for it, so that the person who didn’t order the bisque can also taste it!
I went with the special Catch of The Day, which was Branzino, without its head and bone, but with its skin and tail still on. I love branzino, and it sounded really good! Our server recommend this dish without any sauce added, since it taste really good just the way it is, plus the fresh lemon juice. Also, she recommended to add a side dish since it does not come with anything else. I added Grilled Asparagus with Béarnaise Foam. The “no sauce” recommendation was great. Just squeezing the lemon on top and had perfect seasoning. It was fresh, flaky and juicy. Asparagus was huge and thick, cooked perfectly, not too soft, not too firm. Great dish!
My hubby also had one of today’s seafood specials, Mediterranean Albacore Tuna, encrusted spice. It comes with greens, sautéed snow peas, and herb scented bamboo rice, served with red curry sauce. When it arrived, we all did a little gasp. It was a beautiful mountain of food, nicely balanced.
Tuna pieces were thick cut, and I mean thick! Super fresh and flavorful with great spice. Rice on the bottom was really good and tasty too. This one was out of this world, great dish for tuna lovers!
We also had another seafood special of the day, Wild Day Boat Alaskan Halibut, with truffle scented sea beans, mushroom, fiddleheads, with sweet potato purée sauce. It also looked great, and yes, it tasted great too!
Since we’ve already had plenty of appetizers during Social Hour, we were pretty much stuffed. But, since everything we had here were so amazing, we just couldn’t pass on the desserts… We ordered two desserts to share. The first one was One Toasted Coconut “Adults Only” ($13). When I saw that it was for adults only, it made me super curious… It is made with Drunken Rum Cake, Coconut-Mascarpone Rum Cream, Toasted Coconut & Lemon Mango Glaze. It was on a small side, but that was good since we were all full. It was sweet but not overly sweet, with great crunchy texture from toasted coconut. Didn’t really taste rum from every bite, but some parts had a nice flavor of rum. Maybe the rum cake wasn’t drunk enough for me…LOL. Pretty tasty!
The second dessert was Key West Key Lime Pie ($12). My hubby has a weak spot for key lime pie… It is a House Made Key Lime Pie, Graham Cracker Crust, Whipped Cream & Wild Berry Coulis. Again, a bit small. It had an interesting look to it, with candied lime on top. It was light and elegant. Great key lime flavor without any food coloring. Really good!
The bathroom is located near the bar, clean, well-lit, and organized.
We had a great dinner here. Since this was our last meal in Marco Island during this trip, I am so happy we came here last. It made it extra special to have the best meal in Marco to be our last meal in Marco (until next time!). Our server, Rochelle was fantastic. She was friendly, polite, took great care of us. I liked how she never reach over the table, but instead, always walking around the table to bring the dishes, or pick up empty dishes when we were done. Water glass always filled, excellent service! I would love to go back for more amazing food!
The Oyster Society – 599 S Collier Blvd #218, Marco Island, FL 34145