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<\/a>A rising tide indeed!<\/p>\nOne of my former pizzaiolos at Officine Buona Forchetta<\/a>, Kody DuBarry, left the woodfire oven to broaden his culinary horizons and ended up at the oyster bar at Ironside Fish & Oyster<\/a>, where he shucks 100s, maybe more, oysters a day, so on a recent day off I posted up at his bar to see what happy hour at Ironside was all about. Spoiler alert: I was not disappointed.\u00a0<\/p>\n I loved the happy hour menu; it was so enticing I didn\u2019t know what to choose, so I did it all. Well, truth be told, I did not order my guilty pleasure, the Chowder Fries for $8, as once those are on board, there is little room for anything else. Fries smothered in house-made chowder, come on, you\u2019ve got to get yourself a plate of those.<\/p>\n I started with a dozen oysters for $1 each and a Happy Hour beer for $6 and made quick work of both. The oysters were perfectly sized Kumiai from Baja. They were served with freshly grated horseradish and a delightful mignonette. I also thought their upscale version of a pack of Saltines was a nice touch. The oysters were slightly sweet, with just a hint of brine, and very clean-tasting.<\/p>\n While I intended to sit and talk with Kody while decimating oysters, poor Kody was a shucking fool; he and his teammate might shuck over a 1000 oysters in a shift, and happy hour is crunch time. <\/p>\n I ordered a cup of Clam Chowder for $7. As a New Englander and a chowder snob, I must give a shout-out to The Black Pearl <\/a>in Newport, RI. Hats off to Jason for righting this ship. The chowder at Ironside had lost some of its original magic over the years while Jason was gone. Never fear, the Chowda is back, baby; it tastes fresh and full of life. Kody tells me it is made daily; you can taste the difference. They serve this heaven in a bowl with a killer cheddar biscuit that comes to Ironside daily from Frost Me Cafe & Bakery<\/a> right across the street in the Piazza della Famiglia<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/a>The boys: Kody, Chef Jason McLeod, Abraham, and in the back, Jonathan.<\/p>\n<\/a>You keep shucking Kody, and I will slurp them down.<\/p>\n<\/a>The interior of Ironside feels like a vintage ocean liner.<\/p>\n<\/a>A cup of chowda and a cheddar biscuit.<\/p>\n