Max's Oyster Bar

I spent most of this past weekend out of town.  After a Board of Directors retreat in western Massachusetts, I headed down to Connecticut for a quick overnight stay with my friend Alicia.  Alicia has been living in West Hartford for over six months and I was long overdue for a visit.

Alicia took me on a little tour of her new neighborhood and we decided to stop in at Max's Oyster Bar, one of her favorite restaurants, for a cocktail and a small bite.  Even though there was plenty of outdoor seating available, we decided to stay cool indoors and grabbed a high top table by the windows in the bar.  There were plenty of cocktails to choose from but I decided on one of my favorite drinks - the Pimm's Cup (Pimm's No. 1, citrus bubble, cucumber, lemon).  When I was in college, I studied abroad at Oxford University and drank one of these cocktails just about every day.  I was happy to relive in the memories this past weekend.

Alicia's cocktail, the D.B.T., came in an adorable mason jar!

Unlike Boston, West Hartford permit happy hour specials and we were more than happy to indulge.  We split an order of four Atlantic oysters for a whopping four dollars!

The oysters were briney and so delicious!  We also put in an order of blackened fish tacos.  While the fish tacos tasted fresh, I was missing heat from the mango-jalapeno relish.
 

Alicia and I both finished our meal with a glass of Domaine St. Michelle sparkling wine.  After all, what is a happy hour without some bubbly?

Max's Oyster Bar is located 964 Farmington Avenue, West Hartford, Connecticut.