You were overthinking it.

Eat oyster. Drink beer.

The purpose of a hunk of greasy carbs will magically reveal itself to you at that point, and before long you'll have finished off a basket.

Cathy2 wrote:Earlier this year, Helen and I went to DAvis Street for oysters and tater tots to get a sense of what everyone was talking about. Once we were had everything before us the puzzle to us do we eat the tater tot alone? With our oysters? Alternating bites? I have to say the mystique was lost on us. I know there are many who love the combination, though we were somewhat bewildered.

Definitely overthinking it here, Cathy. Think less "wine and cheese" and think more "fries and a burger".

Cathy2 wrote:Earlier this year, Helen and I went to DAvis Street for oysters and tater tots to get a sense of what everyone was talking about. Once we were had everything before us the puzzle to us do we eat the tater tot alone? With our oysters? Alternating bites? I have to say the mystique was lost on us. I know there are many who love the combination, though we were somewhat bewildered.

Cathy,

It's not so much about the tater-tot, though they are quite good simply eaten out of hand or dunked in a bit of Davis Street's cocktail sauce, enhanced with a dollop of fresh horseradish and a couple of shakes of Melinda's Triple X, it's about the way the tater-tots interact with the the oysters.

Slurp an oyster, cool, slippery, briny, smelling faintly of the sea, then a tater-tot, crunchy, hot, salty, pure distilled potato goodness, in a pre formed easy to eat shape, none the less. It's the interaction of the two that elevates the tater-tot, but there is a certain synergy at work here, the flavors of the oyster seem to become more intense, almost as if the tater-tot is acting as a catalyst.

If one is going for oysters and tater-tots at Davis Street my recommendation is sit at the oyster bar and try to get a stool as close as possible to the oysters, which means you will be as close as possible to Tony, oyster shucker extraordinaire. Let Tony pick your oyster type, Davis typically has four or five kinds, Tony will steer you towards the best. Not that one type will be fresher than another, but there can be a difference in intensity of flavor on a week to week basis even in the same type of oyster from the same area.

When you leave don't forget to slip Tony a little green appreciation, that and a sincere thank you might just get you an extra plump beauty of a Canada Cup next time you're at Davis Street.

Enjoy,
Gary

Davis Street Fishmarket
501 Davis Street
Evanston, IL. 60201
847-869-347

One of my friends works at Davis Street and apparently they have a rather interesting induction ceremony (hazing?) for the newly trained hires which includes several shots of raw seafood and a shot of vodka.

So, um, tip well. They've earned it.