A mini restaurant review of Oyster Society in Petersburg
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Oyster Society is open Thursdays - Sundays. Photo: Karri Peifer/Axios
Karri here.
What's happening: My Insta feed has been clogged for weeks with Richmond foodies raving about Oyster Society, the upscale, seafood-heavy restaurant that chef Ernie LeBrecque of Beaunuts and bar director Eli Dwyer (formerly of The Roosevelt) opened in August in Old Towne.
- So I took myself to Petersburg on a recent Thursday to see what the hell was happening down there.
What I found was a restaurant that could compete with the best of the best in Richmond. Oyster Society is like a L'Opossum/Roosevelt mashup and something totally unique in itself.
The decor is crowded with interesting things to see — velvet settees, brass swords on the wall, an animal skull here, a taxidermied fox there — but it works the way the funky brilliance of L'Opossum works.
Dwyer's cocktail program mirrors anything one would find in Richmond with classics and his own creations, like a bourbon-mezcal-hibiscus-habanero masterpiece.
The menu is designed to encourage sampling and sharing, suggesting Oyster Society knows its audience and that some diners might need to warm up to the full menu.
- The tartare is "with training wheels" (the beef is cooked sous vide), oysters are served raw, roasted, baked, stewed or fried ($12-$16), small plates include mussels, scallops baked in bacon dough, and a beet dish served with a goat cheese mouse that was so cream and sweet I'm still thinking about it ($7-$20).
The food was fantastic, the cocktails amazing — but the best part of the experience was Petersburg.
By 6pm on that recent Thursday, Oyster Society was packed. Locals lingered at the bar, shouting hellos to their friends passing through to the dining room, giddy with their latest dining option, and eager to compare which cocktails and oyster dish they last tried.
What I found was an entirely new foodie community and scene just 20 miles south of Richmond. And I'll definitely be back.