Ready, set, slurp. Here are a few places to get you started on oysters:
BLUEPOINT OYSTER BAR, 741 W. Randolph St., 312-207-1222: Savvy servers are good at helping you navigate the Bluepoints, Pickle Points, Rocky Points and Kumamotos (sweet favorites with regulars). Our waiter happily explained the dozen we ordered, which arrived arranged on a huge platter–clockwise, East to West coasters. Expect 10-12 oyster varieties on tap daily, and servers adept at explaining the differences at this classy looking place, a mix of marble floors, dark wood and booths jazzed by the buzz of the evening crowd. The cost: $10.25 for 6.
CAPE COD ROOM, The Drake Hotel, 140 E. Walton Pl., 312-787-2200: For more than 70 years, this wood-beamed room has been pleasing oyster lovers, whether they sat face-to-face with the shucker at a nine-seater oyster bar or at one of the tables covered in red-checked cloths. While an oyster shucker no longer mans the oyster bar, that hasn’t stopped the Cape Cod Room from serving some of the plumpest oysters around. These days, they’re Chef’s Creek (Washington state) and Denman Island (British Columbia). The cost: $13 for 6.
CATCH 35, 35 W. Wacker Drive, 312-346-3500 (also 35 S. Washington St., Naperville, 630-717-3500): With a nod to increasing oyster savvy, the menu here (and the Web site) lists the oysters as well as their origin and salinity. The night we visited, Tatamagouche, Malpeque, Dutch Island oysters–all East Coasters, all medium salinity–were on tap. They lived up to their promise–on their own, with a squeeze of lemon or dipped in the mignonette sauce. The cost: $8.95 for 6.
FRONTERA GRILL/TOPOLOBAMPO, 445 N. Clark St., 312-661-1434: Two powerhouse sauces–an onion-tomatillo mignonette done with a slight habanero kick and a tongue-firing chipotle number–were available. Lime and lemon complement the oysters from British Columbia (Fanny Bay and Emerald Cove) and Washington’s Willapa Bay. The mignonette took the tongue buzz up a notch. The cost: $11.50 for 6.
PORTER’S OYSTER BAR & NIGHT CLUB, 446 W. Virginia St., Crystal Lake, 815-477-0340: Savoring the satiny Malaspinas from British Columbia and the big Malpeques from Prince Edward Island one night recently in this clubby, comfortable white-tablecloth eatery was made all that more fun thanks to the seafaring memorabilia on the walls. In fact, the mood, Art Deco cool, may make you want to dress up, but casual is equally welcome. The cost: $8.95 for 6.
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SHAW’S CRAB HOUSE & BLUE CRAB LOUNGE, 21 E. Hubbard St., 312-527-2722 (also 1900 E. Higgins Rd., Schaumburg, 847-517-2722): Expect at least 10 different oysters in Shaw’s and the Blue Crab Lounge. Personally, we favor sitting near the oyster shucker in the Blue Crab Lounge, working our way through the tastes and textures of, say, a delicate Tatamagouche, from North Coast, Nova Scotia, lovely Sunset Beach from Hood Canal, Wash., or a tangy Watch Hill from Winnapaug Pond, R.I. Like a wine tasting, it’s a delicious education. The cost: $10.95 for 6.