'Oyster Slurp' Contests In March At Anthony's Restaurants

KIRKLAND, WA - From Anthony's Restaurant: Anthony’s Restaurants celebrates the bounty of Northwest oysters with a month-long celebration beginning Monday, March 4, 2019. This month, featured fresh oysters carefully selected from cold, clean Pacific waters are served on the half shell, seared, baked, fried and even paired with local wines and craft beers.

Those who like their oysters raw will fawn over the Northwest selections served on the half shell sourced through Anthony’s own Seafood Company. Offerings include the Olympia, Washington’s only native oyster from Totten Inlet, Kumamoto from Humboldt Bay, as well as a daily selection of assorted oysters such as Kusshi from Vancouver BC, Hama Hama from Hood Canal, Barron Point from Skookum Inlet and Virginica from Totten Inlet. We also feature a very special “Anthony’s Select” oyster from Quinney Point in Discovery Bay that is grown specifically for Anthony’s by Johnson & Gunstone Shellfish out of Port Townsend, WA.

Throughout the month, oyster lovers can also enjoy a perfectly paired bottle of one of these hand-selected “Oyster Wines”. These selections will rotate throughout the month to give guests the opportunity to taste and pair different sets of local, Northwest white wines with oysters. Featured wines this year include the Chateau Ste. Michelle Sauvignon Blanc, Sparkman Cellars’ “Pearl” Sauvignon Blanc, Dusted Valley Boomtown Pinot Gris, Idilico Albarino and Erath Pinot Gris - all of which are the perfect companion to the briny flavor profile of the oysters. Craft beer pairings will also be available including Scuttlebutt Brewing Company’s Porter and Pike Place Brewing Company’s Space Needle IPA. The selection of wines and beer offered may vary by restaurant.

Lunch and dinner items have been carefully crafted by our team of chefs, led by our Executive Chef, Pat Donahue. At lunch, try the Oyster Tacos: crispy-seared and finished with salsa mayo, cabbage and roasted corn salsa then wrapped in warm flour tortillas, or our Crispy Oyster Tonkatsu Bowl that is served over jasmine rice with crisp iceberg lettuce, creamy sesame dressing pickled cucumber, daikon and red pepper. For dinner, enjoy the Steak & Crispy Oysters Rockefeller with crispy oysters Rockefeller paired with a local Northwest top sirloin or our Oyster Caesar Salad with fresh pan-fried oysters that top our traditional Caesar salad along with additional delicious oyster selections!

Fans of oysters on the half shell: showcase your skills during the Friday Night Oyster Slurp, 6 p.m. in the bar! Every Friday night beginning March 8th, contestants will slurp twelve freshly shucked oysters, hands-free! Medals will be awarded to the three fastest “slurpers” and prizes will be handed out which include Anthony’s gift certificates. Weekly medal winners will compete Friday, March 29th to determine the Champion! For those restaurants in Seattle, Edmonds, Everett, Lynnwood, Kirkland and Des Moines, the Championship winner from each of those restaurants will go on to compete in the third annual Regional Oyster Slurp Competition which will take place on Saturday, April 6th in the bar at Anthony’s Bell Street Diner, with festivities kicking off at 2:00pm!

Enjoy Oyster Fest throughout the month of March at all of Anthony’s locations except for Anthony’s Woodfire Grill in Everett, Anthony’s Hearthfire Grills in Olympia and Bellingham and Budd’s Broiler in Richland. Harbor Lights in Tacoma will be featuring variations of the oyster selections but will not be offering any oysters on the half-shell, nor will they be participating in the Oyster Slurp-Off competitions.

Anthony’s Restaurants owns and operates a family of privately held restaurants in locations throughout the Pacific Northwest. From classic 'to-go' eateries to casual dining and relaxed dinner houses, Anthony’s core commitment to fresh Northwest seafood that is complemented by local produce, Northwest wines and local microbrews is the foundation for each restaurant. To ensure Anthony’s commitment to purchasing only the highest quality fresh seafood, Anthony’s opened its own seafood company in 1984, located at Pier 91 in Seattle. Anthony’s is proud of its continuing commitment to quality and value, which has made it the place to go for fresh Northwest seafood throughout the Pacific Northwest. Learn more at www.anthonys.com.