Tuesdays mean crabs. It was just a couple weeks ago we were telling you about Tuesday crab nights at Gayle and starting on Tuesday, July 28th the Oyster House is introducing their own Tuesday crab feast.

Through August every Tuesday will feature 3 jumbo hardshells, cabbage slaw and corn on the cobb for $19.

Oyster House [Official Site]

Rick Nichols had his nose pressed against the glass as he waited for the third generation of Minks to open this latest version of the Oyster House.

By 4:55 p.m., Sam Mink, at 33 the latest family member to run the haunt, had final words for the servers: Please, he implored, keep refilling the big goblets of oyster crackers; and mind the horseradish pots, too.

No spotlights swept the wet sky. No evidence of an event planner was in sight. Sam’s father, David, in a maroon polo shirt, swept off the front doormat with a hand broom.

This was the softest of soft openings. But old customers had no trouble sniffing it out.

Happy hour starts next week. It’ll run Monday through Friday, 5 to 7 pm. One of the oyster varieties will be $1 a piece and all wine, sparkling and otherwise will be $5. Draft beers will be $3.

The Oyster House is set to open today where the Sansom Street Oyster House stood for years. And it won’t just be the oysters that are familiar.

The Owners

• Sam Mink – Father David owned and ran Sansom Street Oyster House from 1976 until he sold the business but not the building to Cary Neff who now runs Coquette.

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We have a soft spot for soft shell crabs. We’ve already sampled the soft shell crab sandwich at the Standard Tap. We’re looking forward to our first order of soft shells at Dmitri’s. It looks like Bridget Foy’s might be just as crazy about the cuddly crustacean as we are.

From now to June 30th, Bridget Foy’s is offering four different soft shell crab specials.

• Kenzinger Beer Battered Soft Shell Crab Sandwich / creole remoulade / shaved cabbage $13
• Tempura Soft Shell Crab/spicy peanut vinaigrette / noodle salad $13
• Pan Seared Soft Shell Crabs/ fresh linguini / roasted cherry tomatoes / saffrom broth $26
• Buttermilk Soft Shell Crabs/ jalapeno grits / creamy cole slaw $26

Bridget Foy’s [Official Site]

You had to assume once Little Fish was named one of the best seafood restaurant’s in the country by Bon Appetit that owner and chef Mike Stollenwerk would be looking for bigger waters. And it was confirmed today by Michael Klein that Stollenwerk is taking over the old Astral Plane location at 1708 Lombard Street with fish. The liquour licensed restaurant will more than double the size of Bella Vista’s Little Fish.

Look for the first tables to be served the week after Labor Day.

Little Fish to spawn Fish [The Insider]

Tonight Oceanaire is hosting a $65, six-course Yards beer dinner and although it’s a little last second, we thought we’d share the menu.

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Little Fish gets two bells from Craig LaBan, perhaps the corner eatery is just too small to fit a third bell within its tiny confines. Also interesting is that this is the first time we can remember LaBan being critical of prices in a long time.

It isn’t perfect by a long shot, and entree prices that bob in the high $20s are a bit steep given the bare-bones setting. But Little Fish has continued to be a worthy draw, and even stepped up its game a bit since Mike Stollenwerk bought it two years ago from chef-owner John Tiplitz, whose son, Ian Moroney, also made his name there before launching his own Pumpkin.

Stollenwerk, 32, an Ocean City, N.J., native who owned Cafe Loren in Avalon for five years before heading to Philly (Davio’s, Latest Dish, Avenue B), builds his success on great ingredients. He even fetches much of the seafood himself on early-morning pilgrimages every Thursday to his favorite fishmonger in Manhattan. And there is a simplicity to the best dishes here, plus a knowing tweak or smart seasonal pairing, that allows this bounty to really shine.

Two Bells – Very Good

Little Fish [Philadelphia Inquirer]
Little Fish [Official Site]

Bon Appetit’s ranking of Little Fish as one of the country’s top seafood restaurants has sent local writers to the tiny South 6th Street eatery. Last week it was Trey Popp who belatedly made it into the restaurant and this week Adam Erace visits, finding the pint sized spot can put off cravings for summer seafood.

Swimfan [City Paper]
Little Fish calms stubborn seafood cravings [Philadelphia Weekly]
Little Fish [Official Site]

Phoodie.info and Meal Ticket have plenty of options for The Feast of the Seven Fishes. [Phoodie.info and Meal Ticket]

Foodzings enjoys a shopping respite with some food from Black Sheep. [Foodzings]

Phillyist lists their top-ten missed opportunities for posting in 2008. Included are a couple of food related posts, including dinner at Modo Mio and authentic tacos at the Bourse of all places. [Phillyist]

It’s a vegetarian office party at Singapore Kosher Vegetarian. [Veggicurious]

Tim McGinnis breaks down where to enjoy octopus all year round but in so doing, he takes a big-time shot at Dmitri’s!

When compiling a list of all things overrated in Philadelphia, Field Guide has Geno’s Steak’s, Hall and Oates and Rocky 2 through 6 all somewhere near the top. But after dining on Dmitri’s (2227 Pine St. 215.985.3680) octopus we’ve decided it beats them all to a pulpo. The “small plate” of drywall tough legs was served up in a fishy, oily sauce by an apathetic slacker staff more interested in reading their art industry magazines than delivering great grub. It made us as disappointed as a kid at Christmas with a stocking full of tube socks.

So what do you think readers, does Tim have a point?

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Cephaloparty Time [Philadelphia Weekly]