The Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant is a famous New York landmark located on the lower level of Grand Central Terminal. The restaurant specializes in seafood and has been in business since 1913. The architecture of the restaurant features vaulted and tiled ceilings. Apparently not much has changed over the years, although the restaurant was renovated following a 1997 fire. The restaurant is still popular, but judging by the number of negative reviews online, the food and service are not as good as they once were.
The 2010 Grand Central Oyster Frenzy was held yesterday, September 25. This event featured cooking demonstrations, a Professional Shucking Championship, and a Slurp Off (oyster eating contest). The 2007 Oyster Frenzy is shown in the video below.
The artwork on this postcard is by George Shellhase. His humorous illustrations appeared in many magazines. Shellhase had a free-flowing style that was largely self-taught. His art was characterized by "sensitive pencil lines and luminous washes of watercolor." Some of his illustrations for an article about clambakes can be seen in a July 1948 issue of Ford Times. (The Ford Times issue that is online also has some recipes from famous restaurants.)
Shellhase lived in Connecticut for many years and moved to Florida in the early 1960s. His 1988 obituary in the Sun Sentinel has a quote about his philosophy : "Love the great beauties of nature. ... Experiment with enthusiasm the infinite variety of nature's designs and forms. Love humanity and interpret at your best the many events that unfold before your eyes each day."
So funny, I just got back from eating oyters - the best I've had in a long time. I'm glad not to have experienced the slurp off though. That would be enough to cure me of my love for oysters.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful landmark in New York. I would not go to oyster bar but would instead find a cup of coffee and people watch.
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