Connie and Ted's ---- for the fans out there, why's it so great?

They have the most pristine oysters and clams of any seafood shack around California that I"ve been to. The accoutrements are excellent - the mignonette is always well calibrated (the shallots diced finely), the horseradish has the right moisture, the lemons are wrapped to prevent seeds falling, etc. Never a foul one and the shucking is as good as it gets. Yes it may not have the old-school charm that say Swan Oyster Depot in SF has, but the quality of the total package is unbeatable at Connie & Ted’s.

The lobster roll is fantastic. Excellent textures and proportions - two things too often overlooked when it comes to lobster rolls. The lobster’s cooked nicely, never overdone; the bread is nicely crisped and has just the right density and chew. And they have some of the best sorbets in town. As I mentioned before, I’ve gone well over a dozen times for the raw oysters and clams, hot or cold lobster roll, sorbets, and a drink or two - it’s one of the most consistently quality places in LA. It blows places like Shuck Oyster House out of the water. Connie & Ted’s to me is to raw bars and seafood shacks in LA what Mori is to sushi.

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That’s tremendously high fucking praise indeed.

Maybe I’ll give it another try or two before swearing it off.

And that ain’t no fucking joke.

I go for the raw bar and lobster roll mainly. For 2, we get 2 1/2dozen oysters, 4-8 clams, 1 cold or hot lobster roll (lately been doing the cold one as we like the coleslaw), a couple cocktails for one, the other gets an ice tea, and split a sorbet. We’ve tried some of the dishes and they weren’t quite our style (clam cakes, fish and chips, chowder - all good, just not mind blowing for us), so we’ve found our groove in ordering and haven’t looked back since.

+1, excellent quality oysters and even tougher to find, really excellent steamers!

They kinda look like mini geoducks…

Disclaimer: not my pics

Yep. Looks like they have figured out how to raise belons in Maine. Love the belons at Connie and Ted. Not as coppery as I recall vs the French versions but really good. Probably my favorite oyster on the menu.

+100 on the steamers being excellent. I order the full portion as an appetizer. The juices from the steamers may be the best soup on the menu!

“oysters, clams and cockles…”

Oh, sorry, wrong site. My bad.

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The selection of oysters they have on hand is first rate. They’re one of the few places where I’ve been able to find my favorite oysters, Island Creeks, from Duxbury, MA. It’s briny, meaty, creamy…just perfect.

What is Mori to sushi?

Is it kind of like what Carney’s is to fucking chili cheese dogs ???

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Steamer juice is one of my favorite elixirs.

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Connie and Ted’s raised the price of the fried clams with bellies to $29 a few months ago.

Fell in love with Connie and Ted’s first and only visit back in April.

Compared to the places in San Francisco Bay Area that offer raw oysters (any restaurant), from the seafood themed places that are casual to somewhat upscale, to the lobster or seafood shacks that also do raw oysters, I’d say Connie and Ted’s blows them all out of the water as the complete package.

It’s casual, yet upscale and vibrant, and not in a hipster DB kind of way (none of that at all).
Pricey to some, but you truly get what you pay for. I’d say it’s priced accordingly for the quality.

Why is it so great for me?

First of all the selection of raw oysters they had on my visit was extremely commendable, 18 kinds. Chatam MA, Kusshi BC, Hollywood MD, Kumiai Baja, Puffer’s Petite MA, Peter’s Point MA, Tomahawk NY, Phantom Creek BC, Hog Island Sweetwater CA, Island Creek MA, Black Duck Salt VA, Grassy Bar CA, Minter Sweet WA, Fanny Bay BC, Naked Cowboy NY, Sweet Petite MA, plus XL Naked Cowgirl and Kumamoto from WA state. Quality was stunning, and the clams (raw) were ridiculously good (I want to say they were top neck but I can’t remember). Our best in NorCal I’d say would be New England Lobster Shack (for the top necks, oysters they get in random batches from mostly WA state and one or two MA).
Way better experience than Shuck Oyster Bar in Costa Mesa (right by Taco Maria).

The beverages selection was modest during the lunch visit, but the cocktails were quite solid.

Their clam cakes were not my favorite but it was still very pleasant to try. It’s unusual enough at least for me.

Like Mark said above, they cover the lemon so when you squeeze, the seeds don’t fall onto your food. One addition detail I appreciated was that they printed out the names/types of oyster on a small piece of paper, positioned it at the top of the plate to easily identify the oysters (going clockwise). Nice touch of thoughtfulness.

Top notch Santa Barbara uni in the shell. They already removed all of the brown gunk, leaving you with just the gonads to scoop out, so you can put them on the slices of toast/crostini. Enjoyed this far more than the San Diego sea urchin from the one of the bigger farmers markets down there.

Last but not least, Hokkaido scallop hot dog. So so so damn good. Especially if you had those Japanese fish / fishcake sausage snacks as a kid, this is the uber gourmet version!

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Thanks for the heads up on the Hokkaido scallop hot dog. I love Connie & Ted’s, and can’t seem to break my addiction to the cold lobster roll and whatever fresh shrimp they have on hand, maybe some old school Oysters Rockefeller, Oysters On Horseback or whatever looks interesting among the oysters in the raw bar. I love the fried belly clams too (a memory from summers spent in Ipswich, MA), but at this point in my life they don’t love me so to speak, so I generally pass, despite the temptation. Some great cocktails, though I often find them a bit heavy and not really good companions for seafood, however nice they are on their own. Good beer and wine by the glass selection though. It can be a little loud at peak times, but is a great place to drop by the bar on a Sunday afternoon for a couple of fresh shrimp, and a crisp glass of white wine.

yeah, now i’m gonna have to hit up that fucking scallop dog and i usually hate fucking scallops unless served raw as sushi and/or sashimi.

plus a cocktail perhaps since everyone has been heralding their mix drinks.

and the lobster roll. i can’t remember but are both sans mayo ??? what’s cold and what’s hot in regards to the lobster roll ???

thanks guys.

I saw no scallop hot dog on the menu Sunday.

It was on the Today’s Wild Catch part of the non regular menu back in April. Maybe it is seasonal or limited offering. Can always ask them when they will offer it again.

hot has butter and chives - sans mayo. cold is dressed with mayo and celery leaf. if you don’t want mayo, stick with the hot. i used to be all about the hot lobster roll, but i’ve come to appreciate the fresh vegetal note of the celery leaf in the cold one - breaks things up just enough.

oh, and i think they make their own things like oyster crackers. not sure if they make their own bread and ketchup, but thought i read that somewhere.

i actually liked the non-alcoholic grapefruit cocktail a while back. they also have some great beers. loved the Alpine “Hoppy Birthday.” they also recommend sake with oysters - it’s not bad, but I prefer champagne with oysters, always. or a beer, then a cocktail, then sake, in that order. needs suds, imo, or the kick of something like their grapefruit and lime non-alcholic cocktail with homemade ginger syrup.

don’t forget the sorbets to finish. summertime had the best - Santa Rosa plum from Santa Monica farmer’s market. they have fantastic consistency and taste just like fresh fruit - exactly how a sorbet should taste.

In addition to their fish and shellfish, their bacon cheeseburger, hot buttered rolls and blondie are consistently outstanding.

I telephoned both Bigelow’s Fried Clams in Rockville Ctr, NY and the Clam Box in Ipswich, MA
Big was 24.99 per plate of whole bellies, and the Clam Box was 28.25.

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Partner had the cheeseburger once, and it was indeed mighty good.