Sometimes the best things in life are right under your nose.
When Kee Oyster House opened in White Plains in 2014, I was excited that a classic, city-style oyster house had come to Westchester County.
I loved Kee, but as the years went by, unforgivably I forgot about it, its big city vibe and, most important, its fresh fish and shellfish. There were so many new restaurants to try, so many new “experiences” (as we must now call everything, from a trip to Hawaii to a visit to the bowling alley) to, well, experience. Kee, I’m sorry – truly I am.
It was a request for a great fish restaurant recommendation from friends who had recently moved to the area themselves that did it. “You need to go to Kee,” I told them immediately, realizing as I did that I was recommending somewhere I hadn’t been to myself in years, which is the critic’s cardinal sin.
It was time for me to go back and, holy mackerel, splendiferous scallops and blistering barnacles, (as Tintin’s Capt. Haddock would have had it), I’m glad I did.
If the décor is a little dated, I’m not asking or expecting a classic oyster house to be cutting-edge in the design stakes. Yes, the black floors and slate gray walls and ceiling, together with the upholstered black banquettes, can be a little somber during the day, but the place is atmospheric after nightfall, softened by strips of fairy lights, which give Kee something of a celebratory air. A faux fireplace adds an additional warming glow.
The menu is certainly something to celebrate. The raw and hot bars offer clams, shrimp, crab, lobster and, of course, oysters in a variety of ways. Baked clams, big boys these under a coat of garlicky breadcrumbs, were luscious, just as I remembered them. Pan-seared scallops in brown butter, which came with a seafood risotto as a starter, were firm as they should be but melt-on-the-tongue delicious. Grilled shrimp – four average-sized ones served with some speckled microgreens – were fine, if a touch chewy, and a classic (heavens, I’m using that word a lot today) shrimp cocktail from the raw bar may have been a better way to go.
A fine tuna tartare, sitting on beautifully sliced cucumber with avocado, microgreens and craggy homemade potato chips sticking up through the center like Alps, redeemed the chewy shrimp. This was so good, one friend said, it was something to “face-plant” into. “ But only after removing the potato chips,” quipped another.
Bread rolls, by the way, were fresh and yeasty, brought to the table with good, cold butter. I’m so over warm, processed whipped butter, which in most cases would do better as face cream than as something to put on bread.
Back to our mains and a deluxe fish taco, two huge tacos filled with salmon and greens and mixed with a salsa fresca, was easily enough for two, sitting on an accordion-like silver stand.
Branzino, fresh from the market – and the ocean not long before that, I’d say – was anointed with burnt lemon, attractively served with yet more microgreens. From the “On a bun” section of the menu, one of us “face-planted” into his generously-stuffed lobster roll, and another her oyster po’ boy, packed out with fried oysters, lettuce, tomato and pickles. The “Kee” branding on those floury buns is a cute feature that continues and has stood the test of time. So, too, have those circular “Kee” pins on the servers’ ties.
The servers: They’re great – experienced, smooth and professional. And they look the part, too – the old-school oyster or steakhouse part, that is – with their suspenders and striped aprons. A shout-out to them for making a really good evening great.
In the adjoining barroom, separated from the main restaurant only by a see-through divider, I appreciated hearing cocktails being shaken – always an encouraging sound – almost entirely throughout the course of our dinner. From the very start, this restaurant knew how to mix a dirty martini, (with three olives on a stick), and I can attest it’s lost none of its virtuosity in the martini department.
A shout-out, too, to whoever looks after those sparkling restrooms, with their gleaming white subway tiles and thoughtful arrangement of spring flowers. This is an area so often overlooked in even the best restaurants. Not, you understand, that I want to spend any more time than necessary in the restroom, but I reckon there’s always a closeness between the state of the restrooms and that of the kitchen.
Put another way, this restaurant’s a winner, on all key points — food, drink, service and atmosphere (and cleanliness, too.) So, forgive me, Kee, I’ve been away for too long, but now I’m back – and with a promise never to stay away so long again.
For more, visit keeoysterhouse.com.
