Oysters on the half shell at Rodney’s in Toronto

When I tell Canadians some of my favorite raw oysters to consume are the Kumamoto oyster—hailing from the West coast but originally from Japan, mildly briny, moderately sweet, medium in size—they gasp and say, “Oh no…Prince Edward Island oysters are the best!”I believe in equal opportunity. I love all oysters, even those fat, briny Gulf Coast oysters poo-pooed by so many. (Hey, don’t knock my third coast!) Anywhere I go, if the region is known for oysters, I’ll most likely be slurping down a few. (Okay, maybe more than a few—the hubs and I are known to finish off five dozen oysters between the two of us.)So when I was in Toronto in the fall of 2015 filming the third season of Four Senses, I met up some friends for oysters on the half shell. Carl, my co-host and executive chef at the popular Toronto restaurant, Richmond Station, recommended I try the oysters at Rodney’s.On a Saturday evening, the place was packed, so my friend had to drop some names (“Christine Ha, winner of MasterChef U.S. Season 3, would like to come dine at your restaurant tonight, please”) in order for us to get seats at the back bar during the 7 o’clock hour. The oysters at Rodney’s were definitely fantastic; they offer a variety (who can ever keep track of all of them after the server explains their origins?), so if you’re a raw oyster lover to begin with, you should be able to find something suitable for your palate. The other seafood dishes we tried—steamed shellfish and clam chowder—were less impressive, but I’d be willing to ask the server next time for both his/her and the crowd favorites.Service was stellar, though, and while the prices are not cheap, Rodney’s is a nice place for fresh seafood when you’ve got the money to drop.Rodney’s Oyster House469 King St. WestToronto, ON M5V 1K4CanadaPhone: +1 416 363-8105