Trend: Chefs say oysters are in raw demand

The satirist Jonathan Swift said it took a "bold man" to eat an oyster, that opalescent, slippery snack.

Roughly 300 years later, we seem to be awash in bold men (and women) — at least judging from the popularity of raw bars and oyster happy hours.

"You notice it by the number of oysters you go through," says chef Michael Scelfo of Russell House Tavern in Cambridge, Mass., where it's not uncommon for late-night diners to take advantage of the $1-an-oyster happy hour and engage in friendly competitions to see who can slurp down the most.

Oysters make a great late-night snack, says Scelfo. "They're fast; they're cold; they go great with beer; they go great with wine or a craft cocktail." And let's not forget that whole alleged aphrodisiac thing. "There's just kind of this air of mystery to oysters, which is just cool," he says.

Interest in oysters seems to dovetail with two food trends. One is the move toward adventurous eating — tongue, anyone? The other is the general interest in getting the back story on foods and searching out different varieties — think heirloom tomatoes. True oyster fans know their Belons from their Beausoleils and talk like wine tasters about things like hints of melon and clean finishes.

"It's part of the new interest in foods that are authentic and deeply connect to place. Oysters are the opposite of supermarket food," says Rowan Jacobsen, author of "A Geography of Oysters: The Connoisseur's Guide to Oyster Eating in North America."

Chef Parke Ulrich of the Waterbar restaurant in San Francisco, which recently served its one millionth oyster, offers 20 varieties of oysters, including Cove Miyagi, farmed by Scott Zahl of Cove Mussel Co. in Marshall, Calif. Zahl, who has a day job, leaves coolers of oysters on Ulrich's back porch and the chef brings them into work.

Knowing the origin of an oyster "really creates a sense of place," says Ulrich, who refers to oyster environments as "merroir," a play on the French wine-growing term of "terroir." So, an Olympia, from South Puget Sound in Washington state, is "metallic and mineral-y" while a Beausoleil, from New Brunswick, Canada, is "very briny and clean."

Waterbar takes a liberal interpretation of happy hour, featuring one variety at $1 apiece from 11:30 a.m. to 6 p.m.

When eating an oyster, some customers will say they're reminded of playing in waves when they were kids. "It takes them back to those memories of their childhood or growing up or special moments. I think it's pretty special," he says.