REVIEW-Liv's Oyster Bar - Old Saybrook, Conn. (18 out of 25)

One of the latest additions to the growing nightlife and dining options in Old Saybrook is Liv's Oyster Bar located in the old movie theater and near the popular Penny Lane Pub an area frequented by the late Katherine Hepburn. Liv's (Lo) is located at about the center of Main Street (166 to be exact) on a historic Main Street dotted with 18th century homes opened approximately two months ago and is attempting bring a touch of cosmopolitan life to a sleepy shoreline town, home to many summer residents and old New England "blue bloods".

I along with two old friends decided on a night out and figuring that it was mid winter that reservations would not be an issue and worse case scenerio without we could enjoy the bar and partake in sampling some oysters. On this night, a Friday in mid January we parked right in front of Liv's. When entering the restaurant which appeared from the entry to be handsomely restored, a painting showing Old Saybrook Point at various times in the late 19th century we were impressed and most excited to try a little "big city" atmosphere in small town New England a nice change of pace from the cookie cutter pizza and asian food restaurants that dot the region.

When entering on this blustery day we were greeted by two young ladies who immediately confronted us with the venerable question: "do you have a reservation?". In good humor I responded "no but we would..." and with that I and my party were dismissed before finishing our sentence. "You will have to try back later" I was then told... One in my party asked..."can we not sit at the bar?" and she was then dismissed with a glance around the corner by the "hostess" and "It will be about 15 minutes at least before there is a space at the bar...". Without even being offered to look around, all three of us well dressed and in our late 30s were basically brushed aside for other guests who either had or did not have reservations. We turned without seeing the restaurant, bar and being able to take in the atmosphere for even a second. In utter shock we wandered down to Penny Lane Pub where we were greated with friendly faces and a welcome "what can I get you" from the friendly bartender. After a few minutes of shell shock my party decided that they would rather not go back to Liv's and would rather spend their dinner in Essex at The Griswold Inn where we now the service will be friendly and accommodating. However with this in mind I followed "we are going back even if I have to push my way past the door "ladies" to see that bar and restaurant". Our party after much hesitance agreed.

We walked back to Liv's about an hour later only to be greeted again by the same two girls working at the front door. It appeared they were ready to "dismiss" us again when I asked to see the bar... one, creating somewhat of a barrier between the bar and I and the other heading to the bar to see if there was any free space, I simply pushed by the first barrier and followed the other hostess into the bar area with my party. The bar had several empty stools. We were shockingly seated and then catagorically dismissed again by the less than friendly "hostess".

The restaurant itself was immaculate, the Oyster Bar itself was small but large enough for Old Saybrook. The counter with the oysters was well kept and stocked with various sorts of Oysters. The decor was handsome, very big city meets small New England town and the clientel was of all ages but primarily from 28 through 60 or so with half of the number being well dressed and the other being... well in jeans and the latest in sports clothes or t-shirt. We began to feel almost over dressed compared to those in the restaurant but had the "good feeling". Brought to reality by a former chef at Tavern on Green in New York Liv's thrives to bring Old Saybrook up a notch on the scales of quality dining.

We were then greeted by a relatively friendly bartender who immediately asked "are you going to eat?" and then "what can I get you to drink?". Ok service is not a strength here but we for the sake of doing something else would love to just sit here and enjoy ourselves. The bartender was very accommodating to the lady in our group but almost rather elected to ignore the two men. This was noticed even by the lady in our group. When attempting some small talk to break the ice as service is always better when one is comfortable with the other I was again somewhat dismissed and ignored. Another in the party also attempted and was ignored. So we organized and ordered through the lady in our group and this was effective enough.

Being at an Oyster Bar we opted to order some well... Oysters and Shrimp. The Oyster selection was not that of Newport's bars but ok. I ordered the 6pc oyster platter sampler which contained oysters from PEI in Canada, Rhode Island, New York and Maine I believe. The platter came handsomely adorned with information on each oyster and what to expect. Each was very tasty and very fresh. The lady ordered jumbo shrimp cocktail and the other member of our party some PEI Oysters that arrived as PEI mussels in which the waiter was less annoyed than those at the door or the bar. They were returned to the bartender with a "umf" from her part. After enjoying these delicacies we opted for a Martini and a couple of local ales. In the end we were satisfied with the selections we made, the decor but very annoyed by the service and lack of hospitality at this restaurant. With this in mind I would go back to try one more time and hopefully the service personel are a little more friendly.



RATING
SCALE:1-Low/Check out other places, 3 "ok" to 5-Highly Recommended

Dining

Food/House Specialty(Raw Bar)                                5
Service                                                                          1
Beverage/Bar                                                               4
Variety                                                                          4
Atmosphere                                                                   4 (minus 1 for poor service again)


Summary

All in all a very nice experience in a nicely restored historic building but the service really left something to be desired.

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