Cravin' Oysters on the Halfshell

Talk about unlikely roots: our father was Quebecois (our grandparents spoke French til the day they died though they raised their six children in Massachusetts) but our mother was born and raised in the deep South. No Cajun seasonings mixed in here, or at least not until Cathie moved to Louisiana. No, our food was often an interesting mix of "tourtiere pie", okra and black-eyed peas, fried chicken, chicken-fried steak, greens, or, sometimes even onion sandwiches!

Sounds pretty run of the mill, but since our "pere" traveled a great deal, we were the first folks in our east coast cities as small children to make tacos routinely, even eating them for breakfast on occasion. No fresh masa or tortillas were available, so we bought tortillas in a can, put out by the Old El Paso company. We loved artichokes, having been introduced to them in California as small children. Basically, we learned to appreciate good food no matter what the provenance and loved to eat out and try regional restaurants whenever my mother could round us up in the station wagon.

One such place, and I love that it is still functioning as it has for over 60 years, is Charlie's Seafood Restaurant in Virginia Beach, Virginia on Shore Drive. Have you ever eaten She Crab Soup? This is the place to do that for sure. I remember Charlie's well, since I learned to slurp raw oysters here with my dad, who somehow in those days, went on days when it was "all you could eat" at the oyster bar, or at least that's how I remember it. Little me could put about one away, as I wasn't all that keen on them to begin with, but Dad could make up for what I let pass and I remember he ate them enthusiastically. Seems like they couldn't shuck them fast enough for those seated at the bar--what was it that they served them with, cocktail sauce? I felt part of a special group, sitting at that bar, of people who seemed to know that what might look alien to one (a gray/white glistening shell with something in it that was alive just seconds ago) was a delicacy to another and well worth becoming initiated into. I am still always tempted by those oysters-on-the-halfshell on any menu and the sight and fresh ocean smell of them conjures up my dad's image. I have since eaten them in Nova Scotia and Seattle, and I always glance around, wondering why there aren't stools for all of us who want MORE FAST!

I haven't visited Charlie's in probably over 40 years and don't remember if they had the typical juke boxes or tableside record choices of those old diner restaurants. But I do remember one song, that if the tableside record were sitting on that table, my mother would choose to hear: "Only You" by the Platters. That song was ubiquitous during the years we spent at Virginia Beach. You'd hear it everywhere and it is one of those transporting melodies for me back into the past. Charlie's comes to mind, as does Hurd's, with their signature popovers, and my mom's cackly laughter as she presided over her brood of us four children attacking the seafood. You can visit Charlie's on the web at the address below and even see a picture, which makes my 40 year old memory seem very foggy. But the directions re-orient me: "Take Pacific Ave towards Fort Story. Round the curve and head towards First Landing State Park. Once you pass First Landing State Park you will be on Shore Drive. We are approximately 1 mile West from the corner of Great Neck Road, on Shore Drive."

For obvious reasons, I'm feelin' a cravin' for oysters on the halfshell and some she-crab soup...

http://www.charliesseafood.com/