Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar

Not long ago, I was at a reception with fellow journalists and the topic of fresh seafood came up. Someone, who had lived on the East Coast most of his life said, “well, we can’t really get fresh seafood here in Colorado. It’s just not possible.” Several of us looked at him funny, knowing that while, no, you can’t beat sitting at a dockside restaurant watching the fisherman bring in their catch, then see it on your dinner plate minutes later, our landlocked state CAN have very fresh seafood. Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar, which has been providing seafood to Coloradans for 30, count ‘em, 30 years, serves up the proof, every day.

Dave Query, the founder and CEO of Jax provided a very visual analogy at a recent oyster tasting I attended in honor of March being Oyster Month. “Planes are fishing boats and airports are harbors,” said Query. Our central location and busy airport mean that Jax can fly oysters from both coasts daily.

Here are some other interesting things I learned during my visit to the Jax Fish & Oyster House in Glendale, one of five locations in the state:

• In the same way there is “terroir” for wine where the land on which the grapes are grown influence the final flavor profile of the wine, there is “mirroir” for seafood, where the waters in which shellfish are grown influence their flavor. Query says the ideal place for oysters to grow is in “brackish” waters (where saltwater meets fresh water, like a river). Minerality in the water influences the flavor of the oysters, which can even vary from one side of a bay to another.
• In general, East Coast oysters are more saline, or saltier, whereas West Coast oysters have more of a cucumber or melon taste to them. East Coast oysters are the most common. West Coasters grow faster.
• Mignonette Sauce, the classic blend of red wine vinegar and shallot (or sweet onion) plus black pepper, to pour over oysters before the big slurp, has a European influence (not surprising, given the French name). The acidity of it balances out the salinity of the oyster, adding flavor but not masking the delicate nature of the oyster’s flavor.

  

• Query says oysters are probably THE most sustainable seafood. A single oyster filters up to 50 gallons of water per day, contributing to cleaner water and a healthier marine ecosystem. They also regenerate their marine environments. Jax Locations were the first restaurants in Colorado to be certified by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch and chef Sheila Lucero has served on the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Blue Ribbon task force since 2013.
• Although Jax serves a variety of oysters (and prepares them in a variety of ways), they also have their own, proprietary oyster, the Crackerjax. It’s farmed at the mouth of the York River, 28 miles from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay (lending sweetness due to water flowing from the Blue Ridge Mountains) and Atlantic Ocean (providing the saltiness). Jax gets them for the restaurant through a longstanding partnership with Rappahannock Oyster Co. in Virginia.

Other things to know when you go to Jax:

Happy Hour is 3:30-5pm and Mondays 3:30-close. It’s a great chance to try the Crackerjax oyster for cheap.

Menu items include Chargrilled Oysters, Steak Tartare, Smoked Tuna Dip, Steamed PEI Mussels, Calamari, soups and salads, Mahi, Salmon, Scallops, Catfish and a Lobster Roll.

Non-seafood offerings include Grilled NY Strip and a Niman Ranch Burger. There’s also Roasted Squash & Quinoa, Fennel & Pear Salad as well as other vegetarian and vegan options.

Jax locations source locally and seasonally from small producers and partners and, therefore, their menus may differ depending on what’s available. You can count on what you see on the printed menus though, versus what you see online.

When we visited, after having enjoyed a variety of oysters for Oyster Month and a shucking demonstration, we stayed on for dinner. From the Chilled Raw Bar Menu, I ordered a ½ pound Peel N’ Eat Shrimp ($14) which comes with lemon wedges, cocktail sauce and Jax’s own creamy sauce which is delicious.

That and the Jax Caesar Salad ($13) with little gem lettuce, croutons, whole grain mustard dressing and grana padano was perfect. Well, and a couple of slices of their “bread service” soft mini-loaf that is brought to the table on a thin layer of olive oil with seasonings that include the surprise of sumac (a Middle Eastern spice I love that provides a delicious earthiness). Good on Jax for being so international with their seasonings and spices!

My husband ordered a bowl of Louisiana Crawfish Gumbo ($14) with gulf shrimp, smoked andouille sausage, rice and scallions. The dish was darker than typical, I assume due to the preparation of the roux. Everything we had was very good.

March’s Oyster Month Activities at Jax:

Each location of Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar is celebrating with different chef-driven takes on East and West Coast oysters including two unique specials per location, featuring hot and raw oysters, curated by the location-specific chef de cuisine. They’ve divided up the month to serve East Coast oysters through March 16, then switching to West Coast Oysters March 17-31. During the month, they are also partnering with nonprofits to provide “oyster scholarships” to donate to east, west, and south organizations.

Some of the preparations include a Miso-Black Garlic and Bacon Fat Grilled Oyster (Boulder); a raw oyster on the half shell with Moscato pico made with mango, cucumbers, red onion, tomatoes and Moscato wine (LoDo); Spoon bread-baked oyster with charred green onion aioli and a compressed apple (Colorado Springs); Oysters and Pearls, a raw oyster on the half shell with tapioca, sabayon and caviar (Fort Collins); and Crab-Cheese Wonton with blue crab, red pepper, sweet-and-sour sauce and crispy fried wontons at the Glendale location, which I can attest was great.

There are also drink specials throughout the month with both wine and cocktails. And there are special events. On March 24, there’s Bubbles & Pearls: The Throwdown event at each location. The oyster and wine gala party includes four manned stations, each hosting individual West Coast oyster-focused bites paired with a sparkling wine hand-picked by a master sommelier. There will also be passed hors d’oeuvres including Crackerjax oysters, blue crab deviled eggs, steak tartare bites, and shrimp fritters.

To learn more about these events and Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar as a whole, visit their website, here.

 -Article and photos, except where noted, by Courtney Drake-McDonough, publisher & managing editor of In Good Taste Denver

Please note, we were hosted for the Oyster Month preview portion of the evening but not for our dinner experience. As is always our policy at In Good Taste Denver, hosted or not, our opinions are our own.