Island Creek Oyster Bar

A little over a year ago a group of 12 bloggers got together at Lord Hobo for Sunday brunch. The next month that group doubled in size for a morning rendezvous at East Coast Grille. After that, the Boston Brunchers was officially launched with dedicated founder Renee Hirschberg at the helm. Ever the brunch enthusiast, Renee began lining up exclusive events; an intimate gathering at KO Catering & Pies followed by a grand scale buffet at Cafe Fleuri. The buzz about this community took off and one year later the success is measured by all the fantastic new and re-discovered brunching options in Boston. Brunch with this crew is always a wonderful way to begin a weekend morning, this was especially true for last Sunday's Birthday Bash held at Island Creek Oyster Bar. Located at The Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square, the welcoming modern meets beachy ambiance is clean and bright. White and gray tones define the Oyster-centric space; the back wall is constructed entirely of their shells encased in mesh wire, met by a photograph mural of farming cages and equipment. On the opposite side, driftwood-esque weathered boards act as shutters. Attendees scoring tickets were treated to coffee, cocktails, breakfast pastries and a main course, in addition to receiving awesome SWAG bags containing numerous goodies from our sponsors.I started with an effervescent libation titled McCarthy's Crossing an eye opening mix of Clear Creek Pear Brandy, spiced honey, Rose Vermouth, fresh lemon and bubbles. Others enjoyed Spicy Bloody Marys with house made "clamato." Tables shared baskets of Freshly Baked Pastries which included a blueberry muffin, doughnut muffin, cinnamon roll, butter croissant, raspberry coffee cake and a citrus scone. Sharing with my dining companions, I attempted to sample a bite of each. The raspberry coffee cake and the cinnamon roll were particularly memorable!
For my main course I chose Ethel's Lobster Roll named after the owners Grandmother. The fresh lobster was generously dressed in a mixture of mayo and crème fraiche laced with crunchy celery and red onion, all of it piled high onto a soft rosemary roll. Despite the bulkiness of the roll, the lobster meat was hard to contain. After a loosing battle I succumbed to eating my delicious lobster with a fork. The delicate slivers of kettle chips were nicely seasoned and crispy, the accompanying cole slaw was zesty with a light crunch. I normally learn towards the breakfast side of brunch, wanting to start my day with an egg centered dish, but the lobster lover in me could not pass this up! Plus, this is a restaurant know for their seafood. (Of course, oysters in particular!)Just a few of the 40 attendees, pictured below. L to R, top row: Elina of Healthy & Sane, Bianca of Confessions of a Chocoholic, Melissa of The Foodies at Work, Michelle of Fun and Fearless in Beantown, Elizabeth of Free Food Boston; bottom row: me, Meghan of Travel Wine Dine and Megan of Delicious Dishings. Cheers my fellow brunchers - to a year of memorable morning meals and to delicious discoveries in the one ahead!

Island Creek Oyster Bar

Hotel Commonwealth

500 Commonwealth Avenue

 Boston, MA 02215