Must Eat Monday: The Whelk, Westport

Must Eat Monday, this time we're hitting the road down to Westport to go to The Whelk. Hard to get a reservation as it's on of the "hip spots" to go, we ventured down there to meet friends from Greenwich. Westport and Fairfield are the roughly halfway mark for us so we're always exploring restaurants in that area.

Tehnically, The Whelk is in Saugatuck, but that's a whole separate post to explain Saugatuck vs Westport!

Honestly, the hype of this place from friends made for some HIGH expectations from both couples and most of our meal did not disappoint.

The Whelk is a seafood restaurant but they actually have a LOT of non-seafood items on the menu. So it's great for seafood lovers and NON-seafood lovers too.

Their menu is set up super simple, once it's explained. Theres a LOT of appetizers, each categorized by quick bites, raw items, salads, and bigger plates. The center is their raw bar. And the right is entrees.

Our plan was relatively simple, we pretty much wanted just about every appetizer. Thankfully, our friends who went with us are also avid and adventurous eaters!

First up, scallop crudo. The bottom was a chili oil, and yes, it had a kick, with fresh grapefruit on top. Nice and light and simple yet delicious.

Apple and endive salad with blue cheese, hazelnuts, and tarragon. Light and refreshing and even the guys liked it!

Deviled eggs with cornmeal fried oysters. People. Get two orders of this. SO yummy. Like melt in your mouth, flavor explosion, must have, I will be dreaming about these for months delicious.

Mackrel toast. Not a fan. Husband liked it, but no one else did. Not too sure how to explain it, just not my taste or texture or anything. Just nope.

The mushrooms. One of my favorite dishes from the night. A nice mixture of wild mushrooms and an egg yolk in the center that when popped added the perfect addition to the spices and taste. We used the fries to slop up the sauce it was THAT good.

Hand cut fries with homemade mayo and ketchup. Almost a shoestring consistency but crispy.

Barbecued clams. If you've ever been to The Place in Guilford, these are quite similar but they add bacon. Doesn't bacon make everything better?!

The fried chicken sandwich. We ordered it because the people next to us had it and it looked amazing. They raved about it because they had been there earlier in the week for dinner and had to come back for it again. We were all totally underwhelmed. Nothing special.

Pork belly and braised cabbage. Personally, I am not a pork belly fan but everyone else is so we got this. I tried it and actually liked it. The cabbage was the star of the plate though! Slight pickling taste just yummy!

Gnocchi al Romana. FYI, gnocchi from Rome is not potato pasta. It's a big piece of polenta that they bake. We were NOT expecting it. This was good. Not delicious, not something I'd order again, but good. Be warned, it's not the gnocchi you think.

Grilled octopus. Not sure I'd get it again because it was legit crispy, but I blame the kitchen on that one. A popped open potato is served under it with a spiced creamy mayo underneath. Just average.

Quatros leches cake. Not three, but FOUR milks to make this cake. And a toasted coconut top. LIght and refreshing and melts in your mouth. Sooooo yummy and a perfect end to our meal.

Their drinks do not disappoint and I recommend the Lily cokctail which is light and refreshing with fresh grapefruit juice. And I don't like grapefruit juice. That gives you an idea of how awesome it is.

The restaurant itself is NOT quiet and they have several community style tables so you might not necessarily be sitting with only the people you're with. Plus, it's rather loud so don't go in expecting a quiet, romantic corner.

Have you been to The Whelk yet?!