re: Lunch at Village Inn in River Ridge Today (Pics)

I really love this place. A few months ago, I went for lunch on a Wednesday when I heard someone on the radio, probably TF, mention the raw oyster special for $5.95 a dozen. Now that's my kind of price.

And they turned out to be terrific oysters. I had almost given up hope of having the kind of oysters my family shucked on our back porch growing up. Back then, they were cheap and my parents had 4 sons, so there were plenty of shuckers available.

We did it often enough that my brother came up with an idea for an ergonomic oyster knife design. Even got a patent on it years later.

My experience with restaurant raw oysters in the last decade or so, was dismal. They were always tiny, flavorless and expensive. Village Inn's were like my old back-porch oysters - sizable, flavorful, salty and juicy.

Additional note - The owner and his brother used to run this place together, but there waa a falling out. The other brother was bought out and used the money to buy the Charlie's Seafood place down the street. He bought the building and the business after the landlord forced Frank Brigtsen out. There is still bad blood, apparently.