Wintzells: Does “No Good” Oysters mean “No Good” Service?

The "Salad"





Concerned about the recent publicity over the seafood situation in The Gump://www.montgomeryadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20108110348, I decided I would head for lunch at the Seafood Mecca of Downtown, Wintzell’s Oyster House, http://www.wintzellsoysterhouse.com/ to put my finger on the pulse as to the “real skinny” on things. I had heard the seafood situation was so difficult, Wintzell’s was changing its menu to include items like, conecuh smoked sausage sandwiches, ribs and other meat entrees. All the while, I’m scratching my head thinking, why would I go to a seafood place to eat meat? That’s almost as crazy (showing my sensitive side, notice I didn’t use the R-word like Jenifer Aniston did recently) as going to Dreamland and asking for seafood.

















"A'int no seafood here nowhere."

Say it ain’t so Joe (which by the way, I saw Chef Joe DiMaggio back in town checking on his prize Saza’s)! Anyway, another reason for going to Wintzells is because I can see one of my favorite barmaids from Ruddles http://lunchinthegump.blogspot.com/2010/08/all-you-need-is-lunchthe-rutles-would.html as she sometimes moonlights behind the bar at lunch on Thursday and Friday. As I walked in, sure enough, in plain daylight, the oysters looked like they weren’t “no good”.

















Did I smell oysters?

But, hey, that didn’t stop me because down from the oysters was the smiling face I’m used to seeing. I promptly sat down and asked, “What’s the scoop”? Little did I know the shock I was about to receive. “Today’s my last day”, my favorite barmaid said. Yep, times being what they are and not being able to get the hours she needed, Wintzell’s now has two less reasons for me to go back again. No “good oysters” and “no good service” are two strikes against any seafood restaurant. As I picked my chin up from the floor, my friend said, “but hey, they changed the menu up”. I told her I had heard about the menu change and wasn’t the least bit interested in getting Dreamland at Wintzells and vice versa. Being the best barmaid-waitress that she is, even as the door was about to hit her back side this afternoon, she told me of a pearl to be found in the bed of oyster shells---A mahi mahi (that’s 2 mahi’s so you best be hungry), shrimp cobb salad. She promised, “You’ll love it”. Always believing her, I ordered it and you know what, she was right , the salad was really-really good.





















Tracy the ex-Wintzell's waitress




So I finished polishing off a great salad and ending a conversation with my favorite server. While it won’t be the same without the “good help”, I made a new friend with the salad.