New Phoenix restaurant on High Street serves great seafood in the desert

PHOENIX (AZFamily) — It can be hard to find good seafood in the desert without emptying your wallet. Humble Oysters and Bubbles serves what feels like high-end seafood but at more affordable prices.

The restaurant opened in October on High Street in North Phoenix and is the latest venture by the chef behind Humble Bistro and Humble Pie.

Chef Jorge Gomez has traveled worldwide to cook- from classes in France, Spain, and Italy to compete on Food Network’s Chopped. He’s using those flavors as inspiration as he takes this new restaurant back to his roots.

“I grew up close to the beach and I love oysters,” Gomez says, “But what I see on every single restaurant is that they do the oysters the same way.”

He says oysters are almost always served with the same ketchup-based cocktail sauce or Tabasco, and the inherent flavor can get lost.

Gomez says, “The oyster, that actually, has a phenomenal flavor and it can be treated in a different way.”

Growing up in Hermosillo, Mexico, Gomez was less than an hour from the beach and ate lots of oysters as a kid. His preferred accompaniment is just a squeeze of lemon juice to really highlight the subtleties between varieties of oysters.

However, Gomez also wanted to make this new restaurant a collaboration of flavors among different cultures and cuisines.

For example, his “cocktail” sauce uses a sweet and spicy Korean Gochujang paired with horseradish. He also offers Michelada sauce for oysters, pairing clamato and Tajín for a Latin flair.

If you’re looking for a fancier option, Gomez serves oyster bites that elevate the oyster with other delicately balanced flavors. The fancy bites include a Wagyu version served with a Wagyu steak strip, Argentine shrimp, caviar, and chili aioli on top of a petite oyster. There’s also a tuna tartare and ceviche option.

Gomez assures, “we are always trying to get phenomenal oysters: different sizes, different shells, different colors.”

He selects which oysters he’ll get every week, using three to four companies that ship six to seven different types from the U.S. and Canadian coasts, as well as Mexico and France.

As for the bubbles, the restaurant offers an impressive selection of nearly one hundred wines, sparkling wine, and champagne. They range from $9 to $29 a glass and $34 to $199 a bottle.

Gomez says, “It took us like 6 to 8 months just to try so many champagnes to make sure that we’ve got the right mix: not super expensive, not super cheap, just right in the middle that you can come and just have fun and have a cup of bubbles.”

Popular cocktails include the Basil Spritz made with Gray Whale Gin, Chareau, Lichi, Fevertree lime yuzu and Prosecco, as well as the Mariposa Vesper made with Belvedere 10, Empress Indigo Gin, Lofi Vermouth and a lemon twist. There’s also the Champagne Chlush, which uses frozen champagne from the Frosé machine, more champagne and citrus.

Despite the name, Humble Oysters and Bubbles offers much more than oysters and bubbles.

When it comes to offering other delectable seafood, Gomez says, “I want people to feel like they’re not in Phoenix.”

The restaurant and its menu are designed to make you feel like you’re elsewhere. It’s like your taste buds are traveling the world in a single bite.

Try the Prince Edward Island mussels, steamed and served in a Thai coconut green curry with roasted garlic, chili flakes and lemon zest.

For a mix of light and flakey with buttery goodness, try the lobster shrimp roll. It comes with lobster tail, Argentine shrimp and gulf prawns poached in butter, and is served with chipotle hollandaise sauce in a house baked croissant.

The shrimp sliders are also a must for those wanting a light dish packed with flavor. The gulf shrimp are served on a sweet bun with avocado salsa and chili mayo and topped with sea salt flakes.

“I want you to venture yourself to get out of the norm, to actually experience something new and come back and try something else,” Gomez says.

Though some of his dishes use flavor combinations you might not expect, somehow, they work.

“That’s how, you know, the United States is, right? We are a melting pot of cultures,” Gomez says.

Humble Bistro and Bubbles isn’t just for seafood lovers.

The Wagyu Humble burger is an 8-ounce Wagyu steak served with bacon, an onion-prosecco gastrique, house dijonnaise aioli, arugula, melted Gruyère and a sea salted brown butter bun.

Also, try the 12-hour short rib that melts in your mouth. It’s braised overnight and served with a smooth and creamy mashed potato puree.

Humble Oysters and Bubbles offers Happy Hour specials every day until 5 p.m. like the smoked salmon dip for $9, grapefruit spritz for $6, or the “Bucket and Bottle” which comes with a dozen assorted oysters and bottle of Crémant Blanc de Blanc or Sparkling Rosé for $39.

Chef Gomez hopes diners can be adventurous and try something new, but overall, he says, “I want people to have fun.”

Humble Oysters and Bubbles

Location: 5415 E High St, Phoenix, AZ 85054

Hours:

• Monday – Sunday from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.

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