Two-dollar Oysters, $13 Martinis, and The Kind of Monday You’ll Look Forward To
That changes now. Every Monday night, Executive Chef Elvis Morales shucks oysters to order for $2 each at A Crystal Cove in Newport Coast, alongside $13 martinis that make Mondays worth celebrating. This isn’t a happy hour gimmick or a “while supplies last” footnote buried at the bottom of a menu. It’s $2 per oyster, shucked by the same hands that built one of Orange County’s most celebrated seafood-forward menus. The oysters arrive over ice with fresh accoutrements, and every shell is slid open with that satisfying pop (briny, cold, just-right) before being sent out like it’s the most natural thing in the world.
Plus, the martinis are $13, and they are serious about them. “The Bell” Martini 2.0 leads with Grey Goose Vodka, blood orange syrup, Cointreau and fresh lime juice, crisp and citrus-forward. The Gilded Lily goes floral and complex with rosemary-infused Absolut Elyx Vodka, Lillet Rosé, tart berry cordial and fresh lemon juice.
The bar at A Crystal Cove is not something you walk past without stopping.
It seats 24 and anchors the entire room, crowned by a golden pillar that stretches floor-to-ceiling and catches the light just so. The bartenders ensure martinis are shaken or stirred perfectly crisp and cold. The bartenders don’t rush. They stir with Friday-night focus on a Monday, and when the frosted glass lands in front of you, the week recalibrates. Come after work, with colleagues or with the client you’ve been trying to impress for three months.
A Crystal Cove now treats Mondays like something special. The art-deco bones of the place (dark paneled walls, floor-to-ceiling mirrors, red leather booths built for settling into) create a room that reads intimate and electric. Guests are seated right away, either in the main dining room or at the gorgeous bar, making it a seamless start to the evening. It’s where a deal gets closed over a third oyster, where real conversations happen and where Monday stops feeling like a punishment.
Chef Morales built his reputation on a menu that treats the coast like a collaborator. Think fresh seafood, local purveyors and a rotation that shifts with the seasons. The $2 oyster special isn’t a departure from that ethos. It’s a concentrated expression of it…