Still Got It: Mermaid Inn, Mermaid Oyster Bar

In this city, restaurants come and go faster than you can say "sustainable locavore burger." And even though there are great new additions to the culinary landscape popping up every week, you've gotta give kudos to anyone who can stick it out for over a year. With that in mind, we bring you Still Got It, our tribute to establishments that continue to serve mouthwatering meals long after the buzz has faded—or if the lingering hype is still justified.

From a humble seafood shack serving lobster sandwiches and old bay fries in the East Village has now risen the Mermaid empire, shucking oysters and dropping those delightful fortune telling fish at the tables on the Upper West Side and in the West Village. And while many successful eateries end up diluting their greatness with every expansion, the Mermaid Inn and Mermaid Oyster Bar have only gotten better.

Happy hours of $1 east coast oysters and $7 cocktails are always a hit, but their seafood menu remains innovative. Mermaid Oyster Bar has an appetizer of octopus a la plancha with perfect char, served with saffron potatoes and garlic chips, and the lobster truffle mac & cheese is the perfect creamy side to their grilled salmon or blackened catfish. For anyone looking for classic New England seafood, the chunky lobster sandwich is tossed with the perfect coating of mayo and served with classic spicy old bay fries, and on Sundays they'll serve a pound and a quarter of lobster with corn, potatoes and cole slaw for just $24. And, as always, everything is topped off with a cup of chocolate pudding and a red cellophane fortune telling fish. We wish all meals were served with such whimsy.