Obvious statement No. 1: Unless you count prairie oysters, the Midwest is not a region celebrated for its seafood. Obvious statement No. 2: We live in an age of speedy transportation and efficient refrigeration. Obvious statement No. 3: Too few restaurants in St. Louis bother to take advantage of the wonders of our modern age. And then there is SqWires. Every afternoon at happy hour, you can wander in and purchase a freshly shucked oyster or two or three for a dollar a pop. You can slurp the meat from the shell and taste the briny waters of the Pacific Ocean, specifically those off the Washington and Oregon coast, where, until yesterday, the oyster was peacefully pursuing its motionless existence. SqWires serves shrimp and mussels and fish, too, all from Bob's Seafood, St. Louis' best source of good things as direct from the sea as the vagaries of air travel will allow. Those actually from the Washington and Oregon coast may scorn your enthusiasm, but then, what the hell are they doing at a seafood restaurant in St. Louis anyway?