Ed "Skip" Snock remembers a time when oyster houses were as plentiful as pizza houses. Now, Snockey's, named after his grandfather Frank "Snockey" Snock, is among the last of a dying breed.

Grandpa Frank opened his restaurant as Frank's Oyster House in 1912, with the help of his wife, Rose, who continued working seven days a week for 79 years, until she was 95, Ed said. Originally, the oyster house was at 2nd and South but settled here, just above Washington Avenue, in the '70s.

Snockey's 1020 S 2nd St.,BR> 215-339-9578 Liquor license: Yes Accepts major credit cards. Reservations: recommended on weekends. Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Monday thru Thurs. 11:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Friday, noon to 11:30 p.m. Sat., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday Entree prices $5.50 (for a sandwich) - $39.50

In 1993, the place got a face-lift, but it has a charming, old-time air, with white tiles on the walls and nautical decorations. There's a bar and some tables in front, and a nonsmoking dining room in back, with an erratic clock that kept my young guest amused. Tables are set with goblets of big, round oyster crackers and zesty horseradish.

Now is the time to go for Snockey's best offerings - raw oysters. There's an old saying that you should eat oysters only in months with "R" in them. Though there's nothing wrong with oysters in summer (when they reproduce), cooler oceans produce plumper, tastier oysters, Ed explained.

When my friends Jon, Alice and their son Paul and I visited on a Friday night, we started with half a dozen subtly flavored Malpeques ($8.95) and salty Chincoteagues, or "Chicks," as our matronly waitress called them ($8).

Slurp! The only complaint we had was that they could have been colder - serving them on ice might be an idea. The rest of Snockey's food, though, was touch-and-go - and on the expensive side for such plain fare.

My "broiled combination" ($16.95) was saved from being an all-white plate by an abundance of paprika sprinkled atop flounder, shrimp, scallops and a crab cake. The shrimp and scallops weren't bad, though the flounder was tasteless and the crab cake had too much breading.

Better were the fried crab balls ($6.95) that Paul ordered as an appetizer - ounce for ounce, they seemed to have more crab.

Jon tried the broiled bluefish topped with crabmeat ($19.95); the bluefish was very fresh, the crabmeat, though, was bland.

Alice's sauteed softshells ($18.95) were probably the best choice of the evening, and she had well-chosen sides of pepper hash - sweet-and-sour coleslaw with vinegar (no mayonnaise) - and crispy fries. (All platters come with two sides.)

Paul had no complaints about his kid's meal ($4.99): fried flounder, french fries, applesauce, pudding and a beverage.

Another trip with my friend Howard to test Rose's oyster stew ($8) revealed a fortifying classic, though perhaps more oyster liquor would add flavor to the milk-butter broth. A fried combination ($16.95), with seafood overcoated in corn meal, is best avoided - the bready deviled clam was just this side of horrible.

Desserts, not made on the premises, are unremarkable.

Though the comments I got from my guests included an unenthusiastic "It is what it is," I would return to Snockey's for raw oysters and beer, hardshells or perhaps a reasonably priced one-pound lobster ($13.95). I'd hate to see this Philadelphia tradition get left behind.