He was a bold man who first et an oyster. - Jonathan Swift
We're always up for a road trip, and we're always up for good food. Toss in mid-February temps in the low-70s and you have scored a trifecta. Mercury is in the house of Capricorn. The mojo is rising. Your bio-rythms are in synch with In-Synch....err yeah.
Anyhow, this weekend's glorious weather mandated a trip to the beach to soak up rays and to grab some seafood to feast on. And while winter in the Bay area means most famously means Dungeness Crab, not many folks know that it also hosts some of the finest Oyster farms around. Yes, Tomales Bay and the Point Reyes in Marin County are home to at least four oyster farms where you can buy your oysters literally right out of the ocean.
Here are some tips we've picked up over the years:
0. Don't like raw oysters? Stop reading and go find yourself a box of Gorton's fish sticks. I promise you'll love them.
1. It's not far...Point Reyes is not that far, as the crow flies, but since you'll want to take HWY 1 for the scenery, it takes at least an hour-and-a-half once you cross the Golden Gate bridge. Lots of curves and slow traffic.
2. Call ahead and reserve your oysters a day in advance. Small or X-Small are recommended for half-shell consumption. The mediums are challenging to get down raw, while the large are... well... heh.
3. Make it a full day by visiting the lighthouse at Point Reyes. You'll need to catch a shuttle bus at Drake's beach, which is a bit of a hassle, but worth it when you get to the end. It's a pretty steep set of stairs down once you get to the last bit.
4. Get Cheese at the Cowgirl Creamery in the town of Point Reyes Station. Red Hawk triple cream is killer, as is the Point Reyes Blue.
5. Have a picnic. The farms are pretty rustic, but most have picnic tables set up on the beach, some with BBQ set-ups. Be sure to bring pretty much everything except the oysters (lemon, wine, shucker).
6. Holy Shuck. You've never shucked an oyster before? Get some pointers from the folks at the farm. If not, you'll leave thinking it's easy and head home. Then you'll try prying one open with a dinner knife and spend the rest of the evening getting stitched-up in the ER. Oh, and some of the places sell shuckers, too - might as well pick one up while you're there.
7. Which farm? If you're going to go into the park, then your only option is Drake's (formerly Johnson's) which is inside the park. Otherwise, if you head up the east side of Tomales Bay, you have a few to choose from. We've always had good luck with Tomales Bay Oyster Co., while Hog Island also has a really good reputation.
My god, throw in a campfire and some friends and you've pretty much scripted your very own Old Milwaukee's ad. "It just doesn't get any better than this" :-)
Drake's Bay Oyster Company
17171 Sir Francis Drake Blvd
Inverness, California 94937
(415) 669-1149