The moment we planned our trip the Bay Area, I began plotting to eat as many oysters as possible. I was dreaming of the kind of oysters pulled right out of the water, rinsed, shucked and presented to me tableside within minutes of their demise. I had a pretty distinct vision, and this vision was realized on a little two-hour detour en route from San Francisco to Napa last weekend.
Mike's friends had suggested a stop at Marshall Store in Tomales Bay. (Have I mentioned how much I love Mike's friends?)
After taking one of the most awe-inspiring drives of my life, we arrived at Marshall Store around 5:00pm on the hungry side; it had been hours since we'd enjoyed a damn fine brunch at Ella's before hitting a museum on the way to the other side of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Marshall Store is one of a half-dozen restaurants touting fresh oysters along the water's edge in this pristine pocket of northern California. They offer four kinds of oysters -- raw, barbecue, Rockefeller and chorizo butter. So what do you do when faced with four choices? You get one of each!
Each half-dozen order came with warm garlic bread, and we threw in a large clam chowder to share. It all came to $60, and it was more than enough food.
I was giddy at the prospect of the chorizo-butter oysters, but in the end, the Rockefellers trumped all. The raw oysters were a close second.
And, well ... wait. Actually, I take that back. What trumped all was the view:
The food. The view. A cold beer. I want!
ReplyDeleteAwesome view. What a lovely day.
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