The setting was simple yet perfect. A picnic table overlooking Tomales Bay on yet another beautiful sunny day in Marin County, California.
The offering was also quite simple. You could either takeaway a few dozen of fresh oysters from the farm onsite to shuck and grill yourself, or pop over to the outdoor cafe "The Boat" and have the oysters prepared for you. We opted for both.
We tried our hand at shucking Kumamoto oysters and Cherrystone clams. The Kumamotos were very creamy and succulent with a hint of minerality and lime, absolutely delicious!
Then we proceeded to order another dozen or two of the barbequed oysters to follow. If you pre-book one of the picnic tables, a grill is also provided to grill your own oysters and other goodies you may have brought along with you for your lovely picnic. We saw others grilling salmon, rib-eye steaks, whatever you fancy. Bringing your own wines is also permitted, however if you'd like to sample some of the local Marin County wines, Hog Island also has a fine selection which pairs nicely with the oysters.
We washed down the BBQ grilled Sweetwater oysters and raw Kumamotos with a bit of old and new, a bottle of local 'Shell Mound' Riesling from Marin County and of course some Veuve Clicquot, why not? The Riesling was refreshingly crisp with hints of pear, lime and honey on the palette and I do not need to say anything more about the Veuve.
Barbeque grilled Sweetwater oysters with bourbon butter
The BBQ grilled oysters were delicately coated with bourbon butter which brought out even more of the smokiness and richness of the sweetwater oysters. If we had not just finished two dozen of the kumamotos we would have surely opted for more.
We are already planning our next visit and will surely try to book the oyster farm tour as well.
LOCATION
20215 Shoreline Highway,
Marshall,
CA 94940
HOURS
Hog Island Oyster Farm is open daily: 9:00am-5:00pm.
Hog Shack, retail sales: 9:00am-5:00pm.
Picnic Area: 10:00am-5:00pm, reservations required.
The Boat: 11:00am - 4:30pm M,F,S,S.
RESERVATION
Required for picnic tables and oyster farm tours. Picnic tables bookings available online at Picnic reservations or by phone at +1 415 663 9218.
To book oyster farm tours, email farm@hogislandoysters.com or by phone at +1 415 663 9218.
WEBSITE
MOST RECENT VISIT
August 15, 2014