Friday, June 21, 2013

Oyster Trip Summer 2013

It seems an entire year went by with nothing exciting to post, but I’m back! Summer 2013 has just begun & I celebrated it with friends on a day trip for Oysters, Ocean & Sun…2 outta 3 ain't bad.
None of us had ever been to the Point Reyes part of California, home to many Oyster farms. My love of these delicious little delicacies inspired this excursion where our first destination happened to be the Marin French Cheese Co.  Little tasty samples of their cheese were placed about and we sampled & bought for a later picnic lunch. Try the mild & buttery Petite Breakfast….my favorite by far. We continued on to Hwy 1 towards Marshall, home of the Marshall Store & the most delicious Oysters I have had to date. In planning this trip, I was torn between the popular Tomales Bay picnic area, Hogs Island & the ever famous Drakes Bay. Well, as it turns out a lot of Yelping and Googling goes a long way & I unexpectedly came upon this gem! The Marshall Store had great reviews on service and location and they were right on. About 15 minutes North of Tomales Bay (which was insanely crowded) we pulled into the little market & quickly took our place in line. We were lucky enough to find a picnic bench right away & we parked it and waited (only about 7-10 minutes) for the plates of oysters to arrive. I chose the ½ dozen BBQ with Marshall Store Special Sauce and the ½ dozen raw served with the house mignonette. We sipped beer and slurped shell fish, taking in the view and the occasional sun. It was amazing! This little shack met every expectation I had and more.

A while later we headed back on Hwy 1 towards Stinson for some relaxing and well deserved beach time. I needed the sand between my toes like a hermit crab needs a shell…you get my point. Careful not to run over any of the hundreds of bikers on the road, we safely made it to the beach and spread out for some napping, eating, drinking and dog watching. I have mentioned before my love of Stinson! My soul was calmed, at home with the ocean; I swear I was a mermaid. To end our day venture we bellied up to the bar at the Sand Dollar to listen to some piano and grab a cocktail. It was just what we needed to end our summer kick off and it definitely won’t be the last road trip I take for oysters! 
Raw with Mignonette
BBQ



Dog Days of Summer


CHEERS!