For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu
PEI Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle
Cape Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil
Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar and
black pepper.

2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice with a
sea salt chaser. Great complexity and a perfect match with the Beau
Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. The 2005 Fevre was prototypical
Chablis with well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky
minerality and long smooth finish. Both wines were excellent choices.

Bi!! wrote on Fri, 2 Oct 2009 15:50:24 -0700 (PDT):

> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and
> 2006 William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
> New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and
> yuzu PEI Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle
> Cape Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil
> Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne
> vinegar and black pepper.

> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice
> with a sea salt chaser. Great complexity and a perfect match
> with the Beau Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. The 2005
> Fevre was prototypical Chablis with well defined fruit
> compnent, fresh lime, chalky minerality and long smooth
> finish. Both wines were excellent choices.

How were the oysters? I don't really care about the wines.


--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Bi!! wrote on Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:41:52 -0700 (PDT):

> On Oct 3, 8:41�am, Ed Rasimus > wrote:
>> On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 20:39:11 -0400, "James Silverton"
>>
>> > wrote:
> >> Bi!! �wrote �on Fri, 2 Oct 2009 15:50:24 -0700 (PDT):
>>
> >>> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex
> >>> and 2006 William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos". New Brunswick
> >>> Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu PEI
> >>> Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle Cape
> >>> Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and
> >>> basil Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry,
> >>> Champagne vinegar and black pepper.
>>
> >>> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon
> >>> juice with a sea salt chaser. � Great complexity and a
> >>> perfect match with the Beau Soliel and the Wellpoint
> >>> oysters. �The 2005 Fevre was prototypical Chablis with
> >>> well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky minerality
> >>> and long smooth finish. �Both wines were excellent
> >>> choices.
>>
> >> How were the oysters? I don't really care about the wines.
>>
>> I am totally envious. Here in the heartland of N. Texas, we
>> seldom get really primo oysters, although there are a couple
>> of places that specialize and will have some tolerable ones.
>>
>> But, I agree with James...how were the oysters? And, although
>> the condiments sound exotic and enticing, I'm getting that
>> Austrian King impression of Mozart, "too many notes."
>>

For myself, I don't really like elaborate sauces which overpower the
taste of fresh oysters; lemon juice or perhaps Sauce Mignonette are my
limit. Sauces are to disguise a lack of freshness, IMHO. I'd go for a
very dry white wine with them tho' I'll admit I've never tried
champagne. I've also enjoyed Guinness Export Special with oysters.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

On Oct 3, 11:03�am, "James Silverton" >
wrote:
> �Bi!! �wrote �on Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:41:52 -0700 (PDT):
>
>
>
>
>
> > On Oct 3, 8:41 am, Ed Rasimus > wrote:
> >> On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 20:39:11 -0400, "James Silverton"
>
> >> > wrote:
> > >> Bi!! wrote on Fri, 2 Oct 2009 15:50:24 -0700 (PDT):
>
> > >>> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex
> > >>> and 2006 William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos". New Brunswick
> > >>> Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu PEI
> > >>> Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle Cape
> > >>> Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and
> > >>> basil Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry,
> > >>> Champagne vinegar and black pepper.
>
> > >>> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon
> > >>> juice with a sea salt chaser. Great complexity and a
> > >>> perfect match with the Beau Soliel and the Wellpoint
> > >>> oysters. The 2005 Fevre was prototypical Chablis with
> > >>> well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky minerality
> > >>> and long smooth finish. Both wines were excellent
> > >>> choices.
>
> > >> How were the oysters? I don't really care about the wines.
>
> >> I am totally envious. Here in the heartland of N. Texas, we
> >> seldom get really primo oysters, although there are a couple
> >> of places that specialize and will have some tolerable ones.
>
> >> But, I agree with James...how were the oysters? And, although
> >> the condiments sound exotic and enticing, I'm getting that
> >> Austrian King impression of Mozart, "too many notes."
>
> For myself, I don't really like elaborate sauces which overpower the
> taste of fresh oysters; lemon juice or perhaps Sauce Mignonette are my
> limit. Sauces are to disguise a lack of freshness, IMHO. I'd go for a
> very dry white wine with them tho' I'll admit I've never tried
> champagne. I've also enjoyed Guinness Export Special with oysters.
>
> --
>
> James Silverton
> Potomac, Maryland
>
> Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

These really weren't sauces but for instance the Beau Soliel Oysters
had a few tiny matchsticks of radish, a drop of soy and a yuzu, just
enough to accompany and enhance the oyster flavor. I like Guinness
with oysters too but my prefernce is for a mineral and citrus driven
very dry white wine like Chablis or Sancerre. When in cities in the
U.S. known for seafood with ultra fresh oysters I like a squeeze of
lemon maybe a dash of tabasco and an ice cold pilsner style beer.

On Fri, 02 Oct 2009 15:50:24 -0700, Bi!! wrote:

> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
> William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
> New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu PEI
> Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle Cape Cod Wellfleet
> Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil Maine Glidden Point Oysters
> with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar and black pepper.
>
> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice with a
> sea salt chaser. Great complexity and a perfect match with the Beau
> Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. The 2005 Fevre was prototypical
> Chablis with well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky minerality
> and long smooth finish. Both wines were excellent choices.

Quote from one of my favorite volumes, The Gold Cook Book:

"Some people think that oysters are an amatory dish,
But scientist imply that this just an idle wish.

Who Cares however if it's truth or if it is a lie,
As long as oysters never lose their urge to multiply."

Godzilla

On Oct 3, 7:41*am, Ed Rasimus > wrote:

> I am totally envious. Here in the heartland of N. Texas, we seldom get
> really primo oysters, although there are a couple of places that
> specialize and will have some tolerable ones.

I also live in the central part of the country, and I do not trust raw
oysters at local stores or restaurants. However, good ones can be had,
but you will pay dearly for them. I have had the most experience with
live oysters from the Pacific. My favorite is Kumamoto that was
introduced from Japan and now is farmed in the Puget Sound and
elsewhere. There are several companies that will ship you live oysters
by air overnight. Although I have never ordered oysters from them, I
notice that Dean & Deluca sell an assortment of 42 Kumamoto, Pacific,
Virginica, and Olympia oysters for abut US$95, and overnight shipping
will add about$32 or slightly more. Apparently these oysters come from
Taylor Seafish who farms them in Puget Sound. With a little research,
you likely can find several other companies that ship raw oysters that
might be more to your liking or be lower priced. Perhaps one can hint
that this would be a nice holiday gift.

"James Silverton" > wrote in message
...
> Bi!! wrote on Sat, 3 Oct 2009 07:41:52 -0700 (PDT):
>
>> On Oct 3, 8:41?am, Ed Rasimus > wrote:
>>> On Fri, 2 Oct 2009 20:39:11 -0400, "James Silverton"
>>>
>>> > wrote:
>> >> Bi!! ?wrote ?on Fri, 2 Oct 2009 15:50:24 -0700 (PDT):
>>>
>> >>> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex
>> >>> and 2006 William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos". New Brunswick
>> >>> Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu PEI
>> >>> Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle Cape
>> >>> Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and
>> >>> basil Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry,
>> >>> Champagne vinegar and black pepper.
>>>
>> >>> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon
>> >>> juice with a sea salt chaser. ? Great complexity and a
>> >>> perfect match with the Beau Soliel and the Wellpoint
>> >>> oysters. ?The 2005 Fevre was prototypical Chablis with
>> >>> well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky minerality
>> >>> and long smooth finish. ?Both wines were excellent
>> >>> choices.
>>>
>> >> How were the oysters? I don't really care about the wines.
>>>
>>> I am totally envious. Here in the heartland of N. Texas, we
>>> seldom get really primo oysters, although there are a couple
>>> of places that specialize and will have some tolerable ones.
>>>
>>> But, I agree with James...how were the oysters? And, although
>>> the condiments sound exotic and enticing, I'm getting that
>>> Austrian King impression of Mozart, "too many notes."
>>>
>
> For myself, I don't really like elaborate sauces which overpower the taste
> of fresh oysters; lemon juice or perhaps Sauce Mignonette are my limit.
> Sauces are to disguise a lack of freshness, IMHO. I'd go for a very dry
> white wine with them tho' I'll admit I've never tried champagne. I've also
> enjoyed Guinness Export Special with oysters.
>
I had an Aussie friend who kept a shucking knife in his car. He'd drive
down to some rocky cove, wade out, grab an oyster and eat it while waste
deep in the water. You couldn't get them any fresher than that!
Graham

On Oct 3, 4:23�pm, Mike Tommasi > wrote:
> Ed Rasimus wrote:
> > On Sat, 3 Oct 2009 10:45:47 -0700 (PDT), cwdjrxyz
> > > wrote:
>
> >> On Oct 3, 7:41 am, Ed Rasimus > wrote:
>
> >>> I am totally envious. Here in the heartland of N. Texas, we seldom get
> >>> really primo oysters, although there are a couple of places that
> >>> specialize and will have some tolerable ones.
> >> I also live in the central part of the country, and I do not trust raw
> >> oysters at local stores or restaurants. However, good ones can be had,
> >> but you will pay dearly for them. I have had the most experience with
> >> live oysters from the Pacific. My favorite is Kumamoto that was
> >> introduced from Japan and now is farmed in the Puget Sound and
> >> elsewhere. There are several companies that will ship you live oysters
> >> by air overnight. Although I have never ordered oysters from them, I
> >> notice that Dean & Deluca sell an assortment �of 42 Kumamoto, Pacific,
> >> Virginica, and Olympia oysters for abut US$95, and overnight shipping
> >> will add about$32 or slightly more. Apparently these oysters come from
> >> Taylor Seafish who farms them in Puget Sound. With a little research,
> >> you likely can find several other companies that ship raw oysters that
> >> might be more to your liking or be lower priced. Perhaps one can hint
> >> that this would be a nice holiday gift.
>
> > Ahhh, you underestimate me or maybe over-estimate. Several years ago
> > when I was much younger, I fearlessly attacked oysters within their
> > fortress with only a dish towel to grip and a oyster knife from
> > Seppuku-R-Us. I determined unequivocally that this is not the optimum
> > oyster experience.
>
> > My first choice is a fine restaurant with a knowledgeable server to
> > explain the nuances of the proffered varieties, then a professional to
> > free the delicate creatures from their secure surroundings and display
> > them on a bed of shaved ice presented for my approval and consumption.
> > The second choice is the east coast and Florida establishment called a
> > "raw bar". There you usually find a collection of nubile college-age
> > cuties who are too sophisticated to work at Hooters. You sit at the
> > bar and either order a fixed number or simply say to shuck til' I say
> > stop.
>
> > Nice crisp white wine at the former; ice cold pilsner at the latter.
>
> > It is easier on my healthcare policy and I get a lot more oysters for
> > a lot less blood, sweat and tears.
>
> How about some Gillardeau oysters.
>
> Er, dumb question maybe, but with all those sauces, are we talking raw
> or cooked?
>
> --
> Mike Tommasi - Six Fours, France
> email linkhttp://www.tommasi.org/mymail- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -

Raw. They weren't sauces but tiny garnishes.....and I mean tiny.

"Bi!!" > wrote in message
...
> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
> William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
> New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu
> PEI Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle
> Cape Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil
> Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar and
> black pepper.
>
> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice with a
> sea salt chaser. Great complexity and a perfect match with the Beau
> Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. The 2005 Fevre was prototypical
> Chablis with well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky
> minerality and long smooth finish. Both wines were excellent choices.

Hi Bill

Here in NZ we have four different species of oyster growing.

The two commercially available varieties are -

Pacific Oyster - Crassostrea gigas.
Bluff Oyster - Tiostrea chilensis.

Also growing, but restricted in their availability are -

NZ Rock Oyster (identical to Sydney Rock Oyster from Australia) - Saccostrea
glomerata.
and the Mangrove Oyster - Crassostrea gasar.

They are truly distinctly different in shell and flesh apprearance as well
as taste.

I have spent a few minutes visiting my friend Google, and have ascertained
that the four oysters you tried are all of the same species - American /
Eastern Oyster - Crassostrea Virginica.

So, am I right in assuming that any differences you perceived were the
subtle differences gained from the respective growing environments?

--

st.helier

st.helier wrote on Sun, 4 Oct 2009 11:47:19 +1300:


> "Bi!!" > wrote in message
> ...
>> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
>> William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos". New Brunswick Beau
>> Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu PEI Malpeque
>> Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle Cape Cod
>> Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil Maine
>> Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar
>> and black pepper.
>>
>> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon
>> juice with a sea salt chaser. Great complexity and a
>> perfect match with the Beau Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters.
>> The 2005 Fevre was prototypical Chablis with well defined
>> fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky minerality and long smooth
>> finish. Both wines were excellent choices.

> Hi Bill

> Here in NZ we have four different species of oyster growing.

> The two commercially available varieties are -

> Pacific Oyster - Crassostrea gigas.
> Bluff Oyster - Tiostrea chilensis.

> Also growing, but restricted in their availability are -

> NZ Rock Oyster (identical to Sydney Rock Oyster from
> Australia) - Saccostrea glomerata.
> and the Mangrove Oyster - Crassostrea gasar.

> They are truly distinctly different in shell and flesh
> apprearance as well as taste.

> I have spent a few minutes visiting my friend Google, and have
> ascertained that the four oysters you tried are all of the
> same species - American / Eastern Oyster - Crassostrea
> Virginica.

> So, am I right in assuming that any differences you perceived were the
> subtle differences gained from the respective growing
> environments?

I did not know that there were so many types of edible oyster, if
Wikipedia is correct.

<quote>
True oysters are members of the family Ostreidae. This family includes
the edible oysters, which mainly belong to the genera Ostrea,
Crassostrea, Ostreola and Saccostrea. Examples include the Belon oyster,
eastern oyster, Olympia oyster, Pacific oyster, Sydney rock oyster and
the Wellfleet oyster
<endquote>

Note that the Wellfleet oyster is differentiated from the Eastern
oyster. There are certainly very different looking oysters available in
Europe: Portoguese oysters, Brittany oysters (are these the same as
Belons?), English Channel oysters etc.

Nonetheless, when fresh they are all very good!




--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

graham wrote:
> "James Silverton" > wrote in message

>> For myself, I don't really like elaborate sauces which overpower the taste
>> of fresh oysters; lemon juice or perhaps Sauce Mignonette are my limit.
>> Sauces are to disguise a lack of freshness, IMHO. I'd go for a very dry
>> white wine with them tho' I'll admit I've never tried champagne. I've also
>> enjoyed Guinness Export Special with oysters.
>>
> I had an Aussie friend who kept a shucking knife in his car. He'd drive
> down to some rocky cove, wade out, grab an oyster and eat it while waste
> deep in the water. You couldn't get them any fresher than that!

Wouldn't they have been even better without that waste deep in the
water?

--
You'd be crazy to e-mail me with the crazy. But leave the div alone.

On Oct 2, 6:50*pm, "Bi!!" > wrote:
> For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
> William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
> New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu
> PEI Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle
> Cape Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil
> Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar and
> black pepper.
>
> 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice with a
> sea salt chaser. * Great complexity and a perfect match with the Beau
> Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. *The 2005 Fevre was prototypical
> Chablis with well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky
> minerality and long smooth finish. *Both wines were excellent choices.

Nice! Dagueneau sounds great, Fevre too.
I need to get a glove, I've avoided accidents so far.
While there might be 2nd tier places that use sauces to hide less than
fresh, this kind of sauce/garnish can be quite exciting in a top
place. One of my favorite courses at a omikaze meal at Nobu a few
years ago was Kumamotos 3 ways- a Maui onion relish, a jalapeno-ponsu
sauce, and a Champagne vinagrette.

On Oct 3, 6:47�pm, "st.helier" > wrote:
> "Bi!!" > wrote in message
>
> ...
>
> > For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
> > William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
> > New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu
> > PEI Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle
> > Cape Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil
> > Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar and
> > black pepper.
>
> > 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice with a
> > sea salt chaser. � Great complexity and a perfect match with the Beau
> > Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. �The 2005 Fevre was prototypical
> > Chablis with well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky
> > minerality and long smooth finish. �Both wines were excellent choices.
>
> Hi Bill
>
> Here in NZ we have four different species of oyster growing.
>
> The two commercially available varieties are -
>
> Pacific Oyster - Crassostrea gigas.
> Bluff Oyster - Tiostrea chilensis.
>
> Also growing, but restricted in their availability are -
>
> NZ Rock Oyster (identical to Sydney Rock Oyster from Australia) - Saccostrea
> glomerata.
> and the Mangrove Oyster - Crassostrea gasar.
>
> They are truly distinctly different in shell and flesh apprearance as well
> as taste.
>
> I have spent a few minutes visiting my friend Google, and have ascertained
> that the four oysters you tried are all of the same species - American /
> Eastern Oyster - Crassostrea Virginica.
>
> So, am I right in assuming that any differences you perceived were the
> subtle differences gained from the respective growing environments?
>
> --
>
> st.helier

You are correct but they looked entirely diferent from one another in
size, shell shape, texture and color. I assume the differences were
in the (forgive me) terroir. The Crassostrea Virginica is probably
the most widely available but we also get Ostreo Edulis (Belon) in the
east and we have a few different species from the pacific coast
although Crassotrea Virginica are also harvested from the Pacific. We
tend to name them from the place that they come from like French wines.

On Oct 3, 9:39�pm, DaleW > wrote:
> On Oct 2, 6:50�pm, "Bi!!" > wrote:
>
> > For lunch today we did an oyster tasting with 2005 Silex and 2006
> > William Fevre Chablis "Le Clos".
> > New Brunswick Beau Soliel Oysters with black radish, soy and yuzu
> > PEI Malpeque Oysters with mango, lime, honey and chipotle
> > Cape Cod Wellfleet Oysters with micro tomato, lemon and basil
> > Maine Glidden Point Oysters with red raspberry, Champagne vinegar and
> > black pepper.
>
> > 2005 Silex Pouilly Fume was like a squirt of fresh lemon juice with a
> > sea salt chaser. � Great complexity and a perfect match with the Beau
> > Soliel and the Wellpoint oysters. �The 2005 Fevre was prototypical
> > Chablis with well defined fruit compnent, fresh lime, chalky
> > minerality and long smooth finish. �Both wines were excellent choices.
>
> Nice! Dagueneau sounds great, Fevre too.
> I need to get a glove, I've avoided accidents so far.
> While there might be 2nd tier places that use sauces to hide less than
> fresh, this kind of sauce/garnish can be quite exciting in a top
> place. One of my favorite courses at a omikaze meal at Nobu a few
> years ago was Kumamotos 3 ways- a Maui onion relish, a jalapeno-ponsu
> sauce, and a Champagne vinagrette.

Like Ed, I tend to seek out small dumpy oyster bars on the wharf or
near the source and roll up my sleeves, squeeze of lemon, maybe a dash
of tabasco and a cold beer but the garishes can really be fun and
interesting at places with talented chefs. I must say though that
fresh raspberries and oysters did not match well.