Saving Laurel: America's Oldest Oyster Boat

Picture of the original Laurel at an oyster convention in 1930.

America's oldest oyster boat is getting a reboot - and its reincarnation is the ultimate in oyster cool.  Here's the quick history:  The Laurel was built in 1891 and harvested loads of oysters in and around Long Island Sound, the Great Peconic Bay, the Great South Bay, New York Harbor, and a few points north and south.  In her day, she made the oystermen swoon and the rest of 'em jealous.  As all of us girls do, she started showing her age in recent years - sagging, peeling and losing her beauty.  She was set to be destroyed.  Along came Jean Paul Vellotti, a photographer who came upon the boat by happenstance while on assignment.  It was love at first sight and he couldn't let her go.  He came up with a plan ... and here's where it gets interesting:

Vellotti is turning the boat into a floating oyster bar serving fresh oysters - the only one of it's kind in the U.S.  "We were on the deck and someone said we should throw a party, and I thought yes, and an oyster raw bar would be appropriate. The idea just sort of stuck," he says. While Velotti will be importing some oysters from the West Coast, local highlights will incude Connecticut Blue Points, East Point Delaware Bay oysters and oysters from Thimble Island Oyster Company.

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Recent picture of the Laurel

All of this oyster chic comes at a cost.  Restoring the boat is expensive.  Vellotti needs to rebuild the deck planks before he can safely serve customers.  I thought the oyster lovers at Oyster Stew could give him a hand.  The Laurel's Kickstarter campaign has already raised more than $4,300, but they need much more.  (Kickstarter is funding projects from movies to new technology to charitable events.)  In return, Vellotti has set up some great gifts for his kick starters.  I would pay double for a chance to participate in some of these.  

• Give $35: Receive a 5x7 picture frame made from reclaimed deck planks from the Laurel
• Give $50: Get 2 dozen oysters + 2 cold drinks on the house.
• Give $250: Engrave your name on one of the new planks.
• Give: $500: Spend a day on the water with 2-3 guests catching oysters.  When you're done, you can pack and take 200 oysters with you.
• Give $800: Take a cooking class on the deck of the Laurel with 8-10 friends.
• Give $5000: Hold a private event for 16-20 people, including a raw bar and a farm-to-table dinner

Vellotti made a video for his Kickstarter campaign.  I'm sharing it with you because he tells his story better than I ever could.

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The boat will be based out of New Haven, Conn., but Vellotti will also be traveling with the Laurel.  Check his Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/Laurel1891) or follow him on Twitter @Laurel1891 for updates to the schedule.  Once they get up and running, they should have a schedule of ports, so people will know when and where to find the Laurel.  Here's the events currently on the calendar:  

June 28-30: The Wooden Boat Show, Mystic, CT
July 12-14: Sailfest, New London, CT
August: Sage Oyster Bar, New Haven
Sept. 6-8: Norwalk Oyster Festival
Sept. 21-23: Greenport, Long Island, NY Maritime Festival

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Laurel - America's oldest oyster boat.  I'm adding this to my oyster bucket list.

Oyster Girls Know How to Have Fun!

Oyster Girls - Jazmine, Elka, Tamara 

Some people just make you smile. That's how I felt when I found The Oyster Girls - sisters Aluxa and Jazmine Lalicker. They are everything a good oyster should be: mysterious, sexy, fun ... and hard working.  Who are The Oyster Girls?  They are the genius behind a mobile oyster bar.  Traveling mostly through the San Franciso Bay area, the sisters set up oyster bars for parties, corporate events and weddings.  Their oysters come from the Tomales Bay (famous for Hog Island oysters).  But it's not a grab-and-go relationship.  They actually work out on the Tomales Bay Oyster Co. oyster nursery, watching their oysters grow from spat to the "perfect designer half shell oyster."

Here's my cyber-chat with these ostreaphile chicas:

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What gave you the idea for this company?

My mother always fostered creativity and ideas. She raised two girls that could dream and not be deathly afraid to fail. This lead us to spending many nights coming up with business ideas for fun. Most of them presented just for the silliness of the idea and others for the "strike it rich" dream. The Oyster Girls was an idea that seemed very attainable, fun and satisfying. We just kind of dived into it and used all the skills we had acquired and we have learned many more along the way. It is not easy to run your own business but I like the risk. It is a better way to gamble away your hard earned money - that is how I see it. And so far things are looking alright for us.

Aluxa Lalicker (co-owner, The Oyster Girls) and Liz

What's your favorite oyster tidbit that you share with customers that always surprises them?
Most people are surprised to find out that oysters are a live product. But obviously we don't like to weird people out at the oyster bar, so we wait for people to ask us questions and we focus on "entertainment" like telling bivalve jokes. ...

Do you know what an oyster girl does on her night off? rock-er-fella

You offer wine, beer and booze tastings.  What's your favorite(s) drinks to pair with oysters?  Do you choose the same for East Coast or West Coast oysters?
We are a unique oyster bar in the fact that we only offer local oysters grown in Tomales Bay. We are lucky to live in an area where we can get such an delicious array of local wines and micro-brews so it is hard to pick a favourite. Jaz is the bubble girl and I am a beer girl! As for booze, I like a splash of cucumber vodka on my oyster, topped with zest of a Meyer lemon.  As for the pairing parties, our clients provide the drink and we create the sauces and provide the fresh oysters.

Is there anything on your oyster bucket list?
Since I just had sashimi geoduck the next thing would be .....to go to New Orleans! A year after we had already decided on a name for the business we discovered that The Oyster Girl was also a famous burlesque show in the 1940's  .... she can still be found on stage today. [Editor's Note: Click here to find out more about Evangeline the Oyster Girl.]

What's your favorite recipe for an oyster shooter?  
This is going to sound simple but the secret is in the garlic. LOTS of garlic, dash of Tabasco, fresh horseradish and some tomato puree. O and vodka of course.

What were the first oysters you ever ate?
I don't remember what kind it was, but I do remember I was on a date with my grandfather who was taking me out to teach me the etiquette of dating. At the age of 12 he took me to a fancy oyster house, Oyster Rockefeller in Tulsa Oklahoma. I loved them! On my 21st birthday the only thing I wanted to do was enjoy a plate of oysters on the half shell while sipping a cold beer in public :) and that is what I did back at the same restaurant my grandfather took me too.

Jazmine Lalicker
Co-owner of The Oyster Girls

Besides Tomales Bay oysters, what are your favorite oysters?
I favor any oyster that has come straight out of the water. The fewer the days, hours or minutes between being out of the water and being shucked and slurped, the better the oyster! I truly love them all. I love the differences you can taste in oysters from around the world. I love the briniest oyster as much as the mineral sweet flavors just as much as the sweetest melon flavor.

Good luck ladies!  Can't wait to shuck oysters with you soon.

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The Oyster Girls

San Francisco Bay Area

info@theoystergirls.com

707-694-3755

www.theoystergirls.com

Free Oysters for Life

BBQ Oysters at The Red Fish Grill
Photo Courtesy of The Red Fish Grill

Quick post today. Just wanted to let you know about a fun contest from New Orlean's Ralph Brennan.  The Red Fish Grill is about to open their 3 MILLIONTH OYSTER.  They are celebrating by offering one lucky oyster lover the chance to win a dozen oysters everyday for life - prepared anyway you want them. You have to actually go to the restaurant to get your daily prize, but lots of Oyster Stew readers visit New Orleans regularly to get their oyster fix. (It also looks like you can take $1000 cash instead.)

Click here for the online entry form or visit www.redfishgrill.com/3millionbbqoysters. It's easy. Just enter your name, email address, and phone number. The entry form also asks for which way your like your oysters cooked and which sauces and seasonings you like with your oysters.

Good luck!

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The Red Fish Grill

115 Bourbon St.

New Orleans, LA

504.598.1200

www.redfishgrill.com

Oyster Bucket List: 25 Top Oyster Experiences

I talk a lot about my Oyster Bucket List on this blog.  Until now, it's always been an informal list bouncing around in my head of oyster-related things I want to do.  I finally decided to write it down, make it real, and share it with my favorite oyster people at Oyster Stew.  I've had the honor of checking off the first one. Can't wait to plan for the rest!

TOP 25 OYSTER EXPERIENCES

• Visit the country's oldest restaurant: Union Street Oyster House.
• Visit Island Creek Oyster Bar and Island Creek Oyster Farm.
• Visit Hama Hama Oyster Farm and pick/dig my own oysters.  Eat 'em.
• Kayak through Tomales Bay and eat oysters right out of the water.  
• Visit Hog Island Oyster Farm and Shuck My Own Picnic.  
• Cook a 30-minute oyster meal with Rachael Ray.
• Eat fresh Belon oysters in Cancale, France.  Make a stop at the Ferme Marine Musee de l'Huitre - a museum dedicated just to oysters.
• Judge an oyster eating contest.
• Shuck oysters at Acme Oyster House.
• Tong for Apalachicola oysters in Apalachicola Bay.
• Eat Olympia oysters at Elliott's Oyster House in Seattle, WA.
• Visit the pearl farm at J. Hunter Pearls in Fiji.
• See an original turkey oyster plate from the Hayes administration.
• Try an oyster loaf at Casamento's in New Orleans.
• Stop by Marlow & Sons restaurant in Brooklyn when Dodge Coves are in season.
• Enjoy a dozen oysters at Pearl Oyster Bar in Greenwich Village.  
• Eat Miyagi oysters at the counter of Swan Oyster Depot in San Francisco.
• Drive north from San Francisco and enjoy oysters roadside at the Marshall Store and at the Tomales Bay Oyster Company.
• Eat until I'm stuffed at Grand Central Oyster Bar & Restaurant in NYC.  Plan visit when Rhode Island Moonstones are on the menu.
• Visit Rodney's Oyster House in Toronto.
• Visit the inspiration for the Seamus Heaney poem "Oysters" at Moran Oyster Cottage in Galway, Ireland.
• Eat at the Mandarin Grill + Bar in Hong Kong.
• Visit the Oyster & Wine Bar in Kowloon and eat as many of the 800 oysters they serve every day.  Hope that the Gillardeaus are on the menu.
• Eat Sydney Rocks at the Boathouse on Blackwattle Bay in Australia.  Cross my fingers that Tasmania oysters are also on the menu.
• Put on something fancy and enjoy an oyster or two at Wilton's in London

There are actually 100's of oyster farms, restaurants, people and experiences that are on my mental list. My official bucket list is a mix of classics and my own desires.  Please let me know what else you would include on the list.

Oysters and ... kiwi?

Oysters and kiwi. I stumbled on this pair when I was researching the health benefits of oysters (there are tons, and I can't wait to share soon). Researchers have discovered that smell is a much bigger influence on taste than previously thought. In fact, 80% of a food's taste comes from smell. Only 20% comes from taste buds on the tongue. Which makes sense if you've ever had a cold ... nothing seems to taste good. So why oysters and kiwi?  The theory is that if two foods have the same volatile compounds that produce food aroma, they'll taste good together.  Oysters and kiwi reportedly share 18 of the same compounds, which should make them an ideal match.

Here's some more of the crazy combos the food wizards have suggested:

• Pineapple and Blue Cheese
• Banana and Parsley
• Cauliflower and Cocoa
• Chili Paste and Dried Apricot
• White Chocolate and Caviar
• Mint and Mustard
• Strawberry and Coriander
• Tomato and Black Tea

I don't know about mint and mustard, but I decided - for Oyster Stew - to give the oyster and kiwi taste combo a whirl.

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OYSTERS AND DICED KIWI

First, I tried oysters on the half shell with diced kiwis.  I shucked a fresh Topsail Sound oyster and diced a couple of slices of kiwi.  It looked pretty - but I definitely was unsure. Slurp.

You know what, I really liked it.  I could have been imagining the shared compounds, but they definitely mixed well.  Briny oysters probably work best to get the sour/salty balance right.  I would (and will) serve these for an appetizer soon.

Oyster with diced kiwi

OYSTER AND KIWI JUICE

Second, I tried it with kiwi juice. I put a whole kiwi in a food processor and pureed it. Then, I put it through a strainer and ended up with a little bit of kiwi juice. It was a lot of work and I didn't like it nearly as well. It also looks a little funky. This was definitely a "one and done" for me.

Oyster with fresh kiwi juice

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WHO THOUGHT OF THIS?

A few people have claimed to have thought up the concept, but as far as I can tell, the movement gained momentum when Francois Benzi (a flavor chemist) and Heston Blumenthal (master chef) started messing around with concoctions, made a few new discoveries and took them from the lab to real people.

From their work, many chefs have featured their food pairings in their own restaurants and cookbooks. Here's an interview with Chef David Bouley on CBS This Morning: Saturday (Dec. 29, 2012) describing his recommendations for a New Year's dinner using a few unusual pairings, including kiwi and Wellfleet oysters.  (Sorry, it starts with a 30-sec. ad.)

For you brainiacs, check out this great article from Chemical & Engineering News that further explains the phenomenon.

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Picture by Jean Pierre Gabriel
From L'air du Temps Restaurant
Eghezee, Belgium

I have searched the Internet for oyster and kiwi recipes and the only one I found was on blog.foodpairing.com for a dish made in Belgium. It lists sepia paste, tara gum and methlycellulose as ingredients as well.  It's beautiful and probably tastes delicious, but I'm looking for something a little more ... simple.  If you create an oyster and kiwi dish, please let me know.  I'd like to see what you come up with and would love to share it with the readers of Oyster Stew.

New Products: Monogrammed Buckets, Leather Holsters and Oyster Aprons

Monogrammed Oyster Buckets
Harbor Island Oyster Co. (www.harborislandoyster.com_

In addition to writing and researching for this blog, I also run Harbor Island Oyster Co. (www.harborislandoyster.com) - the premier stop for engraved oyster knives, oyster accessories and oyster gifts.  As promised, Oyster Stew readers get first dibs on new products and special offers.  We just introduced three new products this week and I wanted you to be the first to know.

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LEATHER HOLSTER

Leather Holster for Harbor Island Oyster Co. Signature Engraved Oyster Knives

We are all pinching ourselves with how beautiful these leather sheaths are.  We worked for months to find just the right leather artisan to create a leather holster (or sheath) as beautiful as our Signature engraved oyster knives.  Tucked away in a small town in Wisconsin, we finally found Charles Smith, a leather craftsman who is meticulous about the details. Thread your belt through the leather loop on the holster and drop in your knife.  The more you use it, the better the patina. Each holster is hand cut, hand dyed and hand stitched. We don't know for sure, but we think we're the only company that offers a fresh choice for the girls; the holsters come in two colors, Southern Brown for the guys or Magenta for the girls.  Order in the next week, and we'll take $5 for each sheath. These will sell out quickly so be sure to get your order in soon.  Father's Day and graduations are right around the corner ... Click here to order now.

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MONOGRAMMED OYSTER BUCKETS

Monogrammed Party Bucket

Too cute ... and can be used for so much more than collecting oyster shells.  We love these buckets around the office to hold office supplies.  At home, I use them to sort toys.  And I just used them at a party to hold water bottles and juice boxes.  You can choose a monogram or name (up to 10 letters).  Choose from blue stripes with green lettering or red stripes with blue lettering.  I'm thinking Mother's Day for the organized moms/wives in your life and definitely order a few for collecting oysters shells at your next roast.  Click here to order now.

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OYSTER APRONS

I Speak Oyster Aprons

Oyster Whisperers - you know who you are ... Our "I Speak Oyster" aprons will talk to the oyster lovers in your life.  They make terrific hostess gifts at your next roast, or buy one for yourself to identify yourself to other oyster gurus.  Comes in two colors: black and white.
















Special bonus for those who read to the end: use the coupon code OYSTERBLOG before March 20, 2013 and receive 15% off your entire order.  As always, we offer free shipping, free engraving, free velvet bags with all of our Signature knives, exceptional customer service and guaranteed products.  Order early for Mother's Day, Father's Day, Graduations and all the Spring birthdays.  Enjoy!