Necee Regis: Travel Writer, Food Writer, Artist and Oyster Fan
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Extraordinary Oysters at The Ordinary

1/4/2015

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Happy Oysterlicious New Year!

If anyone happens to be visiting Charleston, S.C. this year, make sure you visit The Ordinary, a must-visit “fancy seafood/oyster hall” located in a renovated, spacious and elegant old bank building.

I loved everything about this place: the ambiance (casual and elegant); the service (friendly but not intrusive); and the simple yet creative menu featuring cold and hot small seafood plates, salads, soups and three large plates and—of course--oysters. It would not be an exaggeration to say—after tasting the grilled octopus with potato, eggplant and Meyer lemon—that I lusted for every item on the menu.
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We settled in at six-seat marble oyster bar in the far end of the restaurant where, behind the shuckers, one can see into the kitchen through the doors of the former bank vault.
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We ordered a cocktail, and eyed a  familiar selection of bivalves from NS (Wallace Bay); PEI (Summerside); MA (Honeysuckle, Katama Bay); and ME (Pemaquid) nestled on crushed ice. We were most intrigued by two additional offerings from SC, Caper’s Blades, and Coosaw Cups.
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We sampled a selection of each—all perfectly shucked—and were most surprised by the SC offerings.

The Coosaw Cups were meaty and sweet with a light brine start and long slight-iron finish.
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Equally yummy—and perhaps my fave—were the Caper’s Blades. Check out these beautiful, elongated shells! Nicely salty and sweet, the finish was earthy and funky with hints of seaweed. Our first-class shucker, whose name I sadly neglected to write down, provided some background info on these tasty bivalves. 

Located just northeast of Charleston, at Caper’s Inlet on the Isle of Palms, a guy named “Clammer Dave” farms clams and oysters. Nearby tidal bays and creeks add the distinctive “merrior” flavor to the meat.

From the website: 

“Oysters grow in clusters in elongated shells, locally known as "Blades". Sustainable cultivation is simply removing the large ones and always leaving the small. Hand harvested, they are uniquely reduced to singles by a method of chisel and stone…in continuation of the sustainable practice dating back 300 years.”

After harvest, clams and oysters are held in floating racks in the highly oxygenated surface water to purge grit from the shell and stomach. The last step in the process involves a pressure wash before they hand graded and packed for shipping.

At some point I’d love to visit this farm and check out the operations. Until then, I’ll keep an eye out for Caper’s Coves on future oyster expeditions.
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(The Ordinary, 554 King St., Charleston, SC, 843-414-7060)
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Oysters, Maine Aquaculture, and a Food & Wine Festival

10/25/2013

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I spent an ab-fab evening at opening night for the 6th Annual Harvest on the Harbor, a food and wine festival in Portland, Maine (Oct 23-26). Almost 20 restaurateurs and chefs, and almost 30 beer, wine, and spirits purveyors offered delectable samples of foods celebrating the bounty of Maine. Of course, I made a beeline to the table with oysters: the Maine Aquaculture Seafood and Raw Bar. And what beauties they were!

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John Hennessey—whose family farm in West Bath has been operating for more than 300 years—cracked open some premium Winter Points. Grown in ocean water in Mill Cove, on the bottom (not in bags), they were plump, crisp, briny and sweet, definitely benefiting from big tides and clean waters.
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What was also remarkable was how scrubbed and clean the shells were. “If I don’t want to shuck it, I won’t sell it,” said Hennessey.
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Also on shucking duty was Sebastian Belle, executive director of the Maine Aquiculture Association, an organization dedicated to sustainable seafood that represents 180 farms in the state including oysters, mussels, clams, salmon, cod and halibut. “What is unique about Maine is that we have so many different kinds of farms,” said Belle.

Belle was shucking Pemaquids from the Damariscotta River. Briny and bright, they were perfectly plump and full of flavor, and went well with a sip of Joseph Drouhin Chablis that I found at the Dreyfus Ashby & Co. table.
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The Harvest on the Harbor festival is still happening—so if you’re in the area around Portland make sure to check it out.
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    Necee Regis

    I grew up spending part of every summer in Wellfleet, Massachusetts, which included eating many oysters. After stumbling into an oyster shucking competition in Miami Beach in 2006, I’ve become a fan of the sport and have written about local, national, and international competitions for the Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, American Way Magazine, and the Huffington Post. I've also written oyster-centric stories for Rustik and Modern Farmer.  I’ve never met an oyster I didn’t want to eat.

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