26152 Thu Oct 16 08:11:13 -0700 2003 34 1 San Francisco Bay Area 0 105915 This place is very disappointing ! The oyster was very salty and lacks flavor. We got the small Hog Island and the Kumamoto oysters. Not sure if it's because of the season. Not worth the 2 hrs drive of winding road. It cost like $30 for 50 pcs. We threw away many of them because it was just not worth shucking them. I also think that it maybe well worth the extra cost to buy them at a nice roadside restaurant. The farm is smelly and unappetizing. Shucking oyster is NOT easy at all and probably not worth it. I had to use a screwdriver and a hammer to open those things and it works very well. Forget the shucking knife unless you have 12 inch round biceps to oepn it up and willing to risk your limbs. Thu Oct 16 08:11:13 -0700 2003 0 Han Lukito 1 105922 Oh no! What a pity to have to have thrown out all of those oysters! I'm sorry your experience was disappointing. I've been to Hog Island twice--once with the Chowhounds in September, and then with another group before that. The former visit, a fella 'hound showed me the secret to shucking and on the latter visit, a kind person shucked for me. No dining experience is fun if you can't get at your food! I can see that the farm might be unappealing to some--can be loud and crowded. And, yes, it smells of oysters and the bay. On a beautiful day, when you're having lots of luck with the oysters and a good table and your fellow patrons are behaving themselves, it can be lovely just to be outdoors and feel festive and pic-nic-y. Nothing is for everyone, though, and obviously this was not for you under the conditions you described. I hope someone else on the board can recommend another wonderful spot for oysters for you. Up that way, I always like the Olema Farm House, but largely for the atmosphere, and I am by no means an oyster expert... I think someone on the Board recommended the Marshall store just up the road from Hog Island, so, maybe you can give that a whirl next time. I did like the homemade BBQ sauce at that store... :( ~TDQ Thu Oct 16 09:46:32 -0700 2003 105915 0 The Dairy Queen 2 105923 I like Tony's, just up the road a piece. The atmosphere is halfway between fish shack and restaurant. Get some fried oysters or fish and chips and a mug of beer and there you are! Thu Oct 16 10:01:16 -0700 2003 105922 0 Sharuf 3 105990 Sorry you didn't like the oysters, I know that just a short month or two ago they were a little creamy at HI, I don't mind them a little like that. I will say that the different sizes are all slightly different in tastes and texture as well as the genentic origin of the species of oyster. I find the HI's to have a little mineral flavor with a little cucumber in the finnish. Salty, well... it is fresh out of the ocean. Yes by far the best oyster I've had were Belon #3s in Paris in spring. The worst, 10 for a buck in New Orleans, So damn big and the MUDDY flavor. Well to each his own. By the way they all taste different in Tomales Bay from each farm due to farming practices and species. Thu Oct 16 19:46:44 -0700 2003 105923 0 fredinski 4 106057 Here's a link to my note on the oysters I had in Lyon in March 2001. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/263388#1391321 Image: http://home.earthlink.net/~melainewong/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/lyonoysterwinebreakfast.jpg Fri Oct 17 16:18:10 -0700 2003 105990 0 Melanie Wong 2 105929 A friend of mine who has eaten lots of oysters (fine de clair, kumamoto, etc) was truly disappointed. I was embarrassed when he says "I don't trust your hounds anymore !" All I could say was maybe we ate at the wrong seasons. But he knows that some of the hounds said that it has to be months ending with an R. Thu Oct 16 11:57:03 -0700 2003 105922 0 Han Lukito 3 105935 I will make this a little more complicated for you, or maybe explain things so you can understand. "R" months are the rule of thumb because "R" months are usually cooler months. I have never met an oyster that could read a calendar, but I suspect they do feel different water temperatures. We have two currents off our coast, the California Current and the Japan Current. The CA current is cold water, the Japan Current is warm water. Usually the Japan current is 30-60 miles offshore, since late June the Japan current has been ~5-30 miles offshore. Thu Oct 16 12:24:42 -0700 2003 105929 0 Alan 3 106270 That "months ending in 'R'" business is pretty much an East coast rule, because the Atlantic is so much warmer than the Pacific. Unless there is a major heat wave, that wasn't likely affecting the Hog Island oysters you've complained about. I think you just had a bad day, because I've had their oysters twice and they were delightful. And yes, I do know what a good oyster tastes like. A good oyster is as sexy as it gets. Tue Oct 21 11:25:10 -0700 2003 105929 0 Tana 4 106298 On the east coast one can use the rule of "r", but only because in the summer months the oysters are breeding and tend to be soft, fat and milky. They are edible though. Tue Oct 21 14:32:31 -0700 2003 106270 0 alan s 2 105934 I posted our trip experience a few weeks down the thread. We had a good time. Have to admit only the kummoto was good, the other kind we got (sweetwater wasn't). But, it wasn't hard shucking, three girls did it pretty decently. I think you have to get the nack of it... but then again, we viewed it as an experience just not eating oyster. If one wants to have oyster served to then on a platter, then of coures you don't want to go there. The point of Hog Oyster is the outdorr, the shuck it yourself, and the releative low cost. We were told that it's saliter than restaurant oysters because it's so fresh out of the ocean. We really enjoyed ourselves. But then everyone has different expectations and are entitled to their opinions. I think each person who takes a fellow chowhound's advice/review do so as their own risk. We don't proclaim to be the be all and end all on food expertise. We just take that extra step to share with others what we personally liked and disliked. Thu Oct 16 12:19:49 -0700 2003 105922 0 Wendy Lai 3 105949 I really appreciate the posts whether or not it leads to a good chow for me personally. It's all subjective anyways. But my usual precaution this time fails - several hounds have said that HI oysters are good. Well, it is NOT especially if you have eaten good oysters before and knows the standard. Unless we are missing something. Some of the oysters were quite easy to shuck. But some were clearly difficult. Maybe our knife was not proper. I had to resort to screwdriver and hammer for those hard ones and this REALLY works. All it needs is couple of good blows at the little hole near the hinge area and the whole thing can be separated with minimal loss of juice. Thu Oct 16 14:03:09 -0700 2003 105934 0 Han Lukito 4 106008 Until the weather cools down more, the oysters aren't going to be at peak. However, I believe that Hog Islands are still going to be the best oyster you can get on the west coast right now and eating them at the farm, they'll be better than what you can taste elsewhere. We brought ice trays to keep the babies cold on the half shell and the ones that were treated this way were firmer, crisper and sweeter than the ones that had been out of the cold water and in the sun for even just a little bit of time. Serving them at the right temperature made a big difference. Also, those bits of hammer-smashed shell embedded in the meat inflicted with multiple stab wounds do tend to take away from the enjoyment though, I must admit. (vbg) Thu Oct 16 22:27:36 -0700 2003 105949 0 Melanie Wong 5 106016 We did put them with ice cubes on the trip back home (several hours sice we stopped on the way). And we also shucked them carefully. The screw driver/hammer were only used to pierce the shell a little bit and then we carefully disconnect the muscle. Very little juice was lost and the oysters were intact just like the pros do (vbg) ! I was so proud that I could open them while my good friend watched me. He was frustrated in the beginning as well as me. Although at the start several oysters were mangled, I must admit that. But I got good a short time later. Thu Oct 16 23:56:35 -0700 2003 106008 0 Han Lukito 6 106033 You're a good sport, Han. (g) This is a good skill to have. One trick with the mangled oysters is to flip the body over to show the unblemished side. You'll see professional shuckers do that from time to time when they stab one a few too many times. And, if you ever try this again, serve the oysters really cold. The texture and taste is much better than just a few degrees warmer. Fri Oct 17 04:08:35 -0700 2003 106016 0 Melanie Wong 3 106007 Heheh, you're right, it shouldn't take that much muscles to open an oyster. My 70-year-old aunt opened a whole bunch of them the day we were there. (g) If anyone has trouble doing this at HI, go back to the counter and get a refresher lesson. Breaks my heart to hear about oysters being thrown away. For any that you still have trouble opening, put them on the hot grill, and the shells will open. Link: http://king-o-coals.com/how_to_shuck_oysters.htm Thu Oct 16 22:18:01 -0700 2003 105934 0 Melanie Wong 4 106014 Have you tried it raw ? It was barely edible, the salty and lack of good flavor is too apparent. The shucking, well, we were first timers and we did not use the shucking knife just a small kitchen knife. Maybe the oysters were tightly shut or your 70 yrs old aunt has good biceps. A friend of mine swim laps 2km regularly and he could not open the damn thing ! The hammer and scredriver works like a charm. I should have tried barbecuing them before getting rid of them. We consumed like 50% raw with lots of vinaigrette to get some flavor on this very bland oysters and the other 25% were made into oyster omelette. The remaining 25% like 15 pcs were just not worth the effort and were thrown away. Thu Oct 16 23:40:17 -0700 2003 106007 0 Han Lukito 5 106050 Yes, I love them raw. The freshest oysters are best eaten raw. I had about 20 last month during our Hog Island outing (linked below), and liked them best au natural with no accompaniments at all. We were only able to have the small sweetwaters that day, no kumamotos available which are my favorite. The taste of the oysters reflects their specific terroir and time of season. These were still a little bit creamy and not quite as crisp as the best, but still very good. Hog Islands sweetwaters have a nutty/smoky undertone that makes them distinct. They have a softer texture but the taste has a very long and persistant finish. Sweetwaters don't express as briny and minerally a flavor, imo, as some other oysters you might have tried, but taste more meaty. My beloved kumies, otoh, are firmer and crisper in the mouth with more minerality and a burst of sweetness follows in the aftertaste in a clipped finish. The oysters in New Orleans have an earthy, almost muddy, and stronger fishy taste that some people like better - not me - although I eat them happily. To me, France's belons are the most minerally and briny but fairly blank in other flavor characteristics. Tasting a Belong side by side with France's papillons, which is a Japanese type oyster, I like the firmer texture and sweet finish characteristic of the type (Miyagis, Kumamotos, etc.). Below is the picture of our group at Hog Island. Uncle Ben is toward the left in the yellow shirt, and Auntie is standing in front of him slurping an oyster she opened herself as a first-timer. You can see that she does not have extraordinary biceps. (g) For those reading along, Hog Island provides shucking knives, glove and a lesson on how to open oysters. When it's busy, they'll sometimes run out of equipment, so get there early. Per the link I provided in my post above on how to open oysters, it does take technique and a certain knack to know where to approach the oyster and turn the knife. We were lucky to have Michelle Merino along to show us how to do this over and over again. But it does not require brute strength, if you know what you're doing. Our chowhound afternoon at Hog Island was one of the peak moments of my entire life. It was shocking to hear that someone could have a bad time there - but I guess nothing is a sure thing and your story provides a counterpoint that will be useful to others. I'm sure I would have felt differently if I hadn't been able to get into and eat all the delicious oysters I did. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/25735#103441 Image: http://home.earthlink.net/~melainewong/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/windyhogisland.jpg Fri Oct 17 13:44:49 -0700 2003 106014 0 Melanie Wong 6 106120 There is NO WAY those oysters at HI tasted good at the time when we got them. Not even to the point of acceptable. My friend is a veteran oyster eater and have tasted Belon oysters that you mentioned, Kumamotos and other oysters. However, he just ate like 6 oysters and pronounced them totally worthless. He actually suggested that I stopped shucking the rest and throw 50% straight into the dumpster. I was 100% totally agree with him but I figure the oyster omellette will probably make some of those oysters somewhat useful. The atmosphere of the place: It really STINKS bad. The road to that place is winding and long. When I got there, my stomach already was not well. The stench made things even worse. But my friend was completely well, but the stench just ruined the appetite - we just want to get the oysters and quickly drove off ! In one word "YUKKK". It is not for everyone I think. And about shucking the oysters: we definitely need to learn to do it right next time and need the proper tools instead of my flimsy kitchen knife and the large screwdriver. Sun Oct 19 03:18:05 -0700 2003 106050 0 Han Lukito 7 106131 I still can't figure out what it could be that you were smelling. Wonder if there was some warm weather bloom on Tomales Bay itself that created some strange aroma or a backed up septic tank. I've been out there twice - once during the week when things were in full production with no people around and again on a weekend when the place was packed with people. It just smelled like the ocean to me. In fact, having been to fish processing plants and smokers, I thought it was remarkable for not having the kind of smell those places do. I can't figure this out, but if you say it smelled bad, then it must have. It's funny - when you say the road is winding and long, I remember how beautiful the drive along Tomales Bay and the coast is. Truly spectacular! And the views from HI itself - looking to the left back at the shoreline to the colorful shacks hanging over the bay (shown below) then to the right at the vista to the north end of Tomales Bay. On our little point at the edge of the picnic grounds, I felt like we were indeed on an island with the gentle sea lapping at our feet But I guess this is another thing that is not for everyone. For others driving to Hog Island from the south - it takes about an hour and 20 minutes from San Francisco. I suggest taking 101 to San Rafael and then cutting to the west on Sir Francis Drake to pick up Hwy 1 - this is faster with fewer twists in the road and takes you through the gentle slopes of west Marin. It can also be nice to take Hwy 1 all the way up from Sausalito through Stinson if you've not seen that stretch of the coast before, but there are more turns in the road. Han, I'm pleased to hear that you haven't given up on shucking oysters. When I read your first post and Wendy's response about how her girlfriends had no trouble opening the beast, it gave me a chuckle. The image of the boys getting frustrated and grabbing hammers to beat the things, while the girls listened to the teacher, followed the directions, and used the recommended tool came to mind. (vbg) Maybe you won't be buying Hog Island's oysters again, but I would not recommend Point Reyes Oysters over HI. I bought a few at the Alemany Market - the shells are less uniform than HI's making them a little harder to shuck and the flavor is not as sweet. I'm interested in trying Tomales Bay Oyster Co. some time. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/24759#97481 Image: http://home.earthlink.net/~melainewong/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderpictures/hipicnic.jpg Sun Oct 19 14:48:17 -0700 2003 106120 0 Melanie Wong 8 106144 For you city folks who did not grow up near rural oyster beds...it stinks at low tide. All wetlands stink at low tide. It part of the milleu...tidelands stink. Don't ask why...they just do. Sun Oct 19 21:42:58 -0700 2003 106131 0 Jim H. 9 106152 Good point, Jim. Having spent a lot of time around Elkhorn Slough growing up, I know that intertidal stink. Looking at the tide table for last week though, doesn't seem like there would have been a low, low tide during HI hours. Image: http://tbone.biol.sc.edu/tide/plots/tide.2755.png Sun Oct 19 23:35:28 -0700 2003 106144 0 Melanie Wong 6 106141 I keep thinking about how you said that the trip to HI was one of the "peak moments of your life". I can definitely relate. Our trip there was in the cold of January. Looking at the pictures, I am wearing about three layers and a scarf. We didn't have to fight for a spot -- the place was nearly empty. But the music there was blaring, and we kind of felt like we were on our own wonderful little island. The landscape is amazing, and we passed the afternoon watching pelicans make dive after dive into the water. I am in love with the oysters and eat them at every chance I can get -- at the FP Farmer's Market, Swan Oyster Depot in the the city. For those of us who like the experience, there is something almost magical about Hog Island. For me, it is definitely one of the highlights of the Bay Area. Sun Oct 19 18:08:46 -0700 2003 106050 0 jen maiser 4 106043 The suggestion to put oysters cup side down on the grill is a great one. I've bbq'd oysters both ways and frankly it is way easier to just let the heat open them . While I wouldn't turn down oysters with bbq sauce, I far prefer some garlic butter placed on them after they've opened and just before they are done. Frankly, my best Hog Island tasting was done in the backyard of a house in Marshall with good friends and a goodly amount of champagne. Fri Oct 17 11:38:58 -0700 2003 106007 0 roxy 5 106053 When I cook with oysters at home, I just put them on a baking sheet and pop them in a hot oven to open the shells. Last time I did this, I wrapped individual shucked kumamoto oysters in blanched spinach leaves, tied them with a strand of pale green leek, and floated them on a "raft" of blanched carrots and daikon batons on a "sea" of beurre blanc. The oysters were prepped well ahead of dinner time and I just popped them in a steamer for a couple minutes to heat through while I was making the sauce. It was accompanied by a Bordeaux blanc, although Champagne would have been even better. Fri Oct 17 14:28:10 -0700 2003 106043 0 Melanie Wong 2 105942 I'm heading up that way this weekend and was thinking of stopping at HI. But if the weather is cold, we'll cancel the picnic and find a place to sit inside and eat oysters. Try as I might, I can't seem to convince the person I'll be with to eat oysters, so it'll have to be someplace that serves other good food. So, where are the best raw oysters and delicious cooked lunches, served indoors, at reasonable prices, along the Highway 1 corridor? Thu Oct 16 13:02:10 -0700 2003 105922 0 nja 3 106269 If you head down towards Santa Cruz on a Wednesday or Saturday, you can find Bill the Oyster Man at one of the farmer's markets. On Wednesday, he's at the downtown Santa Cruz market (along with the dreadlocked and patchouli-doused hippie chicks who just want you to vote Green, please). On Saturday, he's at the farmer's market at Cabrillo College on Soquel Drive in Aptos. He sells oysters as big as a dog's tongue for $10/dozen. The best I've ever had, and I've been to two different Outstanding in the Field farm dinners with Hog Island oysters. (They're great...Bill's are better, in my humble opinion.) http://www.billtheoysterman.com/ We've got a new monthly ritual: one Saturday a month, I'll get a dozen (or two) oysters from Bill, and a $20 bottle of champagne from Trader Joe's. (They've got awesome deals on champagne.) We'll have oysters, champagne, and some other little thing like goat cheese on crackers, and that's dinner. I have modified the recipe for "Hog Wash" (Hog Island's oyster bath) thus: rice wine vinegar minced jalapeños minced cilantro lime juice So if I were looking for oysters on the California coast, you can find Bill and do a picnic. For more comestibles to accompany your picnic, head to Gayle's Bakery in Capitola. It's a world class joint: brasserie, deli, bakery, and the best take-out food you can find. At least, none better. Enjoy! Link: http://www.tanabutler.com Tue Oct 21 11:19:01 -0700 2003 105942 0 Tana 4 106271 I forgot I have a picture of our first oyster dinner... Meyer lemons...strawberries...peppered goat cheese with water crackers...big ol' icy cold oysters with vinegar/jalapeño/cilantro/lime wash. Heaven! Image: http://www.tanabutler.com/images/oysters.jpg Tue Oct 21 11:32:25 -0700 2003 106269 0 Tana 2 105973 Eek! There are sure a lot of replies to my post here, even though I haven't said a whole lot worth replying to. Is that just a fluke of the technology? I was advocating neither for nor against Hog Island in my reply to Han, but, rather, just commiserating with a fellow 'hound about what a bummer it is to be s profoundly disappointed by a dining experience, to the point of paying for your food, then throwing it way. :( As far as Olema Farm House, y'all are probably right about the chow there. I just think the place is cute and always seems to be in the right place at the right time. Please please please definitely go with anyone else's recommendations for oysters over mine! Seriously! ~TDQ Thu Oct 16 17:36:36 -0700 2003 105922 0 The Dairy Queen 1 105941 I have heard people rave about the quality of these oysters, so when we were staying in Inverness recently, we decided to go there and try some. It was early in the week, we drove there, no signs of life whatsoever at Hog Island or Tony's--closed. You could say we were underwhelmed. Had heard Station House Cafe served Johnson oysters, so drove by and...you guessed it...closed for the day. Hungry by now, we found one place open, the Olema Farm House--the people were nice, but the food??--not to my taste. I wondered what BBQ oysters were exactly, then found out that you put a blob of bottled BBQ sauce on top of the oyster, then put the shelled oyster on the grill. Not sure how you would taste the oyster after that treatment! Somehow after all this, we sort of lost the desire to try oysters and left the area not having any. After reading the previous poster's experience, I don't feel too bad about it. Maybe next time?? Thu Oct 16 12:59:26 -0700 2003 105915 0 Lauren J. 2 106034 The bottled bbq sauce is an option. Try it first to see if it appeals, most will not. The sauce we bought from the Marshall store was tuned up and tuned in on the seasonings to especially complement oysters and were just great on the ones we grilled at HI. YMMV Another option is the Geyserville Smoke House - but call before you make a special trip. They don't have them all the time. Link: http://www.chowhound.com/topics/show/21557#77970 Fri Oct 17 04:13:33 -0700 2003 105941 0 Melanie Wong 2 106038 Yes, alas, both Tony's and Station House Cafe keep a seasonal schedule. Once the tourist season is over, they seem to be open for lunch only on weekends. Fri Oct 17 07:41:36 -0700 2003 105941 0 Sharuf 1 105979 Try Tomales Bay Oyster Company a few miles South of Hog Island. THey are open every day of the year except Christmas. They have oysters in many different sizes. Also,it sounds like you may have more luck with the shucking if you go with someone who is experienced at it. The small ones, especially, should not be hard to open. One more thing... an oyster farm is never going to smell like a rose garden. You are going there to get oysters at their freshest. If the aroma bothers you, you may be better off paying the extra couple of bucks at a restaurant in the area and let someone else do the dirty work. Thu Oct 16 18:29:31 -0700 2003 105915 0 srr 1 106041 I believe HIO might be included in Ducasse's book "Harvesting Excellence". I'd have to say that that means absolutely nothing to me, though. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/2843231914/qid=1066404504/sr=1-7/ref=sr_1_7/002-1934492-8180036?v=glance&s=books Fri Oct 17 11:29:44 -0700 2003 105915 0 cabrales 2 107719 My boyfriend and I just got back from Tomales Bay and the Hog Island Oyster farm. Our experience could not have been more different! We had never shucked oysters before, but within minutes we got the hang of it, and were happily shucking away. The oysters were brinier than we are used to, but the meat was incredibly fresh. We practically licked the shells. We sat at a picnic table where by the bay - and after along rainy weekend (we spent the weekend cuddled up by the fire in a cute little cabin we lucked out on), it was transcedental experience. I can't recommend it more! Sun Nov 09 22:24:25 -0800 2003 106041 0 Mia 2 107720 My boyfriend and I just got back from Tomales Bay and the Hog Island Oyster farm. Our experience could not have been more different! We had never shucked oysters before, but within minutes we got the hang of it, and were happily shucking away. The oysters were brinier than we are used to, but the meat was incredibly fresh. We practically licked the shells. We sat at a picnic table where by the bay - and after along rainy weekend (we spent the weekend cuddled up by the fire in a cute little cabin we lucked out on), it was transcedental experience. I can't recommend it more! Sun Nov 09 22:24:35 -0800 2003 106041 0 Mia