{"id":16307,"date":"2019-06-12T16:23:32","date_gmt":"2019-06-12T20:23:32","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/?p=16307"},"modified":"2020-05-01T11:15:11","modified_gmt":"2020-05-01T15:15:11","slug":"oysters-a-love-story","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/oysters-a-love-story\/","title":{"rendered":"Oysters: A Love Story"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"issuuembed\" style=\"width: 100%; height: 341px;\" data-configid=\"37604829\/70585977\"><\/div>\n<p><script type=\"text\/javascript\" src=\"\/\/e.issuu.com\/embed.js\" async=\"true\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Summerguide 2019<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">Stalking the Walrus and the Carpenter, Maine\u2019s <b>ostreaphiles<\/b> can\u2019t get enough.<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>By Diane Hudson<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16325\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16325\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16325\" src=\"http:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Oysters-SG19-300x200.jpg\" alt=\"Oysters at Portland's Petite Jacqueline.\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Oysters-SG19-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Oysters-SG19-200x134.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Oysters-SG19.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16325\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Oysters at Portland&#8217;s Petite Jacqueline.<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The Maine oyster is commanding center stage in eateries across the state. Served au naturel in settings where they are the star, not just a B-list appetizer, the bivalves speak for themselves\u2014volumes. As do the hosts working tirelessly to get us the best oysters they can find or harvest themselves. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><\/h4>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>On The Half Shell<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s1\">If you want the ultimate oyster-slurping experience, head straight for the carts at breweries, farmers\u2019 markets, and festivals. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">At the helm of South Portland\u2019s <a href=\"http:\/\/www.ooysters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>O\u2019Oysters<\/strong><\/a>, Lucas Myers has \u201csold oysters in one fashion or another\u201d for almost 20 years. He loves \u201cbeing a pundit for the Maine oyster industry. There are some great people and fascinating operations producing some of the best oysters in the world right here in Maine. I love handing someone an oyster right off the knife and telling them how it was grown and by whom.\u201d If you\u2019re hankering for an oyster fix \u201cwithout pomp and circumstance,\u201d as Myers puts it, be on the lookout for O\u2019Oysters at the farmers\u2019 market in Monument Square on Wednesdays and at breweries including Island Dog Brewing and Rising Tide on weekends. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">You\u2019ll also want to keep an eye out for the popular <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ShuckShack\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>BP\u2019s Shuck Shack<\/strong><\/a> cart in front of the U.S. Custom House on Commercial Street in Portland. Veteran oyster purveyor Brendan Parsons has worked on oyster farms since high school and recently opened his own oyster distribution center and eatery, Shuck Station Raw Bar, in Newcastle. The oysters are shucked to order at this Nobleboro native\u2019s cart and sourced from at least eight different farmers in the Damariscotta River area. Whether the oyster hails from Great Salt Bay or South Bristol, Parsons wants you to get to know the nuances, and he\u2019s had a lifetime to become acquainted with them. You might even be lucky enough to score one of the Blackstone Points\u2014\u201cbriny forward with freshwater influence\u201d\u2014from his own farm in Damariscotta. If you enjoy a splash of mignonette as part of your slurping, you\u2019re in for a treat. Parsons serves up a selection created by friends at Waldo Stone Farm: seaweed cucumber, Champagne tarragon, and sesame ginger. <\/span><\/p>\n<h4 class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"><b>O Files<\/b><\/span><\/h4>\n<p class=\"p2\"><span class=\"s2\"><b><br \/>\n<\/b><\/span><span class=\"s1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/portland.islandcreekoysters.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>The Shop<\/b><\/a> on Washington Avenue is housed in a whitewashed building with large bright-orange letters reading \u201cOYSTERS.\u201d You\u2019ll find a welcoming vibe inside or on the deck. For starters, all oysters are priced at a competitive $1.50. These include Scarborough\u2019s Abigail Pearls, Damariscotta\u2019s Mookie Blues, New Meadows River\u2019s Eider Coves, along with others from Island Creek, the owner\u2019s farm in Duxbury, Massachusetts. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">T<\/span><span class=\"s1\">he oysters arrive at the table artfully arranged on ice so that the server can narrate the origin of each. Accompanied by fresh lemon slices, mignonette, horseradish, and cocktail sauce, these briny beauties do not disappoint. Lightly toasted <a href=\"https:\/\/standardbakingco.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Standard Baking<\/a> sourdough bread with butter ($5) or various smoked and pickled fish sourced from Galicia, Spain, and served with ample amounts of cabbage, pickles, and mustard can be ordered. The fine-tuned beverage menu includes champagnes, wines, Maine craft beers, and a few fun cocktails (Bloody Mary, gin and tonic, dark and stormy), along with a host of non-alcoholic goodies. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Next up, <a href=\"https:\/\/themaineoystercompany.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Maine Oyster Company<\/strong><\/a>. This cozy little nook on Portland Street is described by owner and oyster farmer John Herrigel as \u201cmore than an oyster bar\u2026It\u2019s a center for connecting three overlapping spheres: the oyster growers of Maine, the West Bayside neighborhood, and the general oyster-slurping community.\u201d <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">\u201cWe go beyond the bottom line to support fair prices to the growers.\u201d Herrigel\u2019s goal is to create a sustainable aquaculture industry within Maine, \u201censuring our environment and natural resources remain protected.\u201d On the wall, an informative map of coastal Maine designates the location of each participating oyster farm (https:\/\/themaineoystercompany.com\/oysters ) and features photos of the farmers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p4\"><span class=\"s1\">Yes, you will get a great variety of fabulous, fresh Maine oysters skillfully shucked and presented so you can identify each and compare flavors. But you may be even more drawn in by the company\u2019s mission \u201cto share \u2018the way life should be\u2019 through the story of the oyster farmer, building real community through direct experience.\u201d You can opt, for example, to join the oyster farm-share at the restaurant, featuring a different grower and specialty mignonette weekly. Or partake in a farm tour and shucking class offered twice daily on Fridays at Herrigel\u2019s \u201cBase Camp\u201d in Phippsburg. <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">A<\/span><span class=\"s1\">s part of the Maine Oyster Company\u2019s efforts to help create a more sustainable industry, Herrigel has spearheaded a far-reaching and informative Oyster Festival. Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual <a href=\"https:\/\/harvestontheharbor.com\/\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Harvest on the Harbor Maine Oyster Fest <\/strong><\/a>with Maine Oyster Company on Saturday, October 19 at Thompson\u2019s Point. Happy slurping till then!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">view as pdf<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We check in with the \u201cIt Girl\u201d of Portland happy hours.<br \/>\nBy Diane Hudson<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[8,315],"tags":[406,182,405,127,240,323,160,322],"class_list":["post-16307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-hungry-eye","tag-food-reviews","tag-foodies","tag-hungry-eye","tag-maine","tag-oysters","tag-portland-magazine","tag-portland-maine","tag-portland-monthly"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16307","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16307"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16307\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":18583,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16307\/revisions\/18583"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16307"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16307"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.portlandmonthly.com\/portmag\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16307"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}