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A Glorious Treat for a Glorious Time
of Year
PARIS - The French have long had a love affair with
the oyster: They are perhaps the world's most voracious
eaters of what can be lovingly referred to as those
succulent bivalves, and they manage to consume two-thirds
of the annual 141-ton harvest during the Christmas and
New Year festivities.
That's good, for these briny, iodine-laden gifts from
the sea are at their finest right now, when the waters
and the weather are cold and our winter bodies seem
to crave the oyster's natural dose of protein, minerals
and vitamins.
When eating oysters, remember a few things: The larger
the number, the smaller the oyster; number 5 is the
smallest, number 000 the largest.
I always order the smallest oysters available, for
I find the flavors more concentrated and natural. Anything
other than a few drops of lemon juice or a twist of
the pepper mill as a seasoning is sacrilege. (Although
a mixture of vinegar and shallots is generally served,
avoid it. The vinegar is usually much too acidic for
the oysters, killing their delicate flavor, masking
their fine aroma.) And while you will see French people
drinking red wine with oysters, I also think that is
a mistake. Oysters need the chill and the acid of a
young white.
I can never get enough oysters, and at this time of
year I think nothing of downing a dozen a day ration.
My favorite spot for oysters remains the Guy Savoy bistro
Le Cap Vernet, where one can always be assured of a
prime selection of "brand name" oysters: those
that carry the name of the man who raised them and tended
the beds.
The four to sample here include Yvon Madec's crinkle-shelled
"Creuses No. 4" (89 francs, about $14, for
nine), which are very meaty with a subtle hazelnut flavor;
Michel Daniel's oysters from the Breton port of Cancale,
where they are raised in the sea (as opposed to seaside
beds) and so have an intense iodine-rich flavor (74
francs for nine); Andre Taillepied's Normandy oysters
from Isigny, raised in very agitated waters, which plumps
them up and gives them an iodine purity (77 francs for
nine No. 4), and the most famous of all, Gerard Gillardeau's
"Speciales Claires No. 5,"also known as "La
Papillon," worth the extra price (102 francs for
nine) because they have all the best characters of an
oyster - delicate, sweet, almost crunchy and tinged
with the green of the former salt marshes of the Marennes-Oleron.
A PEDIGREE These pedigreed oysters begin their life
in the cold waters off Utah Beach in Normandy, where
they are raised in "parks" rich in plankton
that plump the oysters and give them their rich flavor.
Finally, they are fattened for several months in oyster
beds off Marennes-Oleron near La Rochelle on the Atlantic
Coast, where they take on even more refined and concentrated
flavors.
Le Cap Vernet is full day and night, service is generally
excellent, the rye bread is fresh and moist, the chilled
white Quincy wine - a pure sauvignon blanc from Domaine
Mardon - is a perfect food and wine marriage.
Oyster sampling does not have to be a serious or expensive
affair, now that many small oyster bars have popped
up around Paris.
The newest is in a little corner in the back of an
excellent fish shop right off the Marche Saint Honore,
in the first arrondissement. You come to L'Ecume Saint-Honore
for the oysters with yet another pedigree, not the bare
atmosphere of plastic trays and paper napkins. Try the
"Blanches" (150 francs a dozen), which are
raised in the open sea, not aged or finished off in
beds, making for an oyster that has an incredible sense
of purity, a bit of nuttiness, as if you are literally
drinking the best of the sea.
For a complete contrast, try the "Emeraudes"
(145 francs a dozen), oysters that have been aged only
one or two to a bed (as opposed to 50 or 60) for six
to eight months and are rich in iodine, plump and meaty.
With the fish shop's "snack" formula - six
oysters and a glass of wine for 50 francs - you cannot
go wrong. Service is amiable, the staff passionate and
informative, and the Sancerre goes down very easily.
(But I am thinking of traveling with my own linen napkin.)
At the popular Bistro de l' Huitre-Joel D, I liked
the oysters more than the rest of the experience. The
service is slow, the rye bread is dry, the napkins are
paper, the decor as chilly as the wind off the ocean.
But look around, and you'll see yourself surrounded
by happy people with only one thing on their minds.
The giant "Pleine Mer" oysters from the Quiberon
Bay of Brittany - the wildest ones you can find in France
- were remarkably fresh and meaty. I loved as well their
nutty "Speciales de Normandie" - dense, intense
and refreshing. The chilled Muscadet will assuage any
discomfort you may feel, and the price is right, staring
at 43 francs for six "Quiberon Pleine Mer No. 4."
Cap Vernet
82 Avenue Marceau
Paris 75008
Tel: 01-47-20-20-40
Fax: 01-47-20-95-36.
Open daily. Credit cards: American Express, Diners Club,
Visa. Prices range from 75 to 102 francs for six oysters.
Oyster-tasting menu, 130 francs.
L'Ecume Saint-Honore
6 Rue du Marche Saint Honore
Paris 75001
Tel: 01-42-61-93-87.
All major credit cards. Open Tuesday through Friday
from 8:30 A.M. to 2 P.M. and 4 to 7:30 P.M.; Saturday
from 8:30 A.M. to 7:30 P.M.; Sunday from 9 A.M. to 1
P.M. Six oysters and a glass of wine for 50 francs.
Bistrot de l'Huitre-Joel D
285 Rue Saint Jacques
Paris 75005
Tel: 01-43-54-71-70.
Credit cards: Visa, Mastercard. Closed Sunday and Monday.
Prices, for six oysters, begin at 45 francs.
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