Oyster Week
Best oyster spots, Found Oyster, Dudley Market, Crudo e Nudo, oyster-related gifts, The Jolly Oyster, MORE
ABOUT FOUND • Oyster Week
Sitting in the sun at an almost boardwalk-adjacent twilight table at Venice Beach’s Dudley Market, I considered the beauty of a well-timed oyster. The restaurant’s fisherman, who comes by daily around 6p to drop off the day’s catch, shuttled rockfish, halibut, and lots of oysters through the dining room and into the kitchen. Inspiration followed — a raised hand, eye contact with the server, and soon, a dozen freshly-shucked, on my table (above). On ice, with mignonette and a few slices of lemon, the oysters were an ideal complement to the salt still on my skin from surfing the Venice Breakwater an hour earlier.
And the best part? There are repeat-worthy variations of that experience all around the city. At the end of the Holbox line. Seabreeze set-ups at Neptune’s Net, Crudo e Nudo, and Fishing With Dynamite. Further from the source, but always packed and perfect raw bars at Found Oyster and Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill, and sensational, park-side shooters from Mariscos El Faro. Or on special (and always with a perfect amount of zip) at Holy Basil.
And that’s just for starters. Welcome to FOUND’s first-ever Oyster Week. –James Royce
INTEL • Oyster Week
What are your go-to LA spots for oysters and seafood?
→ KAT TURNER, chef, Highly Likely: L&E Oyster (Silver Lake), Crudo e Nudo (Santa Monica), Found Oyster (East Hollywood).
→ CONNER MITCHELL, chef & owner, Dudley Market: Typically we eat ‘em at Dudley, but also: Found Oyster (East Hollywood), Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill (Eagle Rock), and Scopa (Venice Beach) with a shoutout to its surprisingly good presentation.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUNDLISTING
Live better. Live longer.
THE EVENT THAT TAKES YOUR HEALTH SERIOUSLY: Grab a flight out of LAX or make it a Highway 1 road trip — either way, San Francisco is calling. Dr. Mark Hyman, Dr. Mary Claire Haver, Dr. Stacy Sims, Dr. Jessica Shepherd, and special keynote Jane Fonda headline two days of real science on hormones, metabolism, brain health, and aging on your terms. No fluff. No filler. Just the knowledge to level up everything you thought you already knew. 30 roundtables. 15 breakout sessions. 2,000 women who get it. Exclusive front-row seats, meet and greets, and private receptions are limited — use code FOUND for $50 off.
→ RSVP: Livelong Women’s Health Summit (Nob Hill) • The Masonic, 1111 California St • 04/17, 3-6p, 04/18, 8a-530p. [spon]
WORK • Thursday Routine
Fitting subject
ARI KOLENDER • chef & partner • Found Oyster & Queen’s Raw Bar & Grill
Neighborhood you work in: East Hollywood & Eagle Rock
Neighborhood you live in: Eagle Rock
It’s Thursday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
The workplace is my home kitchen today (or at least the first half of the day), if I don’t need to run into the restaurant to go over an order, a new dish, or the ever-useful pep talk. Since Leo was born, I haven’t been working nighttime service as often.
Waking up (early, always) somewhere between 5-6a, my day starts by taking care of our two dogs, an Italian Mastiff named Pina and a pitbull named Birdie. We eat, make coffee for mom, take a walk, and then back up to the house to relieve her of our beautiful baby boy. He’s six months old, and sleeping in a little later.
What’s on the agenda for today?
I’m going over our list of catering jobs and private events outstanding, working to make sure everything is put together so service runs smoothly. I’m also about to review the final kitchen plans for Lord Fletcher, a restoration of a classic restaurant space in Palm Springs. Hoping to open later this year — we’ve been working very hard to get the space ready for a facelift.
I’ll then be headed into Found Oyster at about 1p to taste a new vegetable dish our sous chef Mere has come up with. It’s exciting to help the team grow in developing flavors and techniques, and I’m always ecstatic when they bring a new idea to the table.
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
The big plan this weekend is date night at Etra! I’m excited — we really haven’t been back since the first month they opened, and I can never eat enough Italian food. Also on the horizon: my friend Tim is in town and taking me to one of his favorite sushi spots, Asuka. I’ve never been, but apparently it’s been around for a long time, and the young chef helming the counter is from Hokkaido.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I have a reso with friends at the Vermont Courts, the best public tennis courts in town. I love my mornings up there. I’m also meeting up with my friend Annabelle later in the weekend at The Padel Courts, to see what all the fuss is about.
Any weekend getaways?
We’re headed to Palm Springs to visit my in-laws next weekend. Always a blast to spend time with them and eat some schnitzel at Johannes. It’s our favorite restaurant in town. I’m excited to check out the new bar Beaton’s as well. With any luck, we’ll make some time for golf at Indian Canyons south course as well as a day trip up to Pioneertown to check in on our bar The Red Dog Saloon. If you haven’t been up to Pioneertown, you’re missing out.
What was your last great vacation?
We took time last summer to go to Greece for the first time. We started in Athens, which I thought was going to be a short blip, but turned out to be such a beautifully enriching time. We discovered so many great markets, places to eat and drink, as well as a handful of incredible artisans making jewelry and art.
After Athens we went to Milos, Folegandros, and Paros. All amazing in their own right, but the tiny island of Folegandros has our heart. There is certainly something in the air on that rugged island. It was warm, welcoming, and full of great seafood.
LA RESTAURANT LINKS: Historic Cole’s is closing for real, for real • Iconic Taix shuttering and selling everything at auction • New Afro-Latino restaurant Amiguita opens in Silver Lake • Mumford and Sons’ Ben Lovett opening new club in Chinatown, envisions new LA cultural hub • Neighborhood bar The Holloway reopening in Lonely Oyster’s former Echo Park space • Santa Monica raw bar Crudo e Nudo celebrating 5th birthday with ticketed takeovers • LA’s new It vegetable? Cabbage.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Object
Everything but the pearl
Having not grown up in an oyster-loving family, it was a great pleasure to marry into one. Not just for the chance to learn how they grow or to taste them fresh off a dock, but because an obsession with oysters opens up a world of easy gift-giving opportunities.
For example, we all spent one summer experimenting with oysters on the grill. It’s a great way to prepare them, because a) there’s no need to shuck the oysters, as they pop open over the hot flame, and b) you can melt butter as they lightly cook, creating a more novice-friendly texture than a raw slurp. The following Christmas, my in-laws were delighted to receive a cast iron oyster grill pan, which cuts down on the mess (and loss of precious oyster juice).
Now, I see oyster-themed gifts everywhere. Inside a French antiques store in Upstate New York, I discovered an array of antique silver oyster trays, which sent me down a rabbit hole. They’ve become an increasingly popular product in the last few years, especially among ceramicists. They’re a little kitsch and a fun addition to the slurpable treat. I’m particularly fond of Michelle Morton’s ocean-inspired rendition, and the freeform variety from Gloob Ceramics in Brooklyn. While the tray from Virginia Sin is simple, that also means it’s a safe gift for any home. I wish I had friends getting married on the beach this summer so I could get a custom oyster platter from Chell Fish (above), an acceptable off-registry gift.
The other day, I found out that JLD, a brilliant knife maker who makes pieces for restaurants and sells a select few during occasional online drops, makes a small, stainless steel oyster knife with a walnut handle. It’s a major upgrade from the plastic variety that comes with fish market oysters — and a thoughtful present for the oyster-lover in your life. –Sylvie Florman
GETAWAYS • Ventura
Holly, jolly oyster
California’s freshest, most sustainable, best-looking, and even better-tasting oysters? They’re at The Jolly Oyster, a truck-turned-seaside-shuck-shack, permanently parked at Ventura’s San Buenaventura State Beach.
The brainchild of former investment banker Mark Reynolds and business partner Mark Venus, it opened in 2011. Their mission: to create a sustainable shellfish operation serving healthy, organic, nature-friendly raw goodness.
Reynolds spent the mid-’90s studying aquaculture and scouting set-ups in South America and Europe. Then, in 1999, he opened the Baja Oyster Company with Venus. A sustainable shellfish farming operation, it took a few years to get things moving properly. After selling wholesale bivalves to set-ups in Mexico and the US, they decided they wanted their own spot too. They approached the California State Parks, which sent them to Ventura. They haven’t left since.
To arrive, stop at the park ranger booth on the way in. Tell them where you’re headed, and they’ll give you a free parking pass that’ll give you 30 minutes. At the beach lot, find the 20 aqua-colored, umbrella-covered tables, and you’re there. Specialties and fried goods are available at the truck. Tinned add-ons, shuck-them-yourself oysters, clams, plus knives for it all at the other nearby window. It’s all outdoors, it’s on the water, and it’s perfectly relaxed.
A suggested plan of attack: first, Kumamotos and Laguna Bay Selects by the dozen or half. Also, an option for a half-dozen grilled oysters with either habanero butter, uni butter, a creole with sage, green onion, and garlic, or Jolly Style, featuring white wine, leek, cream, parm, and thyme. The uni butter is a standout, as is the habanero, with its nice balance of lime, garlic, and butter on a half shell. Also, the scallop ceviche and whatever tostada is on special (for us, sea urchin with a combination of chile, tomato, lime, and more) are outstanding. There’s always a new highlighted chalkboard menu item each visit, too.
The crowd’s relaxed — families, surfers, in-the-know travelers, and bikers taking a well-earned last stop on their coastal cruise. Prepared diners bring coolers filled with their own wine, beer, cocktails, and cheese and crackers to the table as well. There are also open grills, which you can use to grill your clams and oysters, if you’ve got the supplies and skills. Judging from the bottles and tools around us, guests tend to have great taste, and know how to enjoy themselves.
Even in an area littered with other places that specialize in the sort of thing, The Jolly Oyster’s raw bar picnic set-up is a standout. In fact, it may be one of the best pit stops off the entire 101. –James Royce
→ The Jolly Oyster (Ventura) • 911 San Pedro St • Sat-Sun 11a-6p • Walk-ins only.
RESTAURANTS • The Nines
Oysters
The 9 best spots for oysters in LA.
Crudo e Nudo (Santa Monica, above), chalkboard specials, always perfect wine pairings, excellent Main Street-parallel patio seating, reserve