After Brian and I had gotten our fill of San Francisco, my mom and stepdad swooped in—two terriers in tow—to whisk us away to their home in Windsor, in Sonoma County. They are foodies in a foodie paradise, and they know the spots. Indeed, in our few days there, we did fancy (The Farmhouse), casual (El Sombrero taqueria), and in-between (Nick's Cove, followed by a stop at the Hog Island Oyster Farm). Not to mention my mom's Christmas dinner, where an enormous rib roast was the star (and entertainment was provided by the dogs—my parents', my sister's, and her friends Walter and Amy's).

Some of the most fun we had, though, was using up the, ahem, seven dozen oysters we picked up at the Santa Rosa Farmer's Market.

On Saturday morning, we rose nice and early for our trip there. After arriving, we scuttled around the Ron Paul supporters in the parking lot, past the tables of lovely fruits and vegetables, and headed straight for the seafood purveyor at the far right hand corner of the market. The owner's daughter, Anna, is the resident oyster expert and on this particular day, she had what looked like a good twenty varieties available. Even more impressively, she could describe every one in detail. My mom made a comment about how Brian and I are oyster fans, and before we knew it, Anna was giving us samples. We each ate at least ten right there, as other customers looked on enviously and began asking, "Hey, can I have a sample too?." Of course, Anna's generosity paid off: after getting a couple dozen freebies, buying seven dozen seemed only fair.

We bought many to eat raw, but we also made sure to get a bunch for my stepdad, Maris, to put on the grill. Now, Maris doesn't know how cook anything else that I'm aware of, but his grilled oysters are a real treat. Some people let the heat of the grill open the oyster; Maris does his on the half shell. This way, a much shorter cooking time is required, and they come out plump and super-juicy. Save those Kumamotos for eating raw—for grilling, choose relatively large, meaty specimens, preferably with a nicely cupped shell to keep in the juices.

MARIS'S GRILLED OYSTERS

Remove the top shells of the oysters, and put them (still in their bottom shells) on a hot grill, balancing them so the liquid stays in the shells (if necessary, you can sort of lean them against the top shells to stabilize them). Top each oyster with about one-half teaspoon of warmed barbecue sauce and a dab of butter. Cook just until the juices start to bubble (the time will vary according to the size and shape of the oysters). VARIATION: cook some chopped garlic in melted butter and use instead of the barbecue sauce.


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