Awe Shucks!
Posted by Keiko on May 20, 2011 in Adventures, Boston, Featured, Photos
Tags: boston, Muscadet Shuck Yeah, muscadet wine, oysters, second glass, wine riot, wine tasting
This post is by Eat With Me contributor Keiko.
Muscadets!
Last Saturday I attended my second Second Glass event, Muscadet, Shuck Yeah! I had high hopes after my experience at the Boston Wine Riot in April, and I wasn’t disappointed. This event had a different vibe from the Wine Riot, partly because of the venue change from a hotel convention hall lined with booth after booth of vino variations, to a fairytale-esqe split-level castle, complete with a dance floor that was lit by floating lanterns and a flashy drunktopus ice sculpture. Another welcome improvement was the inclusion of seating on the upper balcony level. After mingling downstairs for a while, it was nice to have a quiet escape and give my feet a rest while still being able to observe the action on the main floor. Needless to say, the decor really set the mood for a fun evening of booze and bivalves.
Loire Valley Wines
The event featured Loire Valley Wine Bureau Muscadet paired with a scrumptious assortment of seafood apps. Of course, the little sea stars of the evening were the oysters which were served raw, on the half-shell. Hundreds of oysters were shucked and slurped in an assembly line which started out orderly (each guest was alotted 3 redeemable oyster tickets) but eventually devolved into a haphazard grab-and-go frenzy. Tickets became meaningless as certain patrons who will remain nameless (because I never caught their names) cut the line and greedily grabbed oysters one after the other without any regard for guests who hadn’t tried any yet.
Raw oysters in the half-shell
Luckily Blue Island Shellfish came prepared with what seemed like an endless supply of fresh and delicious oysters, and for those too timid for raw fare, Woodman’s of Essex provided several seafood apps including mini-crab cakes which were absolutely delicious.
Mini-crabcakes
I made good use of the iPhone app to track my progress as I tried wines at the various bars. The most popular of the night was the 2009 Domaine de la Pepiere ($14), but my favorite (which was incidentally rated #2 of the night) was the 2010 Domaine de la Louvetrie Muscadet Sevre et Maine. This was actually my first time eating oysters on the half shell, so I was slightly disappointed when I got to the front of the oyster line and saw no condiments to try variations on a shell. No horseradish, lemon wedges, or hot sauce for garnishing. Despite the lack of accoutrements, I found the flavor of the oysters and broth to be really rich, salty, and decadent on their own. As promised, they paired beautifully with Muscadet, so as a whole the event really satisfied the foodie and wino in me.
The drunktopus ice sculpture stole the show.
