What does late Fall mean?

A couple of things.

It means Winter is almost here, whatever that means to you (some are joyful, others despondent).  Cold water makes for flavourful seafood, but unpleasant commuting.  And pity the fishermen.

We see the arrival of the Red King Crab from the Bering Sea.  Available both by reservation and free agency, if you’re lucky.

We see the Sand Dune Oyster, Tommy Joe MacDonald’s ne plus ultra of PEI (‘malpeque’) Oysters, appear on the beds.  They tend to sell out by evening – might be worth a lunch visit to catch these beauties.

We see all five species of Oysters that we generally eat in North America – c. virginica, c. gigas, o. lurida, o. edulis and c. sikamea. It’s a great time if you are a completist, and want to have as rounded an Oyster-eating moment as you can, or if you’re a fan of dead languages (we’re looking at you, Latin).  And in general, the Oyster is at its very best right now. Veni, vidi, copi.

It means a lot of parties, and sometimes that means we don’t have tables to give away, or there’s a longer than usual wait at the door.

It means the bottle of Port and the Wheel of Stilton. Pine branches, xmas lights and a cedar-y smell.  Takeout Oysters and rum, and then a bit of a rest.

The late Fall means it’s basically 2016. Tempus fugit. Yikes.

Wine Dinner #2, and a nice Xmas Gift…

One Monday November 23 we will be hosting our 2nd Wine Dinner, with wines from Terras Gauda in northwest Spain. Trialto rep Ben Hodson will pour expressions of Albarino, as well as a rare indigenous varietal called Caino Branco.  Tickets are available by clicking the link here. $140 plus taxes and eventbrite fees gets you four courses, plus some treats, with Raw and cooked Oysters, Smoked Trout, Octopus and Paella among other things. Start time 6:30 pm. Tickets are very limited, so act fast.

If you’re looking for a useful gift, what about the gift of the Oyster? Rodney makes our gift certificates by hand on Oyster Shells, personalized to the recipient. $100 toward dinner, an Oyster 101 and shucking lesson, or a designed menu are all options.  You tell us what and how much, and we put Rodney to work.  Gift Shells can be ordered by calling the Front of House at 416-363-8105 ext 22.  Here’s an example – what a nice prezzie!

THE RED KING CRAB HAS ARRIVED

THE RED KING CRAB AT THE OYSTER HOUSE

November 9, 2015

The King Crab travels across the Ocean floor on slow, quiet feet. So quiet that we only just found out that the first crabs of the Season are arriving tomorrow!  The Red King Crab (Paralithodes camtschaticus, aka Kamchatka Crab, for those that remember playing Risk) is considered by many to be the finest of a very fine group of large, cold-water crabs (the Kings). And the price reflects this. $78/pound this year. Wow. “Recession? What recession?” asks the Red King Crab.

Crabs typically arrive Tuesdays and Thursday/Fridays, although this is not set in stone, and depends on the fishing conditions in Alaska as well as the shipping conditions from BC. If the crabs are weak, they’ll keep them in the water in BC a little longer, to regain their strength for the 2nd leg of their trip to Toronto. And if it’s too stormy up North, we don;t see them at all for a bit.

As always, for a meal like this, we recommend calling up your friends/family/clients/employers or anyone else you want to share it with, and reserving a crab with us.  We’ll keep one (or two) aside for when you arrive.  They are not hardy travellers, so mortality is a fact of life, but we’ve found this is the best way to make sure that the $78/lb moment is honoured.  Call or email at
416-363-8105 ext 22 or foh@rodneysoysterhouse.com and we’ll tag your crab when we open the boxes.