Our friends Brett and Kim talked us into a double date the other day. Brett set it all up and decided that we would go to one of their favorite places, the Tomalas Bay Oyster Company. This is a combination oyster farm and picnic grounds and it was way cooler that I expected. I can't believe that I have never been there before. This place was right up my alley. 

They have this large picnic grounds overlooking the bay and you can use the facilities for free! These guys are just trying to sell some oysters. You bring the drinks, hot sauce and if you are going to que, the coals to do so. They will sell you all kinds of oysters and clams.

We bought 50 of the smalls for eating raw, some BBQ size and some special tiny ones that were flown in from Seattle, I think. Brett had made a chopped salsa of sorts that consisted of onions, cilantro lime & salt. We spooned this over the little guys and had at it. They were so unbelievably good, words can not describe. It's like eating a bit of the sea, only fresh and bright tasting. 

Problem was, after a couple of Ranger IPAs, we could not open them up fast enough. They are small so eating them was no problem. The bottle neck was the shucking and prep. After a while, it was just Brett popping them open. I'd sneak a few when he wasn't looking and the girls chatted away over a glass of Champagne. The little guys were just too good.

The larger ones came off the grill after a couple of minutes and I had brought a special bottle of hot sauce called Yucatan Gold. It's a fiery Habanero sauce made with onion and carrot, bright orange and hotter than snot. It is by far, my all time favorite hot sauce. Made over in Sonoma and I've only ever found it at one place - Hop Kiln Winery on West Side road about 7 miles from the camp.

http://www.hopkilnwinery.com

If you are a hot sauce aficionado, you owe it to yourself to check it out when you stay with us at the camp. It as good as hot sauce gets. Pair this with a bit of sweet BBQ sauce over a grilled oyster and it's darn near Nirvana.

Tomales Bay Oyster co. is an easy day trip from Schoolhouse Canyon Campground and well worth the effort. get there early, especially on a weekend and grab a table overlooking the bay. here is the link:

http://tomalesbayoysters.com