Last Friday, the hubs and I took advantage of Outback’s free steak dinner promo. While Outback certainly is delicious and can make a great date night (I love me some bloomin’ onions and wings), it’s a popular chain so I’m sure most of you guys don’t need me to tell you about the food. Not to fret though, I had the pleasure of trying the famous Hog Island Oyster Company for lunch the following day so I’ll tell you about that experience!
Those of you who have visited or live in the San Francisco Bay Area know that going to the Ferry Building Farmers’ Market on Saturday is a must for any food lover. And it’s even better when it’s a gorgeous day. But of course that also means that there’ll be tons of other people there so be prepared to wait! My friends and I ended up waiting close to 1 hour, but we were able to snag an outdoor table with views of the Bay Bridge so it was all worth it. Since there was 4 of us, we decided to split the Oyster Bar Mix. Our server made sure we had 4 of each kind of oysters for a total of 2 dozen so we’d all be able to try everything. The oysters were a-mazing! Each one was so tasty and refreshing. The highlight for the whole table was the New Zealand oysters (sorry, I can’t remember the exact name). My friend is from New Zealand, which is known for some of the best oysters in the world, and even he thought it was especially good!
We also ordered the grilled cheese sandwich, the clam chowder, and a light mixed greens salad. I didn’t try the grilled cheese but my friend, who loves cheese, said that it was really delicious. The clam chowder was also tasty. It’s thinner than what you’d typically expect of New England clam chowders, but it did have an abundance of fresh clams (with the shell and everything!).
Needless to say I would highly recommend Hog Island to anyone who’s an oyster enthusiast. If you ever get the chance though, visit their oyster farm up in Tomales Bay (about an hour and a half north of SF) for a true farm-to-table experience. You can buy fresh oysters to go, shuck them on-site at their picnic grounds, or have a meal at The Boat, which offers various shellfish, cheeses from Cowgirl Creamery, and charcuterie from Fatted Calf, all good stuff!
Hog Island Oyster Company
1 Ferry Building, Shop #11
and
20215 Highway 1
Marshall, CA
A Sprinkle of Adventure 
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