Merroir: Rappahannock Oyster Co. Tasting Room

Sucking down a platter of Stingrays with a side of blue crabs

It's rare that I stumble upon a gem of a spot so exceptional that I honestly don't want to share its whereabouts. Such is the case with Merroir by Rappahannock River Oysters, a virtually undiscovered restaurant/tasting room/picnic tables-meet-a-spectacular-view spot right on Virginia's Rappahannock River.

Located at Locklies Marina in Topping, Virginia (just before you cross the bridge into Irvington and Kilmarnock) Merrior Tasting Room is the latest oysterrific incarnation compliments of the Croxton Cousins (Travis and Ryan) whose simple mission of "putting the Chesapeake Bay oyster back on the map" is without a doubt coming to full-on fruition. Whether these briny goodies are being featured on CNN or being served up by famed Chef, Eric Ripert at DC's West End Bistro, one thing's for certain, RROC's Stingrays, Olde Salts and Barcats are turning up all over the map.

And the best news is that now you can get your hands on these fruits of the sea for pennies on the dollar by hitting their new tasting room, Merroir. Open Wednesday-Sunday (hours vary, so check their Facebook page), the tasting room features a small yet mighty menu of oysters (steamed or raw) with a lovely trio of homemade sauces designed by Executive Chef Pete Woods. Piquant tomatillo, zesty homemade cocktail and a subtle classic mignonette are served up alongside Rappahannock River's famous Olde Salts, Stingrays and signature Rappahannock oysters ($15 per dozen or $1.50 each). Clams are $10 a dozen and $1.00 each respectively.

If you're lucky, Chef Woods still has a couple of his jumbo lump laden crab cakes left or a few overstuffed clams casino still available, perhaps even a platter or two of smoked/grilled lamb shanks with Gorgonzola butter and walnuts. When we were there, we were lucky enough to score the last of this season's bumper crop of blue crabs served steamed with the chef's homemade spicy crab seasoning.

Chef Woods at work in the"kitchen"

Merroir is definitely all about what's fresh and now. There's no deep fryer (so don't go asking for hush puppies and french fries) and no appetizer, entree, dessert menu. In fact, most if not all of the cooking is done on the outdoor grill (see above). This is a tasting room, so what you see is what you get, and the focus here is all about seasonal raw and steamed, so plan accordingly. In the meantime, there are plenty of beverage options to keep you satiated, including a nice offering of craft brews ($5 a pint/$4 bottle and up) and local Virginia wines (think Barboursville Pinot Grigio $23 a bottle) with each beverage carefully selected to accompany RROC's award winning oysters.

Stand and suck down your oysters at one of the outdoor oyster tables or grab one of several outdoor picnic tables overlooking the water. No worries if it's too cold, just pull up a chair at the cozy bar inside. Also, word is that Chef Woods plans to add outdoor heaters to help stave off those chilly Rappahannock breezes.

This is relaxed dining at its finest, so don't come here if you're in a hurry. Place your order inside, grab a table and enjoy the view because it is truly spectacular, especially on a sunny fall afternoon.

Everything is made to order and when your oysters arrive, you'll find that they are truly worth the wait. Shucked to perfection with plenty of remaining liquor, like the entire Merroir experience, they are meant to be savored slowly.

When it's time to head home, if you've still got a hankering for a few more Stingrays, you can always get a couple dozen to go along with a bottle of wine or a six pack of beer.

According Merroir's Facebook page, future events will include live music from time-to-time, and there was more than one mention of a raucous post Reedville Oyster Roast after-party happening in November.

So now that the proverbial cat is out of the bag, let me offer a few final words of wisdom before you make the hour and half drive to this secret spot. I can't reiterate enough that this is very casual dining, so put aside any preconceived notions you might have about a sit-down restaurant. It's a tasting room with food.

Instead, put on a pair of jeans, a warm jacket and bring your oyster appetite. Be prepared to chill out with the locals and take in the water view. There is only one chef (and he's a super nice, hardworking guy), no actual kitchen per se, and when we were there, only one server for a whole host of tables both inside and out. Remember these tidbits and we'll all get along just fine.

In the meantime, check out this most excellent video oyster primer by The Modern Gentleman himself, Jason Tesauro, featuring Merroir with interviews, tasting notes and harvest updates.

©2011 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission Pin It Now!

2011 Hanover County Firefighters Crab Feast

What do you get when you bring together all-you-can-drink Bud Light, classic rock cover bands and more steamed blue crabs than you can count? A full blown party, that's what.

I happened to win tickets to this crabby party from Sports Radio 910 (and I never win anything) so we simply had to go. Plus, I love picking whole blue crabs more than I can express in words, but the short of it is, the mere act of prying out tiny morsels of sweet crab meat literally involves hours of eating and drinking, and I can't think of a better way to spend a Saturday.

On advice from others, we got there just after the gates opened, so it was quiet, but the deal is this. Gates open at 1:30 for hot dogs and beer, and the crabs don't start arriving en masse until 2pm where you can eat yourself silly until 6pm sharp. For $30 per person it's a bargain all-you-can-eat affair with diners scoring table spots (or reserving tents) early. There are no tickets sold at the gate in order to make sure there's enough vittles for everyone, which was a great way to ensure everyone got their fare share of crabs. Since we got there right when this shindig opened, we figured we'd grab a beer, take a seat and then patiently wait, mallets in hand, for piles of steamy crabs to land in our laps.

WRONG.

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Sweet As Sugar and Ugly As a Toad

Fried Sugar Toads from Arnest Seafood

Sugar toads.  They're not what you think, so put those images of deep fried frog outta your head.  Sugar toads are what we coastal Virginia folk call the Northern Puffer fish, which is a seasonal bottom-dwelling fish unique to the Chesapeake Bay.  Sugar toads primarily feed on shellfish, and have earned their nickname due their less than Vogue-worthy appearance.  For many years, puffers were considered as nothing more than an annoyance that needed to be thrown back until several well-known (and high-end) restaurants began serving this sweet, flaky fish with the unusual name to rave reviews.

Sugar toads, like all puffer fish, have ability to fill their stomachs with water as a defense and puff up, making them a not-so-easy to digest prey.  From a culinary standpoint, it must also be noted that Chesapeake Bay puffers are completely non-poisonous, and unlike their Fugu brethren, pose no threat to those who eat them.  As a result, if you can get your hands on a platter of these fried delicacies, it's a prized meal indeed.

So, last weekend when the hubby and I took a jaunt to one of our favorite seafood dives, we were thrilled when the special of the day was fried sugar toads.  Sugar toads, when lightly battered and deep-fried maintain just a hint of crunch to offset the soft, sweet meat inside.  Most often, they are deep-fried whole (sans head and skin).  Also, because the spine of the puffer is still intact once prepared, they're an excellent eat-with-your-hands kinda snack, much like a fried chicken leg.  Give your toad a little spritz of fresh lemon juice while dipping it into a plastic tub of homemade tartar and you won't care that you're dining alfresco with a view of a strip mall parking lot.

Arnest is about as no-frills as you can get.  Not only is it in a half-vacant strip mall right smack in the middle of nowhere (a.k.a. Manquin, Virginia, about halfway to Tappahannock out Route 360) but it sits right next to a hunting and fishing shop complete with a giant outdoor statue of a galloping seven-point buck for your viewing pleasure.  Part seafood store (you can get anything to go) and part dine-in, Arnest is the kinda place you visit to get a taste of the Bay without the waterfront price.

A specialty of the house are their steamed local blue crabs, and Arnest sells nothing but number one males, otherwise known as "jimmies", for a mere $24 a dozen.  Jimmies are well-known to be the largest and meatiest of blue crabs and can command upwards of $65 a dozen at a tourist-ridden waterfront seafood establishment.  When I asked about females, which some folks prefer due the substantial price difference, our server replied, "Here, it's males only."  My kinda place.

As the saying goes, when the work is hard, the rewards taste that much sweeter.  Such is the case for picking crabs, so plan on staying a while.  We picked for two hours and still had four large crabs leftover for dinner the next night.  

All of your accouterments, including melted butter, Tabasco, Old Bay and, my personal fave, cider vinegar for dipping that precious jumbo lump, come out with your crabs which are gloriously presented on a plastic tray.  Crab picking is messy business, and while there are plenty of paper towels, I recommend bringing your own bib.  Either that, or I dare you to wear white.

If crabs, or heaven forbid, fried sugar toads just ain't your thing, no worries.  You can get most any seafood goody, either fried or steamed at Arnest.  For the fried seafood junkie, Arnest offers up a selection of "Straight-Up" platters, where diners can get a plastic basket full of fried oysters, scallops, jumbo shrimp, fish of the day or frog legs, sold by the pound, and ranging in price from $9.99 .lb (frog legs) to $18.99 .lb (shrimp).  

Steamed options include Rappahannock oysters (also on the half shell), local clams and shrimp. When it comes to fried dinners with sides, crab cakes, scallop cakes, fish of the day, soft shells and various combinations thereof are served with two sides and homemade hush puppies without a single platter costing over $19.00.

Standout sides included Arnest's vinegar braised collard greens, housemade flash-fried crab chips dusted in Old Bay and creamy deviled eggs. If you're looking for fine wine, you're in the wrong place, and same goes for cocktails, since Arnest sells neither, but you can get an ice cold Corona or Budweiser, which to me, suits fried seafood and crab picking just fine.

Who: Arnest Seafood Where: 109 Commerce Park, Manquin, Virginia (804) 769-3315 When: Wed., Thurs. and Sunday 11:30-9pm and Fri. and Sat. 11:30-10pm

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Carolina-Style Steamed Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce

Perfect with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc overlooking the Pamlico Sound.

Sorry, but Summer ain't over yet, at least not in my book. While I am happy to be done with "most" of the searing hot temps in our part of the woods, I'm not giving up on dining al fresco, not until the first frost. At our house, having dinner on the back deck is where it's at. Whether we're grilling NY Strips with blue cheese wedge salads, slow-cooking barbecued ribs or searing veggie kabobs, you can bet that most of the time, some seriously good culinary action is happening right in our backyard.  

Sometimes we'll do it up steamed crabby style alongside plenty of cheap beer and drawn butter, while other times dinner is simply one, big sausage fest.

Yeah, I got crabs

Boerewors sausage from Grayhaven Winery's South African Food Fest

The important part is that we're outside, savoring the last of what summer has to offer, and what better way to give this season a big, fat send-off than the make a classic Carolina-Style Steamed Shrimp. If you've ever had the chance to visit the North Carolina coast, and if you're even luckier to have tasted your way down 95 South, you may already know that when it comes to steamed Carolina Shrimp, everyone's version is the best, and they're often surprisingly varied.

For example, on the coastal island of Hatteras, most locals prefer their steamed shrimp rather unadulterated, sauteing them shell-on in a dry pan without any seasoning whatsoever. Only after the cooking process do additions such as Old Bay, hot sauce or butter enter the mix. After sampling my fare share of this local delicacy, I can attest to the fact, that when it comes to these uniquely sweet crustaceans, less is most definitely more.

However, if you keep driving south and head to the Wrightsville Beach area of North Carolina, you may find yourself staring into a gargantuan, steamy pot of shell-on shrimp, Kielbasa sausage, potatoes and corn simmering elegantly in a broth accented with lemon, onion, garlic, Old Bay, cayenne pepper and Tabasco with the whole shebang eventually being dumped onto a table spread with newspapers. Life gets even better if the chef happens to throw in a steamed crab or two.

Your shrimp method and/or madness is totally up to you, but what's important, other than working with the freshest crustaceans you can find, is that you enjoy all this deliciousness outdoors in all it's ten napkin glory. 

Below is my take on a classic Carolina-style steamed shrimp in a basic beer and cider vinegar broth (we Southerners love our cider vinegar) but feel free to tweak this one out with a couple of sausages, corn and/or quartered potatoes (just be sure to add the shrimp last, after your taters are tender, so as not to overcook them). In order to prevent overcooking your shrimp in general, take the pot off the heat just as your shrimp begin to curl, and if you're working with a large amount, be sure to give the pot a good stir every now and then, so the shrimp on the bottom eventually make their way off the direct heat.

Finally, don't forget the cocktail sauce (as you can see, I like that spiced up, too) along with plenty of drawn butter and extra lemon wedges. Now, go get your last taste of Summer.

Photo Kendra Bailey Morris

Carolina-Style Peel and Eat Shrimp with Spicy Cocktail Sauce

Capture the last of summer with this easy, made-to-enjoy-outdoors steamed shrimp recipe. Serve your shrimp with grilled corn and a crisp-n-light beer such as Blue Mountain Brewery's Blue Mountain Lager.

Serves 4

1 cup water
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 cup beer (not dark beer)
4 tablespoons Old Bay Seasoning, divided (2 tablespoons reserved)
2 bay leaves
1 small onion, quartered
2 celery rib, cut into 2 inch pieces
1 1emon, sliced in half
2 pounds large shrimp, shell-on

Bring all of your ingredients except shrimp to a boil in a shallow saucepan.  Cook for 8-10 minutes.  Next, add your shrimp, cover and cook until your shrimp are just pink (be careful not to overcook them). Remove shrimp to a bowl with a slotted spoon and toss with the reserved 2 tablespoons of Old Bay. Serve shrimp with lemon wedges, hot sauce, spicy cocktail sauce, additional Old Bay Seasoning and plenty of napkins.

Spicy Cocktail Sauce
Makes 1 cup

1/2 cup ketchup
1/2 cup chili sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon hot sauce, optional
Salt and pepper, to taste

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and chill.


©2010 Fatback and Foie Gras. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission Pin It Now!