 Arcata Bay Oyster Festival
Whew, what a long, fun day.
The event is held on the Arcata Plaza from 10am-6pm.
I arrived at work at 530am to load up and setup at the event.
By the time I was done offloading at the end of the day, and had taken care of a few things in preparation of Father's Day, it was 9:30pm.
This was our 4th year of participation.
Menu:
Oyster Chowder in Boule (3rd year offering this).
BBQ Oysters with choice of 3 toppings;
Nitro Buffalo Sauce (ran this last year as well).
Sweet Heat (Sweet Chili Sauce & Pineapple).
Saltimbocca (Prosciutto, Garlic, Sage and Lemon, with a Lemon-Sage Aioli).
The last two were my suggestions and recipes for this year.
I don't like the idea of offering the same thing year after year, unless they are award winners.
Even though the day started out overcast, the chowder didn't move as it has in years past.
They must be tiring of it, and I will suggest we not run it next year.
Lots of compliments on the saltimbocca, which I was most proud of, and even though I liked the sweet heat, I was surprised at just how many compliments we received on it.
We didn't win any awards, but received a lot of positive feedback, so I'm happy.
There are only a handful of awards, so most walk away without one.
I tried many different preparations, and I'm not surprised at who won.
Many, many excellent oysters at the event.
I ordered 1200 oysters for the BBQ offerings, and we sold out at about a quarter to 5.
Perfect for me, as I was then able to walk around and enjoy the next hour.
No vehicles are allowed on the plaza until the event ends at 6pm.
In years past, we have been shucking all the way until the end, and then you have to tear down, load up, etc., so a break at the end is nice.
The GM's wife was shucking with me most of the day, and she bought me a beer as well, so I was enjoying myself, though my back aches, and my hand is a little sore from the constant shucking.
Good weather, good food, good scenery.
I think there were around 15000 people, from all walks of life.
If any of you are in the area on the Saturday before Father's Day, I recommend you check it out.
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You should have been here when the shiitake hit the flan! | 
