Oyster Farm to Farm Table on the Farm

What a treat! You can eat oysters pulled right out of the water, shucked, and served on a farm table en plein air. The experience is organized by Matunuck Oyster Bar in Rhode Island, a restaurant that has deservedly earned a fine reputation for locally sourced food. Its owner, Parry Raso is fundamentally a farmer. While developing his restaurant to serve only foods produced locally, he has also been cultivating farmland and oyster beds on land and sea nearby.

As an alternative to simply eating in a regular restaurant, Perry has cleverly created a "Land and Sea" program to lure curious diners to his farm. Limited to only about 30 lucky people, Perry explains to the group how oyster seeding works, followed by a guided walk through the land crop rows.

The vegetable tour concludes on the lawn, which spreads out below the 300 year old wooden farmhouse where Perry makes his home. It is perched on a spot overlooking crops in the foreground and estuary oyster beds beyond. The educational part ends and the eating part begins at a table with fresh chilled oysters, waiting to be tasted.

Oyster bar with a choice of savory sauces

After the oysters, guests are seated at a long table dressed in crisp white linen and decorated with vases of sunflowers. (Not only the guests love the sunflowers; bees do too).

Sunflower on the Table - with bee

A guest chef prepares dinner - different chefs rotate through. This week, the chef was Rick Allaire of Metacom Kitchen in Warren, Rhode Island. The main course on his menu was a delicious Striped Bass with a peppery seaweed rub. Dessert included a yummy limoncello yogurt topped by freeze dried raspberries.

As if the whole experience is not delicious and interesting enough, it's an added bonus to eat family style. Interesting people make the dinner even better.