Tomales Bay Oysters on Highway 1, Salvation on the Half-Shell

You motor up, down, and around the hills and roads of San Francisco, take the Golden Gate Bridge out of town, take 101 to Highway 1, and drive, just drive, hopefully in a muscle car. But even navigating these turns in a jalopy would make a man happy, looking at the water on the left, the landscape on the right, all in the face of oncoming traffic with equally distracted, heavy-footed drivers. It couldn't get better, right?

Wrong.

Pull off in Marshall at the Tomales Bay Oyster Company, buy some oysters and charcoal from the stand with the logo of the scantily clad, blousy-bodiced lady, and set to grilling. The sun glints off the water, smoke spreads over the picnic area, everyone's talking, and the oysters finally steam open, plump, juicy, and hot. A quick jigger of hot sauce, you slurp one back, and there's no reason to ever go back to wherever you're trying to get away from. And for these reasons this dish made my list of most memorable meals of 2011.

Click for more of the Most Memorable Meals of 2011.
 

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