Oyster 360 Part 1New York Oyster Lovers at Essex

Technically, it's not the best oyster-eating season anymore. But does the absence of an "R" in the month and eagerly spawning product stop me? Heck no! Since last fall, I've been charting an exciting edible journey across the world of oysters. A couple weekends ago, I took my obsession to the next level by attending a series of oyster-devoted events. It started innocently enough with a second New York Oyster Lovers meet up at Essex Restaurant. Then, a small cluster of us trekked out to the Great South Bay to tour the Blue Island Shellfish Farms with owner Chris Quartuccio. Finally, I attended the NYC Food Film Festival's Great Oyster Shuck 'N Suck party and met my hero, Liza of food.curated. By now, and thanks in part to Liza, most of you are familiar with my oyster log, but wait until you hear what I'm about to do next! More pics, stories and an exciting announcement on the next page!

Lamn/n Zhou's Hand-Pulled Noodles

There's nothing quite like a steamy bowl of noodle soup with your choice of meat and fixings on a frigid New York afternoon. After some target practice at the West Side Rifle & Pistol Range, we (B, S^2) decided to hit up Lam/n Zhou Hand Pulled Noodles & Dumplings in East Chinatown.

Lam/n Zhou Dumplings

Whenever I'm craving for dumplings, but not in the mood to make my own, I turn to my trusty supply of frozen Vanessa's Dumplings (50 for $9). However, I recently discovered another dumpling paradise on the east side of Chinatown that sells a bag of 50 frozen ones for $8! This magical place is called Lan Zhou (or maybe Lam Zhou in Engrish) Hand Made Noodles & Dumpling and it's located on East Broadway. It is the quintessential hole-in-the-wall eatery: a shabby little joint that sells remarkably delicious food. I think at least one of the storekeepers there speaks English, so you won't need to pull out your Mandarin skills like I did. I also wouldn't have discovered the place if it hadn't been for my Chinatown-savvy friend A.

Tuesday Night Live at Sushi Uo

UrbanDaddy's Sushi Uo's Tuesday Night Live blurb definitely caught my attention.

Chef David Bouhadana's hard-to-find LES  sushi spot announces "Tuesday Night Live," in which a diverse community of octopus, abalone, pen shell, scallop orange clams and surf clams meet their untimely demise right in front of your eyes, before finding their way to your mouth. Management warns that there may be some twitching.

Three trains from the Upper West Side, a few walking blocks, and a wrong turn into a downstairs bar later, I had finally made it to Sushi Uo. I didn't make a reservation since I wasn't sure when A could get out of work to meet me, but the two best seats in the house (alongside the sushi bar where you can see all of the action) were still open. While I waited for my companion to arrive, I tried the Kurosawa Kimoto Junmai Sake (smooth, tad spicy, served at room temperature) and watched Chef David Bouhadana slam pieces of raw fish into the cutting board. Some of the pieces slightly writhed after impact (and silently screamed), but that was the extent of the drama. There was no tank of live specimen nor creatures that would crawl off of your plate. That was probably a good thing for A's sake.