OYSTER FLIGHT

A NEXT GENERATION OYSTER EXPERIENCE

we have CHANGED THE ENTIRE PARADIGM FOR EXPERIENCING OYSTERS. WE HAVE turned it into SOMETHING which will inform how you order, dress and consume oysters for the rest of your life. You will learn more than you ever thought there was to know about oysters and HOW TO GET EVERYTHING THEY HAVE TO OFFER.

More on how that is done and why it matters in the detail below (and it REALLY matters.) Our Oyster Flight consists of 6 oysters, topped, dressed or “treated” 6 ways. Ours will will be the best oyster experience you have ever had, GUARANTEED!

ITS NOT THE OYSTERS, IT’S HOW THEY ARE SERVED, EXPLORED, DRESSED AND CONSUMED!

THE OYSTER FLIGHT

Is ALWAYS presented on an ultra-premium oyster, in the order below, pictured above, for a dozen reasons. No hot sauce. No cocktail sauce. No caviar or uni. AND NO CRACKERS! EVER!

  1. Topped / Dressed: Fresh Grated Horseradish Root & Lemon

  2. Topped / Dressed: Fresh Grated Japanese Wasabi Rhizome & Lime

  3. Topped / Dressed: Japanese Mignonette (Yuzu Champagne Vinegar, Wasabi, Cucumber, Micro Cilantro)

  4. Topped / Dressed: American Mignonette (Apple Cider Vinegar, Peel of a green apple, shallot, green peppercorn)

  5. Topped / Dressed: French Mignonette (Red Wine Vinegar, shallot, black peppercorn)

  6. Treated: Cold Smoked

The first 5 are toppings or dressings. The last one is a treatment and in a league all its own. Learn more about these here: ACCOUTREMENT PREMIER

THE OLD MODEL SUCKS

OYSTERS HAVE BEEN SERVED THE SAME (BROKEN) WAY FOR 200+ YEARS!

LET’S START WITH THIS SIMPLE, IRREFUTABLE, MATERIAL, MATHEMATICAL, FACT

If you are paying $4 for an oyster (3GRAMS of protein in an average oyster), and there are 453 gRAMS in a pound, then you are paying $604.27 per pound for that protein. Before tax and tip. After tax & tip ($1+/-) you are paying $756.67 for that protein.

ERGO, THE OLD MODEL IS A POOR VALUE PROPOSITION!

WHY?

REASON #1

RESTAURANTS ARE NOT DESIGNED TO GIVE OYSTERS WHAT THEIR PRICE COMMANDS

So the value proposition is busted. So, people avoid oysters because the are not perceived to be “worth it”. And, in most cases, they are not! Restaurants specialize in cooked food, composed dishes and drinks. If they do serve oysters, they are an “ALSO”, that’s why restaurants ALSO have a RAW BAR (sometimes). But there is really no such thing as a stand alone “Raw Bar” that isn’t a station at an event or a pop up. Name ONE Raw Bar that isnt attached to a restaurant? We can’t! Well, other than the one we had in Charleston which will one day soon reopen in West Palm Beach, FL.

Most often, the oyster bar / shucker / product isn’t even visible because bar and floor space is too valuable (they thing) to put a raw bar there. Oysters most often get shucked out of sight, usually in the kitchen. Your server has little or no oyster knowledge. Even the best oyster programs are are limited by their use of this OLD MODEL.

REASON #2:

TABLE SERVICE / PLATTER PRESENTATION IS FUNDAMENTALLY FLAWED

It is flawed in that once the server leaves them on the platter at the table, there is rarely time for them to point out the differences between them, or discuss the best ways to dress or consume them. You’ve likely got cocktail sauce and a mignonette and a lemon for toppings. If there is horseradish, it’t not freshly grated for your oysters. You just can’t deliver what the oyster deserves in this model.

We’re not saying its not GOOD or GOOD FOR YOU! It is. But its not GREAT our OUTSTANDING. Its NOT as good as it CAN BE.

Can you name one exception to the platter / table service model that any “seafood restaurant with a raw bar offering” has every offered? We’ve never seen it. It’s old and tired. It’s time! The old model is driven by two service styles / paradigms: 1. A la carte. 2. Table service. Very simple. And this is just about the only way anyone gets an oyster served to them. The guest orders oysters and a platter of oysters comes to the table. In the case of a mixed platter, the waiter may or may not know much about any of the oysters or even which one is which. A system may or may not be in place to help you know which is which. The platter comes with cocktail sauce, lemon, one or two mignonettes and lots, some or no advice on which to use or how much of each to use or what combinations to try / avoid. This model fails to deliver the value that is possible and makes oysters less desirable (especially at $4 or more) to most consumers

WE’VE CHANGED THAT! COME EXPERIENCE IT!

OUR MODEL

Our model affords us the opportunity to give a $700 / per pound protein the treatment it deserves…and then some.

When you focus on Oysters / Raw Bar you can deliver a MUCH better raw bar product, service & experience. Eliminating the restaurant’s (staff, rent, equipment, menu, admin…etc) allow us to laser focus extremely expensive proteins and do a lot more with other very expensive, high-quality, hard to find product in order to deliver the most value possible.

We offer an oyster service similar to a wine service where a flight of oysters are served to each guest, one at a time, at the same moment. It’s a MASTER CLASS, not “table service” because he discovery opportunity in this model is profound, the experience is guided by an expert and everyone experiences it all together, at the same time.

In this model, you’ll learn more about oysters (and how to best appreciate them) then you ever thought there was to know. Coaching on the metrics of quality will inform your palate. Identifying the variables between oysters in flavor (Merroir), will help you to understand the differences between them. Discussions of the people, places and processes they come from are the cornerstone of this service. From how to (and why you should) treat every oyster like a sip of a $500 wine, to the R months, we’ll explore the history, culture, cuisine, economy and ecology of oysters as guests ask questions and they’re answered by a Master Mermmlier, Kevin Joseph.

The experience is an experiment in how much more you can get from oysters, how to develop your palate to appreciate the differences in them and which metrics of quality you prefer in your oysters. This will inform your oyster choices and how you enjoy them for the rest of your life. In this experiment we have applied something similar to a “scientific method” where there is a process, order, control and result. Each oyster is the same (control) and each oyster is dressed, a la minute, by the presenter. We call our collections of toppings, dressings and treatments Accoutrement Premier. The result is a better understanding of your preferences with oysters / accoutrement.

“DISCOVERY is the DELTA between EATING & DINING”
— Kevin Joseph - Master Mermmelier

DISCOVERY GALORE

HERE’S WHAT OUR OYSTER EXPERIENCE DELIVERS

  • The metrics of quality for oysters (nose, brine, bite, minerality, after-taste, meat to shell ratio…etc.)

  • The history, culture, cuisine, economy & ecology of oysters through the questions our guests inevitably ask and the answers given by a Master Mermmelier, Kevin Joseph.

  • How to properly eat an oyster to most thoroughly experience its entire flavor profile.

  • How to experience 20, 50 or even 100% more pleasure, joy and satisfaction from an oyster.

  • Experience your first “Sweet Flash”.

  • Which wines pair best with oysters, and why.

  • How to recognize when an oyster is shucked properly and what to do when it is not.

  • What to ask servers about oysters that will reveal whether or not you should order them.

  • What is the difference between a mignonette & what is a MignoNOT!

  • A few things about your preferences for toppings, dressings or treatments.

  • How long should an oyster’s flavor profile take to appear, peak and yield.

  • The proper ways to dress an oyster and several interesting toppings you’ve probably never had (but you can make at home).

  • The best ways to diminish the value of a raw oyster.

  • How freshly grated Horseradish Root & Lemon enhances an oyster, and why we start with that.

  • How freshly grated Wasabi Rhizome & Lime enhances an oyster, and why its our second oyster.

Our model was designed NOT for eating or even dining. The experience takes you well beyond that, we’ll into discovery and, often, enchantment. Ours is an omakase-style, semi-private, salon-type product, service and experience that allows us to create and elevate an immersive and participatory culinary experience that is safe, healthy, sustainable, responsible, smart, delicious, nutritious, colorful and fun. That’s next level stuff. Considering how this will inform your palate, ordering and elevate your enjoyment and appreciation for oysters for the rest of your life, we think it is fair to say that what we charge for it is well below value. We would argue it’s value it is of equal value to a day of skiing in Aspen ($1,000 per person, at least) or a round of Golf at The Ocean Course in Kiawah ($650 per person). Yes, you can talk about a round at Kiawah for the rest of your life, and that is very cool. Bucket list stuff. But you cant share your knowledge about it in same way you can share your knowledge of oysters with others, for the rest of your life.

BOTTOM LINE

WE’VE DONE TO OYSTERS WHAT THE SPHERE DID TO CONCERTS!

The old model is AM radio. Our model is Digital Hi-Fi Surround Sound with High Def Visuals. In the old model you eat oysters. In our model, you dine on oysters and come to understand and appreciate them much much more. Given the right methodologies to enjoy them to their greatest potential you’ll appreciate and enjoy them much more for the rest of your days. Often this leads to a much greater appreciation of oysters. And if, in thend, you don’t agree, they’re free.