DTLA Oyster Fest: Fried, Pizza, Baked, Yum

Some of the continent's top bivalve pros'll gather at Grand Central Market; tastings and talks ahead.

While "terroir" is often used to describe that particular "taste of place" that's inherent in a glass of wine, we don't use it as often for other sippables and foodstuffs, save saying some sourdough carries some San Francisco to it and a bagel is oh-so-NYC.

But "merroir" is a merry word that applies to place-tasting as it relates to oysters. "Mer" means "sea" in French, yes, making it a fine companion word for "terroir," especially at events where both wine and oysters shall rule.

And DTLA Oyster Festival will have oodles of terroir and merroir to spare. Yes, the bivalve, and not the grape, is the star of the weekend-long sup-tacular, which is on at Grand Central Market on Saturday, Oct. 14 and Sunday, Oct. 15. Vinos, though, will cameo, too, serving, as they do, as the ocean-y eat's BFF, at least among beverages.

"The special culinary event will bring together oyster farmers from across North America for a celebration of all-things-oyster..." says the site. Those oyster professionals will hail from Chelsea Farm of Olympia, Hama Hama from Washington State, Glacial Point Oysters of Alaska, Sol Azul Seafarms of Baja California, Hollie Wood Oysters of British Columbia, and Rock Harbor Oyster of Cape Cod.

There shall be shucking, yes. And there shall be tasting. And should you seek a libation, the Oyster Gourmet, a market staple, has "...a selection of French wines by the glass."

Other Grand Central Market eateries will also have oyster-centered dishes throughout the weekend, so if a Jazz Fest fried oyster pizza po boy tempts, find your way to Olio. Prawn and Horse Thief BBQ also have the bivalve-tastic bites of the baked and fried and succulent varieties.  

An oyster's shell is its most visual component, so there's no surprise that there shall be art-making opportunities for the young'uns in attendance, crafts involving these beautiful gifts of the sea, as well as other gems of the water, like straight-up seashells.

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So have you ever used the term "terroir" but not "merroir"? And do you count yourself as an aficionado of the oyster?

Investigate merroir matters, and try to sense how an oyster from Washington-close waters is different than an oyster sprung from the waters of Massachusetts, at a seafood festivity that brings several faraway farms to LA.

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