Marshall Store

BBQ'd oysters are a specialty of West Marin I am told, and the legend of their creation is doubtlessly told and debated heartily along the shores of Tomales Bay.

For me the only debate is where to go to eat them.

I love the oysters at Tony's Seafood, a paper plate shack along the bay. Tony's sauce is sweet and, as James says, "ketchupy." The Marshall Store (a no-frills eatery along the same stretch of road) variation is more like a warm cocktail sauce spicy with peppers, Tapatio hot sauce, and a hint of horseradish and doused with melted butter and oyster liquor. The oysters come off the grill extra tender after essentially poaching in their own liquid. The garlic bread is just right for dunking in the flavorful juices.

Oysters may be the star here in Marshall but during the winter months you don't want to miss the dungeness crab, fresh from local waters. As good as the crab available in fish markets can be, fresh from the water dungeness crab is something altogether different, something etherial, something not to be missed.

Swing by The Marshall Store sometime between November and maybe as late as April if the weather stays cool. They'll be happy to see you.