Huître - Oysters

I'm a huge fan of raw oysters on a half shell.
Well, be honest, I love them in a Stew, or Baked, or Steamed as well, but for all intensive purposes, this post will focus on my love for them raw.
And there's only been 2 places I've been to that have really brought that game to a different level.
Elliott's in Seattle, and Eastern Standard in Boston.
These two places have nearly made me weep when sucking down their amazingly fresh bivalves.

And now, a third.

L'Huitrier in Paris (near the Arc de Triomphe) - Highly Recommended
16,rue Saussier-Leroy
Paris, France
A complete treat in itself. And to be in walking distance to my favorite monument on earth was a traveling plus.
They had a variety of oysters I've never experienced, including the coveted Belon.
All amazingly fresh and delicious in their own ways.

I hold 3 key elements to be the tenets of serving raw oysters.
1. The quality of the waters. The temperature and the purity of the oyster bed.
I like my oysters small to medium in size and slightly plump but not creamy. I find this particular characteristic to be oysters from very cold waters with relative busy water currents.
2. Logistical haste. It must be served less than 8 hours from harvest.
I refuse to believe we aren't able to get the very best here in NYC. But it's a fact. Geography is geography, and it will take a longer time for oysters harvested in the best beds of Cape Cod or Washington for that matter to reach the purveyors in NYC, then the extra leg to the restaurants themselves. It's best when you have the best farmers selling their goods to the restaurants direct.
3. The shucking. If you don't know what you are doing, all is lost in the hands of a neophyte.
Even with the first 2 factors in place, you aren't doing the oyster justice if you are a splintering the shells, or spilling the liqueur while opening. For me, a perfectly shucked oyster has been cracked open, loosened by cutting through abductor muscle, has been turned over once and is gently floating in it's own liqueur. You really don't need the mignonette sauce or heaven forbid Tabasco and cocktail sauce. I like to add a drop or two of lemon juice just to kick up the acidity and help bring out more of the oyster flavors.