Big Tree Oyster Company Is Proving Gulf Oysters Can Be Tasty | Eater Austin

"“Korean American wine bar Underdog gets a second life as Le Calamar, a French bistro with Texas flair. Co-owners Claudia Lee and Richard Hargreave partnered with North Carolina native and chef Casey Wall to revamp the entire menu, sourcing ingredients primarily from Texas and the Gulf Coast to craft a menu that could only exist in the Lone Star State. There are oysters Charentaise paired with spicy Texas hot links, grilled trout slathered in a brown butter-based salsa macha, an ever-changing menu of steaks cooked over charcoal, and compelling chicken wings à la Koffman (deboned chicken wings stuffed with mousseline) that appears deceptively simple. The beverage menu is just as impressive, with Hargreave sourcing most of the wines from France and a spirits list that focuses on Texas and Mexico.” Here, executive chef Casey Wall uses Big Tree oysters to reintroduce diners to Gulf bivalves: he says their balanced salinity with a touch of sweetness “puts them over the top,” that “you can taste the brine and the oyster” and they “offer a true expression of Texas”; any hesitations fade as staff talk guests through the stigma and many order a second plate after tasting them, and because Big Tree controls the growing process, what arrives each week is unrivaled in consistency." - Darcie Duttweiler