Scott G.
Yelp
Bottom Line: If you want to slurp the best East Coast oyster on earth, come to the South Puget Sound, WA.
Meet Virginica, ain't she beautiful. Ha ha I love the Viginica's from Taylor Shellfish (TS). It's an east coast species and Taylor Shellfish is the only farm growing them on the West Coast that I know of. Being a West Coaster, I eat predominantly Pacifics, Kumamotos, and sometimes Olympia's and I love them all. The are 3 things which make these the best pairing with a Kumamoto, Shigoku or Extra Small Pacific.
1. Size Matters: this is a sizable oyster and is a nice contrast to the smaller Pacific Oyster variants.
2. Hold the Salt: the liquor is a little less briney than the some Pacifics.
3. A Delicate Chew: I love a big chewy Pacific but the Virginica is like a fillet Mignon.
The Shigoku is the showcase oyster for TS, but the Virginica is my favorite to contrast a Kumamoto. So why a 4/5 rating and not a 5/5?
First, the cost, $16/dozen is pricey for buying oysters at the farm and the Kumamotos were even more.
Second, the service wasn't very good. "I would rather be somewhere else". Too bad, because the other staff from TS I have met were awesome.
All that said, Virginica, ain't she beautiful. Check it out.