The Jolly Oyster and its equally jolly eater

This just in: Ventura now boasts a fresh oyster concession at San Buenaventura State Beach and Park. The Jolly Oyster stand sells clams and oysters by the piece or by the pound, to eat right there or take away.

Take away? Why would you do that when the stand provides picnic tables and even barbecues? 

And should you arrive unprepared, afflicted by the sudden urge to eat oysters, they’ll sell you oyster knives, towels and beverages, though not wine. That, you’ll have to bring yourself, and yes, it is legal, in the state park.

Like Hog Island Oysters  in Northern California, the Jolly Oyster grows its own kumamoto and Pacific oysters, plus Manila clams. But these come from waters off the coast of Baja California, close enough for the bivalves to be shipped in the morning for that afternoon’s eating.

Sounds good, especially when the oysters are only $1 to $1.40 apiece. This, I'm thinking, could easily become my favorite pit stop on the way to Santa Barbara.

The Jolly Oyster, San Buenaventura State Beach (entrance on San Pedro Street, near  intersection of Harbor Boulevard and off Highway 101), Ventura; www.thejollyoyster.com. Open daily, rain or shine, from 11 a.m. To dusk. Oysters, $1 to $1.40 per piece; clams, $7 per pound. Discounts on larger orders.

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-- S. Irene Virbila
Twitter.com/sirenevirbila

Illustration: The Jolly Oyster logo. Credit: Jolly Oyster

The Find: Moqueca, the spirit of coastal Brazil

If you think Brazilian food means lots and lots of carved meats, Maria-Gloria Sarcinelli would like to introduce you to mocqueca: bubbling stews that arrive at the table in a rustic, coal-black cooking pot of the same name.

People come from miles around for the signature dishes served at Sarcinelli's restaurant, Mocqueca, which overlooks Oxnard's Channel Islands Harbor. That's just one of the reasons it's our Find of the week. Read more here:

-- Rene Lynch

Photo: Moqueca de Camarao is jumbo shrimp served in a handmade clay pot for two. Credit: Anne Cusack / Los Angeles Times

Sampler Platter: higher dairy prices, heavier Padma Lakshmi, barbecue boom in Ventura

Burger-mobiles, gorging on seafood and Prohibition-era restrictions on beer lead today's roundup of food news.

• The coolest cheeseburger-shaped truck you'll see all year. Slashfood
• You still can’t buy a six-pack of beer at most Pennsylvania stores. The Daily Review
• Padma Lakshmi: I gain 12 to 15 lbs. every season filming "Top Chef." Chicago Examiner
• Get ready for higher prices on milk, cheese and butter. Arkansas Democrat Gazette
• Greener diet reduces dairy cows' methane burps. Natural Products Marketplace
• There's a barbecue restaurant boom in Ventura County. Ventura County Star
• L.A. & O.C. Foodie, Mattatouille, Choisauce, Gourmet Pigs, ConBon and Rickmond of Rameniac dig into Hungry Cat's Crabfest V this past weekend. 
• Fans upset at Houston Astros, the only MLB team to forbid bringing food or drink into the park. Houston Business Journal
• Would you like a sham marriage with your pad thai? Seattle Business Journal

-- Elina Shatkin

Photo: Padma Lakshmi eats a burger in a Carl's Jr. ad. Credit: Doria Anselmo / Business Wire