Oysters

Richard Zaworski of Baltimore requested a recipe for Oyster Pot Pie. "Years ago," he wrote, "my mother made it for my family and we enjoyed it a great deal, but no one can remember the recipe." Marlene Zaworski Mundie, no address given, responded. "I have had this recipe for a few years, but it is not a family recipe. My husband loves it. It is especially good when it snows outside. The white sauce can also be used for chipped beef." And, noting the name of the man seeking the recipe, she added, "Maybe I'll find a lost relative."

The best thing about O'Leary's Seafood Restaurant is how tricky it is to describe. Not so many years back, I'd have called O'Leary's eclectic, which became a byword for both a type of menu and the kind of place that served it. Offering a relaxed version of fine dining, the eclectic restaurant flourished in the 1990s, when serving staffs started wearing black T-shirts and sheets of paper were placed over the tablecloth. Eclectic lives on at O'Leary's, which is housed in a bright blue cottage-like building, a stone's throw from Spa Creek in Annapolis.

Dave Coakley from Baltimore was looking for the recipe for the oyster stew that is served at the Peppermill restaurant in Towson. He said it "is the best I've tasted. " I contacted the restaurant and spoke with Rick Ziegel , the owner of the Peppermill, and he graciously agreed to share his restaurant's recipe. He says he frequently makes this at home himself and was kind enough to help me modify the recipe for the home cook. He told me that at the restaurant they make large quantities of the soup base and steam the oysters separately.

Guests at Saturday's Preakness will get the first slurp of the Skinny Dipper, a new oyster from True Chesapeake Oyster Co., an oyster farm in St. Mary's County. The Skinny Dipper will be supplied to Baltimore-area restaurants beginning this summer, but it will get some high-profile attention at Saturday's race, where it has been named the "preferred oyster of Preakness," according to a press announcement. The Skinny Dipper will be presented at the raw bar inside Preakness Village, the event's corporate entertaining area, where the menu is being created by "Top Chef" contestant Mike Isabella.

The history, current state and future of oyster production in the Chesapeake region are the subject of a four-part Sunday afternoon discussion series at the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in St. Michaels . State of the Oyster , the first in a planned annual series of public programming initiatives called Community Conversations, is being presented by the museum in conjunction with the Maryland Humanities Council. The program is accompanied by an art exhibition featuring work by Chesapeake artist Marc Catelli and photographer Heather Davidson.

A watershed moment in Maryland history unfolded last month when Chesapeake Bay watermen marched on Annapolis to protest Gov. Martin O'Malley's Oyster Restoration and Aquaculture Development Plan. At stake was whether the bay's shellfish beds will continue to be in the public domain -- a public fishery -- or whether they will be reassigned, in whole or in part, as private leases available for aquaculture. Unfortunately, this issue is typically presented as a choice between preserving the watermen's way of life and promoting oyster restoration and aquaculture.

All the recent emphasis on enforcing our way to a clean Bay is completely misguided. Bay water quality will continue to fall short because the bay lacks oysters -- which are nature's primary way of removing excess nutrients. Everyone contributes to bay water quality impairments. We are on the right track with the point source investments that have been made as well as expecting greater efforts from agriculture, new development and urban storm water. However, we continue to deceive ourselves if we think attainable (and sustainable)

It is a custom in this town at year's end for folks to gather around a plate of raw oysters. The oysters are loaded both with tangy flavor and with zinc that puts fuel in your firebox. The gathering provides good cheer. As 2007 drew to a close, I visited several spots around Baltimore where bivalves were plump and the conversations friendly. There was nary a bad mollusk or moment in my expedition. That means, of course, I will repeat this ritual next December. Nick's Inner Harbor Seafood Address --Cross Street Market, 1065 S. Charles St. Phone --410-685-2020 Hours --11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday This raw bar in the colorful Cross Street Market features comfortable seats, prize-winning shuckers and easy conversation.

Is it time to clamp a moratorium on oystering in the Chesapeake Bay? The Chesapeake Bay Foundation's landmark report, "Turning the Tide: Saving the Chesapeake Bay" makes a persuasive case, noting that oysters have declined to 1 percent of their former abundance. Those bivalves, enough to fill 12 million bushels during the 1870s, once sifted all the bay's waters in a week, but now take nearly a year. What that does to water quality is a life-and-death matter for many plant and animal species depending on the bay.The report's author, former Sun environmental writer Tom Horton, joined other foundation members in demanding a three-year ban on oystering, similar to the ban on rockfish catches, to help bring back the threatened population.

The Maryland Crab and Oyster Celebration continues through Sunday. Look for chefs' specials featuring Maryland crab and oyster at some 20 restaurants. Alewife is dishing up a smoked tomato gazpacho topped with Maryland crab and roasted corn relish; Charleston is serving Cindy Wolf's signature cornmeal-fried oysters with lemon-cayenne mayonnaise; and Ryleigh's Oyster in Federal Hill is offering anywhere from seven to 14 varieties of raw oysters every day. For a full list of participating restaurants, along with their special menu items, go to the Dine Downtown Baltimore website . Follow Baltimore Diner on Twitter @gorelickingood

In honor of FlowerMart and its signature lemon stick treat, Ryleigh's Oyster in Federal Hill is featuring a limited edition Lemonstick Crush special Friday and Saturday. The Lemonstick Crush ($8) is made with Voli Lemon Vodka, a fresh squeezed lemon, a splash of simple syrup and a splash of Sprite. It's topped with a lemon half and soft peppermint stick. FlowerMart is Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m to 8 p.m. The Lemonstick Crush special is on all day Friday and Saturday at Ryleigh's Oyster . Officiallly, anyway.

As part of Baltimore Green Week, the Nature Conservancy and the Oyster Recover Partnership are hosting an Earth Day "mix and mingle" event tonight at McCormick & Schmick's Staff from both organizations will introduce the new One for the Bay campaign, a new awareness and fundraising campaign that will support the organizations' ongoing efforts to help restore the Chesapeake Bay's oyster population. The One for the Bay reception is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight at McCormick & Schmick's , 711 Eastern Ave. For information about the reception go to the Nature Conservancy website . And find more Baltimore Green Week events here . And B&O Brasserie is hosting an Earth Day oyster happy hour tonight from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Oysters will be available for $1 for guests, and all collected oyster shells will be donated to the Oyster Recovery Program.

Like Baltimore author Patricia Schulteis, I too have fond memories of eating oysters with my grandfather at Faidley's seafood café in Lexington Market ("Loving Lexington Market," April 11). What the market needs is what other great regional markets, such as Philadelphia's Reading Terminal Market or New York's Chelsea Market, offer: Food manufactured on-site. The lack of local produce at Lexington Market betrays the disconnect the market currently labors under with today's foodies: The majority of the foods sold there have little connection to the location.

Michael's Cafe is nearly 30 years old, but it's still hot. On a recent Thursday night, the Timonium restaurant was hopping. The warm, wood-filled bar was packed, and by 8 p.m., so was the dining room. Since its opening in 1984, Michael's has expanded several times; a current construction project will add an outdoor bar and more seating. Eavesdropping on tables around us, we realized most diners were repeat customers - back, no doubt, for Michael's capable takes on classic American food.

Lawrence W. "Larry" Simns Sr., a fourth-generation waterman and longtime advocate for the Chesapeake Bay and those who make their living from its waters, died Thursday of bone cancer at his Rock Hall home. He was 75. "Larry stood sentry for the watermen of the Chesapeake Bay for over 40 years and courageously carried their banner into the 21st century," Sen. Barbara A. Mikulski said in a statement. "He fought to preserve their traditions and their opportunity to work on the water like their forefathers," she said.

Kira Eying from Baltimore was seeking a recipe for oyster pie. She said her husband's grandmother used to make it but no one in the family can find her recipe. She said was it was similar to an oyster stew, with potatoes, carrots and other vegetables but baked in a deep-dish pie plate with a flaky crust. Mike Herbert from Sykesville shared a recipe for oyster pie that he said came from his mother, Dorothy Herbert. He said he makes it at least once a year and "because the taste of the oysters is so delicate, very little seasoning is needed and as the dish cooks the oyster flavor permeates the vegetables.

A Southern Maryland chef swept the National Oyster Cook-Off on Saturday at the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds, a festival organizer said. Chef Loic Francois Jaffres, who owns and operates Café des Artistes in Leonardtown, took the contest's three top prizes with his white wine-sautéed appetizer, oysters casino wrapped in spinach. Jaffres' oysters were poached in seafood stock, dusted with panko breadcrumbs and served in shot glasses. There were contestants from more than 10 states.

Oyster happy hours have been popping up lately. Corner BYOB in Hampden had a Saturday afternoon oyster party a few weeks ago. They called it a Shuck-n-Chat. Love that. In January, Ten Ten in Harbor East started up Local Oyster Nights on Tuesday featuring $1 oysters and  drink pairings. 7 West in Towson is starting up oyster happy hours on Thursday and Friday, from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., with $1 oysters on the half shell. B&O Brasserie is teaming up with Finlandia Vodka and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation for an oyster happy hour on March 15, from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. The event will feature $1 oysters and $5 Finlandia shooters.

On the job a little more than a week, Alicia Estrada hasn't settled into her new digs at the Annapolis Maritime Museum. But she has begun evaluating its programs as she looks to the future of the former oyster plant. "I'm just trying to get my head around everything," said Estrada, the museum's new executive director. She'll get the official schoolchildren's tour of the waterfront museum in coming days, she said. The museum tells the story of the Chesapeake Bay through exhibits, lectures and entertainment — and, in the process, teaches about the maritime heritage of the Annapolis area.