we decided which oysters to start with. Everyone’s opinion was different on this subject, so we ordered a few of each. I prefer the small ones since I’m still apprehensive about oysters and think that I might keel over on the spot from eating a tainted one. For some reason, smaller seems safer. I usually have a drink or two first though before sucking them off of the shell for the same reason I drink before I’ll get on an airplane. At least I’ll be drunk and happy when I die.

The server brought us champagne glasses first, followed by our sets of flights, which look like a set of four bubbling test tubes. I assumed the flutes were presented to us because perhaps Pru, the owner, who I hadn’t met yet but who had acknowledged us and knew our purpose of the evening, was going to send over something else for us to taste. We sipped our sparkling wines out of the test tubes while we waited for our oysters to arrive and compared notes. Everyone had a different opinion, but all of them, from the Canella Prosecco NV from Italy to the Trevor Jones Sparkling Red NV from South Australia, were enjoyable.

The oysters were served on a large platter atop crushed ice and were accompanied with cocktail sauce and a mignette sauce, which at Tucos is made with rice vinegar, sparkling wine and shallots. I stuck to the Hog Island Kumamotos and Sweetwaters and they were delicious. And, I didn’t die. The guys tried all of them and as guys do, tried to get me to eat the ones which just didn’t