Austin Oyster Festival

The Austin Oyster Festival, a celebration honoring the sea’s most delicious offering, is really coming out of its shell this year, celebrating a fifth anniversary while serving up a bounty of delectable dishes, drinks and entertainment with a side of philanthropy. The festival takes place Saturday, Feb. 25 from noon to 6 p.m. at the French Legation Museum, and is presented by HOPE (Helping Other People Everywhere) Farmers Market, and benefits Central Texas Food Bank.

A production of food-centric events producer 787 Productions LLC, this year’s Austin Oyster Festival is a feast highlighting Jeri’s Seafood’s Gulf and East Coast oysters prepared in nearly every way imaginable by noted Eddie V’s executive chef Chris Bauer, combined with specialty cocktail offerings from Deep Eddy Vodka, an extravagant Bloody Mary Bar, beer from Blue Point Brewing Company, live local music and raffle prizes. The event is sponsored by Jeri’s Seafood and Deep Eddy Vodka.

This year’s VIP Lounge will feature a 3 p.m. oyster happy hour with special oyster tastings, including those prepared by Chef Chris Bauer of Eddie V’s Edgewater Grill, Chef Shane Stark of Mongers Market + Kitchen, Chef Russell Dougherty of The Little Darlin’,  and Chef Michael Paley of Central Standard. The chefs will present VIPs with private oyster tastings paired with drink tastings from Deep Eddy Vodka showcasing the brand’s newest flavor, Deep Eddy Orange Vodka.

The Austin Oyster Festival Raw Bars include Jeri’s Seafood Gulf oysters and premium East Coast oysters served on the half shell with a choice of Deep Eddy Lemon mignonette, caramelized shallot mignonette, roasted serrano or lime crème fraîche, as well as East Coast oyster shooters and Deep Eddy Orange Vodka-glazed, grilled and chilled Gulf shrimp served with a Cajun remoulade. The Grill Bar features to-die-for smoked bacon Oysters Rockefeller, fresh grilled oysters with roasted garlic and anchovy butter, Creole barbecue butter shrimp on grilled garlic bread, and oyster-and-rock-shrimp gumbo with Andouille sausage. And this year, the Fry Bar includes a crispy-oyster banh mi sandwich, New Orleans-style oyster po’boys and shrimp po’boys, as well as decadent Gruyere fritters.

In addition to Blue Point beers, the beverage menu for the event includes local favorite Deep Eddy’s 10-times-distilled vodka, as well as Deep Eddy Ruby Red Vodka, Deep Eddy Lemon Vodka and Deep Eddy Orange Vodka. And it wouldn’t be the Austin Oyster Festival without the lavish Bloody Mary Bar, which includes all the extra fixin’s, including shrimp and oysters, to make the perfect personalized cocktail.

The Premier Events Stage presents top-notch entertainment this year, and includes a variety of live Americana, Cajun, bluegrass and “newgrass” music from local bands The Braun Brothers, Chansons et Soulards, and High Plains Jamboree, who will perform throughout the festival. There will also be a silent raffle presented by the Central Texas Food Bank offering the chance to win great prizes while supporting a charity that feeds the less fortunate.

This year, as part of a partnership with Texas A&M Corpus Christi’s oyster-shell-recycling program, Sink Your Shucks, program volunteers will be on hand at the Austin Oyster Festival to pick up more than 2,000 pounds of oyster shells and share information with attendees about this remarkable program. Founded in 2009 by Harte Research Institute and TAMUCC, Sink Your Shucks (www.OysterRecycling.org) was the first program established in Texas that reclaims oyster shells from area restaurants and returns them to local waters, providing materials to form new reefs and habitats for fish, crabs and other ocean organisms.

VIP admission to the Austin Oyster Festival includes entry; live entertainment; seven food-and-beverage vouchers redeemable at any food station or beverage bar; access to the VIP Lounge area in the gardens overlooking the event, featuring a VIP oyster-tasting reception; dedicated private bars in the VIP area and an incredible sponsor swag bag from Eddie V’s for each VIP guest.

General admission to the Austin Oyster Festival includes entry, live entertainment and five food-and-beverage vouchers redeemable at any food station or beverage bar. Additional vouchers may be purchased inside the festival.

Advanced tickets for the Austin Oyster Festival are available at www.AustinOysterFestival.com, and tickets, if still available, may also be purchased at the door on the day of the event.

The Austin Oyster Festival is a production of 787 Productions LLC, and takes place at theFrench Legation Museum, 802 San Marcos Street, in Austin. The event will feature a variety of live entertainment, food-and-beverage pairings, games and prizes, and is presented by HOPE Farmers Market and benefiting the Central Texas Food Bank. For more information about the Austin Oyster Festival, visit www.AustinOysterFestival.com.