Rendezvous Bistro’s Executive Chef Joel Tate shucks fresh oysters at the newly renovated raw bar.
Maybe it’s because it comes from the beaches or maybe it’s because you often eat it at beach-side restaurant, but whatever the association, seafood says summer. For all of us landlocked in Jackson Hole, the Rendezvous Bistro is bringing a bit of the beach our way.
With its raw bar, featuring four varieties of oysters nightly alongside options including ceviche and tuna tartare, you can almost feel like you are at the beach. The raw bar is on display in the middle of the Bistro’s bar area so you can even watch your fresh oysters being shucked.
The night we were there the options included North Umberland, Blue Point, Hammersly and Kumamoto oysters, though the restaurant rotates through about 40 varieties. Executive Chef Joel Tate, who started as the Bistro’s raw bar chef 10 years ago, said (though it was hard to decide) his favorite variety is the Malispina.
A dozen fresh oysters from the Bistro are offered on the half shell. You can also order red or green oyster shooters for $4 each.
Flown in every day, the Bistro offers a selection of East and West coast oysters. The West Coast varieties, Tate said, tend to be a little less briny.
The idea of the expanded raw bar is to offer guests seated at the counter a show while they eat. The oysters range in price but average around $35 a dozen. Also prepared bar-side are the tuna tartare, which has always been a Bistro favorite, and the ceviche.
