Just like our passion for oysters is deep, so too is our infatuation and love of travel. Although most of the time it takes a plane ticket and a passport to get to our destinations of choice, this past Wednesday we were able to by pass luggage check, and have a taste of the globe with just a swipe of our metro card. A few tickets in hand to the Edible Magazine’s Edible Escape, we were ready for our worldly culinary adventure, but not without a taste of our favorite oyster first.

With the event a block away, we took shelter from the rain and popped into Essex for a quick oyster happy hour fix. A place infamous for their bottomless brunch, they serve a full dinner menu, plus a great happy hour special. $1-1.50 oysters and half priced drinks. On this particular evening the oysters of choice were Blue Points at $1, and Hama Hamas and Beausoleil at $1.50.  After a dozen oysters and a few glasses of Sauvignon Blanc, we were off to our next stop.

Held at the Angel Orensanz Foundation on the Lower East Side, the venue could not have been more suitable for the occasion.  Upon entrance we were handed the essentials for the evening, an empty wine glass and a fork. Set to go, we began local with wine and cheese from the Finger Lakes. A smooth Cabernet Franc was the perfect accompaniment to the robust cheese. Ready to cross the boarder, we took for a taste of our favorite NYC eatery, soft shell tacos from Mercadito. Moving up the spice latter, we stopped next at Kati Roll Company, for the Indian specialties, Chicken Tikki, Chana Masala, and Aloo Masa rolls. All ranked high on the flavor charts, and just the spicy kick we needed. To quench and refresh, we stopped for a glass of Rose. Crossing the Atlantic, our next stop was tapas from Spain at the Txikito and El Quinto Pino stands. The anchovy and olive Gildas from Txikito were the perfect prefix to the Local Freekah and Montauk Squid served by Quinto Pino. A few more stops later, and we were ready for some dessert. The “bad day brownies” from Good Common can cheer up any rainy day blues, and the Malva Pudding from Madiba was the perfect moist ending to our journey.

Although we did not get any stamps on this trip, it was one ranked high on our culinary expeditions.