Oysters to visit the East Coast

Alicia Robinson

A popular Corona del Mar eatery is taking its tastes on the road.

Oysters restaurant chef Scott Brandon will travel to New York City

to cook his unique Asian-influenced cuisine for the prestigious James

Beard Foundation winemaker dinner on Jan. 7.

Named for one of the founding fathers of American culinary arts,

the James Beard Foundation promotes gastronomy, presenting awards and

offering workshops and scholarships for culinary students.

At Oysters, a 15-year-old bistro on Pacific Coast Highway,

restaurant co-owner Cary Redfearn has tried to bring the panache of a

big-city restaurant with touches like the jazz playing in the

background and the oak bar built in 1902.

Oysters is unique for being an independent restaurant in the “sea

of corporate restaurants” around Orange County, Redfearn said. Much

of its flavor is provided by Brandon, who has worked at Oysters for

eight years.

In that time, the predominantly seafood menu has evolved to

feature multicultural fare with Asian touches. Brandon’s talents set

Oysters apart from other eateries with Asian-inspired cuisine,

Redfearn said.

“We’re not doing it to be trendy,” Redfearn said. “We’re doing it

because what he puts on the plate works. Everything that’s on the

plate is there for a reason.”

Starting as a restaurant dishwasher at the age of 15, Brandon

became a self-taught cook who gained his most valuable knowledge

while working at Acquerello, an Italian dining spot in San Francisco.

There, he learned from chef Suzette Tognetti to use seasonal

ingredients and keep his preparations simple.

“Usually, [a dish] starts with ... a particular ingredient that

may spark something in my imagination, and generally, it kind of

snowballs,” Brandon said.

For the James Beard Foundation dinner, he has planned a six-course

tasting menu that included plum-wine-braised veal short ribs with

Tuscan kale and shiitake mushroom gravy, bleu cheese produced in

Point Reyes, and, of course, oysters.

“What I tried to do there was give people in New York an idea what

we’re doing here on a daily basis,” he said.

Although he has 25 years of experience in the kitchen, Brandon was

still floored by the invitation to cook at the Beard House.

“It’s certainly the highest accolade that I’ve ever received as a

cook,” Brandon said.

Redfearn said he was glad to see Brandon get the recognition.

Rounding up assisting chefs, various kitchen equipment and the food

itself, and then getting them all to New York will be a big job, but

deciding to go was easy, Redfearn said.

“It’s one of those things that it’s a once in a lifetime [chance],

and you have to say yes,” he said.

Oysters is at 2515 E. Coast Highway in Corona del Mar.

* ALICIA ROBINSON covers business, politics and the environment.

She may be reached at (949) 764-4330 or by e-mail at

alicia.robinson@latimes.com.