Oceanaire Serves Up Naked Cowboy Oysters at Zoobilation

At the Indianapolis Zoo’s annual Zoobilation tasting event tonight, The Oceanaire Seafood Room will be serving Naked Cowboy Oysters on the half shell, along with a performance from the Naked Cowboy himself. (The Naked Cowboy, born Robert John Burck, has been performing on street corners for over 13 years, rain or shine, wearing cowboy boots, a cowboy hat, and briefs—nothing else—covering himself with a guitar.)

Chef Mark Marlar says the restaurant has been serving the Blue Island Oyster Company’s shellfish for about two years. They are harvested off the coast of the Great South Bay in New York state. Marlar met the company’s CEO, Chris Quartuccio, at a shucking contest two years ago and began doing business with the company.

Photos by Jonathan Scott