Christian Page Treks Up to Ventura for The Jolly Oyster

Los Angeles is home to a lot of restaurants, and among them are hidden gems some Angelenos just aren't unearthing. To help guide us to these potential discoveries, we've enlisted some of our city's many food luminaries to share with us their under the radar recommendations for Dining Confidential.

Chef Christian Page tends the flames over at Short Order, executing fried pickles, burgers, and spicy hot wings, among other American classics. When time allows, he's a fan of the unfussy Jolly Oyster up in Ventura, and when time does not allow he happily settles on the Oysters Boys at the Sunday Hollywood farmers market:

I love oysters, when available, that's pretty much what I eat. After checking for proper handling, of course. They are pretty much the only live food we eat, and I like the energy they give you. Just an hour north on the Pacific Coast Highway in Ventura is the The Jolly Oyster. There you can get oysters and clams by the dozen, which you can then have your way with. There are outdoor grills and picnic tables, and you can bring all your accoutrements to add to your oysters (and/or clams). You can shuck them raw, cook them, and have an all 'round awesome seafood picnic. If you were headed back from wine country just a bit north of there and had some whites you wanted to put down this is a great place to do that. If the drive is too far and you need your oysters now, I like the Oyster Boys at the Sunday Hollywood Farmer's Market, where you can dine on them in their no frills seating outback. They also provide a plethora of hot sauces, but I bring my Willy B's orange hot sauce and a thermos of an appropriate brunch time beverage. Sometimes the Sea Fever Seafood next door has fresh uni, then it gets really real.