GRAND CENTRAL OYSTER BAR CELEBRATES ?NATIONAL OYSTER DAY? ON WED., AUG. 5

New York, July 20 ? The historic Grand Central Oyster Bar ( www.oysterbarny.com ) will offer a two-pronged bivalve bonanza in celebration of National Oyster Day all day Wednesday, August 5. Executive chef Sandy Ingber, a.k.a. the ?Bishop of Bivalves? will plate The National Oyster Day Power Platter, priced at $21.15, and featuring eight oysters from the East and West Coasts. In addition, the Naked Cowboy from Long Island-s Blue Island Oyster Company gets the salute as ?Oyster of the Month" for August. Those tasty bivalves will be priced at $2.55 per piece throughout the month. A five-piece special ?Chilled Long Island Naked Cowboy Oysters with Citrus Sake Mignonette and Salmon Caviar? is priced at $12.95. ?It is with great delight that pay homage to the bivalve on this extraordinary day,? says Ingber. The Grand Central Oyster Bar is open for lunch beginning at 11:30 AM; the last dinner seating is at 9:30 PM; every day except Sunday. For reservations call 212-490-6650. About the Naked Cowboy Oyster: Chris Quartuccio, a renowned oyster diver from Long Island, New York has been supplying oysters to New York City restaurants for over 15 years. Harvesting oysters year round from the icy waters of the Long Island Sound takes determination, boldness, passion, and a ?do what I gotta do? attitude. He sought a name for these oysters that exemplifies New York and embodies the timeless qualities of passion and boldness. His choice? The Naked Cowboy. About the Blue Island Oyster Company : Blue Island Shellfish Farms was founded in 1995 with the aim of providing Manhattan restaurants with the highest quality shellfish available. It all started when Chris Quartuccio began scuba diving for natural oysters in the Long Island Sound and delivering them fresh daily to chefs in New York City. This business has grown substantially in 14 years and is now recognized as the number one oyster and clam distributor in the New York area. Blue Island has recently expanded its marketplace and is now shipping shellfish all over the United States. Our oysters and clams can be found on restaurant menus in Las Vegas, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, San Francisco, Chicago and Boston. In addition to producing the world-s only Genuine Blue Point oyster on our farm in the Great South Bay, Blue Island is a distributor of some of the most sought after oyster varieties in the United States. Like our Blue Points, the oyster varieties we carry are the ?genuine article?. Many of the oysters we distribute are protected by legal trademarks such as Hama Hama?, Pemaquid?, and Hog Island?. When chefs request an American Kumamoto from Blue Island, they can be certain it-s not a Meximoto or Gigamoto. The Kumamotos we deliver are the sikamea species direct from the Pacific Northwest Our dedication to consistent quality and adherence to proper oyster appellation has landed our shellfish in virtually every oyster bar and seafood restaurant in Manhattan. Numerous James Beard Award winners, 3 and 4 star chefs, and large restaurant groups have designated Blue Island as their primary supplier.