It is a custom in this town at year's end for folks to gather around a plate of raw oysters. The oysters are loaded both with tangy flavor and with zinc that puts fuel in your firebox. The gathering provides good cheer.

As 2007 drew to a close, I visited several spots around Baltimore where bivalves were plump and the conversations friendly. There was nary a bad mollusk or moment in my expedition. That means, of course, I will repeat this ritual next December.

Nick's Inner Harbor Seafood

Address --Cross Street Market, 1065 S. Charles St.

Phone --410-685-2020

Hours --11 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday

This raw bar in the colorful Cross Street Market features comfortable seats, prize-winning shuckers and easy conversation. Oysters arrive from the Chesapeake Bay, Chincoteague, Va., and Louisiana. The day I was there, the Louisiana oysters, at $7 a half-dozen, were looking good and tasting better.