The Epic Clam Crawl

Several months ago, I was groggily Googling while recovering from my most recent chemo infusion, and I discovered this Chowhound discussion about the best places to get fried clams North of Boston.  Suddenly, the wheels started churning in my brain.

While I am always in favor of all things seafood, my Googling was not entirely random.  At the time, the most recent labwork of my blood showed I was very low in iron, as well as vitamin D and other important nutrients.  There are millions of supplements out there that can help boost those levels, but both Tom and I believe that for the average person supplements are essentially unnecessary, and as long as you eat a balanced diet with as many fresh, minimally processed and homemade meals as possible, you'll get all the nutrients you need naturally.  While being a cancer patient kicks me out of the "average person" category when it comes to my body's needs, I still strive to eat really well, and plan my meals around what I might be lacking at any given time.

So in the search of high iron foods, what delicious dish tops the list?  Clams.  Be still my low-iron pumping heart.



Now back to the Googling.  As with most people who are fans of fried clams - whether they are from New England or not - many folks have strong opinions about their favorite clam shacks and restaurants on the North Shore.  I started compiling a list of the most-mentioned places, and found that many of them were not so far apart and I might conceivably visit all of them in a day or so.  And thus, the Clam Crawl was born.

Clarification: these are WHOLE BELLY clams, not strips.  While I have been known to order strips in the past, they just don't pack enough of a flavor punch to warrant comparison.  Besides, the bellies are where all the iron and other nutrients are, and clearly, my health was my top priority when creating this event.  Clearly.

Anyway, I slimmed down the list to eight "famous" fried clam places:

Lena's Seafood in Salisbury,
Park Lunch in Newburyport,
Bob Lobster on the way to Plum Island in Newbury,
Clam Box in Ipswich,
Woodman's in Essex,
Village Restaurant in Essex,
J.T. Farham's in Essex,
Causeway Restaurant in Gloucester.

In the interest of authentic research, I made score sheets for us to keep track of the details of each location (inspired by the Rib Crawl we attended in State College all those years ago).  While atmosphere, price and number of clams per order were taken into consideration, the scores were based on the quality of the food itself: fry batter, clam texture, flavor, and the quality of accompanying sides.  On a Sunday morning in April, five clam-lovers and myself began our quest for the best at 11am and ended around 4pm.  We scored everything on a scale of 1-5.

Before I go into the details of our impression of each place, we all agreed that ultimately we would go back to any of these places.  None of these places produced the inedible piles of previously frozen chewy mush one might find in other parts of the country; they all sold a good fried clam.  We also were lucky that we really didn't have to wait in line anywhere, which we think had to do with it being still "off season" and the unpleasant early spring weather we experienced, but this was likely a fluke and long lines are often expected at these places.  Now, on to the results!

First stop: Lena's Seafood, 131 Rabbit Road, Salisbury, MA

  

Lena's was a great place for us to kick off our crawl.  It's easy to get to, right off of I-95.  They have a decent-sized parking lot, and lots of seating indoors.  The staff was very friendly and interested in our escapade, wishing us luck on our journey.  We ordered at the counter - the 1/2 plate of fried clams for $12.50 - took a number, and sat down, enjoying the knotty pine ambiance of the place.  They called our number quickly, so then we got to business.  The 1/2 plate came with 14 good sized clams, french fries, onion rings, cole slaw and tartar sauce.  The clams were dipped in a homemade cornmeal batter, and fried in lard, and were overall delicious.  The batter was very tasty, the texture was perfect, and the flavor was also just what we were looking for.  The sides were pretty standard fare, but decent.  Being the first place, we didn't have anything to compare to, which made scoring Lena's difficult, but overall, we found Lena's very good (we also forgot to take a photo before chowing down).    Final Score: 3.57

Second Stop: Park Lunch, 181 Merrimac Street, Newburyport, MA

For being in the downtown area of Newburyport, Park Lunch wasn't too difficult to get to, and has a small parking lot for its customers.  It is more of a sports bar/pub than a clam shack or restaurant.  Unfortunately, it was closed when we arrived.  Being the obsessive planner that I am, I was sure I had confirmed that we'd be able to get into each place before arriving, but apparently I failed here.  We were on a tight schedule and weren't willing to wait, so we left and continued on to stop three.  Park Lunch's website boasts they are famous for their fried clams, so I hope I have the opportunity to try them in the future.

Third Stop: Bob Lobster, 49 Plum Island Turnpike, Newbury, MA

The drive to Bob Lobster was the most pleasant we experienced, as it is on the way to Plum Island.  While it has minimal seating indoors, during nice weather it would be a great place to sit outside and enjoy the scenery.  Beyond offering typical clam shack fare, Bob's is also a fresh fish and seafood market, tempting us to come back and get something other than clams in the future.  We ordered at the counter, sat on the plastic tableclothed picnic benches inside in a small room reminiscent of a "three season porch," and received our $19.99 Clam Plate shortly afterwards.  The first thing we noticed was while there were only 12 clams in our order, they were HUGE, with giant bellies.  The clams had a wonderful, sweet, briny and very fresh flavor as well as a nice texture.  Bob's fry their clams in soybean oil, which made them greasier but also crispier than Lena's.  The plate also had french fries and cole slaw (again, standard fare), and tartar sauce, though many of us did without the sauce since the flavor of the clams was so good on its own.  Overall, Bob's clams were excellent, and paired with the great outdoor view, is totally worth a trip.  Final Score: 3.75

Fourth Stop: Clam Box, 246 High Street, Ipswich, MA

The Clam Box in Ipswich is a well-known name for fried clams on the North Shore.  Upon visiting, you must expect tons of people and long lines between you and their fried fame.  They have a large menu - not just seafood - which caters well to tourists and families.  Fortunately, the weather was on our side, and we didn't have to wait long.  We ordered the $22.95 Fried Clam Plate with french fries and onion rings.  As a note: this was the only place where we were given a choice of sides.  We waited for our number to be called in the small, casual dining room area, which is clearly tourist centered with seashore paraphernalia hanging on the walls and ceiling.  There is also outdoor seating on picnic tables adjacent to the parking lot.  When our order came, there were 24 small sized fried clams.  They fry their clams in a mixture of animal and vegetable oil, which were less greasy than Bob's, and some described as "crunchy, not crispy."  Some thought the clams were chewier than others, and most felt the flavor - while good - wasn't overly exciting.  The fries were average, but most people liked the onion rings better than our previous stops.  Overall, the clams were good, but we felt we'd rather go back to Bob's or Lena's if we were going to have to wait in a long line (we also forgot to photograph them beforehand).  Final Score: 3.25

Fifth Stop: Woodman's, 121 Main Street, Essex, MA

 

Woodman's is another very famous name for seafood, in fact, they claim they invented the fried clam.  Naturally, we had to stop here.  Upon arrival, it was quickly described as "seafood mecca."  An apt description, as they are clearly a massive tourist destination.  They have an enormous parking lot, tons of indoor seating, a large gift shop, and their own function hall, none of which I was really able to capture in photographs.  They also have a bar, serving local beer.  Woodman's is about as far away from the iconic hole-in-the-wall clam shack as you can get and still feel "New England-y".  I felt like you could spend a day here, but we were here for one thing only: fried clams.

We ordered "Chubby's Original" Fried Clam Plate for $22.50.  We got 26 small sized clams, coated in cornflour and fried in lard.  Many of us felt the fry batter was bland, and some felt the clams were chewier than others.  The french fries were good, but many of us were put off by the onion rings, saying the batter tasted like the batter on fast food Chinese chicken fingers.  The tartar sauce was a nice surprise, though, with a touch of dill, making it stand out from all the other sauces we had tried.  Overall, we felt the clams were rather inconsistent, and while we wouldn't mind trying other things on the menu, the clams left something to be desired.  Final Score: 2.79

Sixth Stop: Village Restaurant, 55 Main Street, Essex

Just down the street from Woodman's is the Village Restaurant.  This was the only sit-down restaurant on our journey, and by this time, we were getting a bit full and happy to have someone wait on us.  We also allowed ourselves to deviate from the menu a bit and aid our digestion with beer (or in my case, a bloody mary).  After warning the hostess of our quest and being seated, we were visited by a gentleman who we can only assume was the owner.  He told us that they work with small, local clam diggers and fishermen businesses to get the freshest and best seafood possible, while taking pride in supporting their local economy.  He, as well as all the staff at Village, were very friendly and accommodating.  The Village has a nice, family restaurant feel, with lots of seating and a full bar.  The menu was extensive - not exclusively seafood - offering many dishes that piqued our interested.  And yet, order clams we must!  

We got the $17.99 fried clam appetizer which came with french fries and coleslaw.  It yielded 22 average sized clams fried in lard.  We all agreed that the fry was delicious and crispy, the texture of the clam excellent, and the overall flavor very good.  The fries and coleslaw were decent, and the tartar sauce was ok.  Overall, we were very pleased with the clams, our drinks and the service.  We agreed that Village would be the place to go for a sit down meal but also excellent fried clams.  Final Score: 3.95

Seventh Stop: J.T. Farnham's, 88 Eastern Ave, Essex

After the Village Restaurant, J.T. Farnham's was a return to the quintessential clam-shack experience.  Perched on a bit of land between the road and a salt marsh, JTF's has a tiny parking lot, and during peak season, people are forced to park along the road.  There is a small amount of indoor seating, but during nice weather, eating outside at the picnic tables overlooking the marsh is a great option.

At this point, though, we were getting really full of clams, so at the counter we ordered the $14.95 small box, with no sides.  Even the small box was overflowing with 20 average sized fried clams, fried in a mixture of canola oil and meat and vegetable fats.  Some thought the fry was a little greasy, the clams a bit chewy, and the flavor a little bland.  Overall, the clams were decent, but nothing spectacular to make them stand out after a day of fried clams.  Final Score: 3.02

Eighth Stop: Causeway Restaurant, 78 Essex Ave, Gloucester, MA

As we pulled into our last stop, not all of us were sure we could eat anything more (not me of course, as "no more clams" isn't a phrase that exists in my vocabulary).  We were tired, stuffed, thirsty, and maybe a little bloated.  So naturally, at the Causeway we faced the only real wait we had encountered all day.  While you can sit down and get waited on by waitstaff, it's hard to call this place a restaurant.  It's easy to drive past, as the outside is completely unassuming and shares a tiny parking lot with the business next door.  Inside, the atmosphere is much more of a diner or cafeteria and definitely a hole-in-the-wall clam shack.  But even at 3:30 on a Sunday afternoon, the place was packed, seemingly with locals, which is usually a good sign in my opinion.

 In our haste to end the day's festivities, we ordered a $20 Fried Clam Appetizer to go, and ended up eating in the parking lot.  Our take out container was full to the brim with 35 average sized clams, tartar sauce and a lemon wedge.  Unfortunately, the short trip in Styrofoam softened the fry and made the clams a little less crispy and a little more chewy than we hoped.  The clams themselves were decent, though they were infinitely improved by a squeeze of the lemon slice - which gave the Causeway an edge as the only place that provided lemon all day.  They also had good tartar sauce.  Overall, we would be willing to go back and try fresh fried clams, not take out, but we were torn as to whether it would be worth the wait.  Final Score: 3.18

The Rankings:

So full....

There are so many other places that brag about their clams you just can't get to them all in one day: Salem, Boston and Greater Boston, the south shore, and the Cape all have their own clam claims to fame, and I look forward to trying those sometime as well.  If you have suggestions on where we should go next year (don't tempt me, I'll do it), leave them in the comments below.  I have to say, though, that while it took a bit of work on my end to organize the Clam Crawl, it was so worth it.  My companions were equally as enthusiastic as I was in our quest for the best fried clam, and a good time was had by all, which was really the point.  The Clam Crawl was just one of the many ways of living creatively that I intend on doing, for as long as possible.  And the thing is, I would have done this whether I had cancer or not, but with my diagnosis, I can't and don't want to put off having a good time until later.  Grab those memorable moments and make them happen now, then you're really living.  So, until I can come up with another crazy scheme, enjoy the Clam Crawl's final results!