Rizzuto's Oyster Bar & Restaurant

 

This New England Clam Chowder had plenty of clams but was too mushy and salty to deserve a star, especially at this Connecticut near shore seafood restaurant. They should've known better.

Princess Island, Istanbul, Turkey

 

This seafood soup was served at a seaside cafe "Konak" near the ferry on the Adalar (Princess Island) across Istanbul. The trip to the island took on a slow island-hopping ferry took almost two hours. This soup wasn't worth it at all. No stars.

The Grand Central Oyster Bar, New York City

The Grand Central Oyster Bar

My guest, who never had New England clam chowder before, liked it, but it was not my cup of soup... Mushy, not articulated, too few clams. No stars. Just go for oysters.

Jason's Beachside Grill, Kings Beach, CA

Jason's Beachside Grill
Kings Beach, CA

Glue-like and tasteless. No stars.

The Sono Baking Company & Cafe

The Sono Baking Company & Cafe at Westport

Avoid.

Fishermen's Grotto #9, S.F.

Like almost all food at Fishermen's Wharf - a bit stale, a bit salty, a bit mushy... Avoid. No stars.

Park City, Utah

Utah is not exactly where one goes for clam chowders, so, mostly out of curiosity we ordered a cup at the Easy Street Brassiere. Not surprisingly, mushy and salty, with no signs of clams it was a disappointment. No go.

No clam chowder was served in other establishments that we visited this time, but at much recommended Chimayo we had an excellent Crab and Corn Chowder. Cannot go wrong with sweet corn, generous amount of fresh crab meet and a crisp potato chip. Two stars.

Balducci's

The store brand from Balducci was an utter disappointment. Overdone with everything under the sun, but quality clams and too salty. No stars.

Martha's Vineyard Chowder

On the way to MV, we stopped for dinner at Waterfront Grille in New Bedford, MA. While fresh and loaded, the chowder was too salty. Half-a-star.

At MV, we tried clam chowder in two locations - classic New England style at The Seafood Shanty in Edgartown (half-a-start, too salty) and a clear-broth style in Aquinnah (no stars - way too salty).

Black Duck Cafe

Lunch with Leon and Kostya at Black Duck Cafe under the I-95 bridge on Saugatuck River in Westport. The daily special was Manhattan Clam Chowder, but we asked for the New England variety. It was quite bad actually. Very salty and thick, it had too few clams and some distinct odor of another soup that they cooked in the same pot before.... No stars. Avoid.

Splash! Seafood Chowder

Went from good (see the first record in this blog) to real bad. Very little seafood, salty, mushy potatoes. On Thursday night! Avoid!!

Barcelo Palace, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic

Catfish soup, while featuring lots of pieces of real fish and seafood, came too salty to score. Not the worst, but not worth its space in the stomach neither.

Rebecca's Cafe, Newton MA

Categorical worst. No clams. Some suspicious barley - probably leftovers from the soup cooked in the pot earlier... Yackity-yack!

Hale Hearty Soups, Grand Central Dining Concourse, New York

Lunch at Grand Central Dining Concourse with T3 compadres.
Seafood chowder. Salty, mushy, low quality ingredients. No stars.

Stew Leonard's Store Brand

Salty and thick with flour... too few clams... some potatoes... bottom of the list ... no stars...

Barking Crab, Newport RI

Even for the first meal after 3.5 hour drive and another few hours looking for perfect place to have lunch, it was unappetizing to look and even worse to taste. Very thick and very salty. Clams were fresh and whole, but only a couple for the entire bowl.

The Capital Grille, Tampa

Dinner at over priced and pretentious The Capital Grille at the International Mall on a business trip to Tampa, Fl. Clam Chowder was below par, too thick and salty, without much clams. I was with a friend from Maine (K.C.). Her stories about a must-haves claim chowders from Maine greatly enhanced this otherwise underwhelming specimen of a soup.