Artisan, Southport CT

Seafood Chowder at Artisan, Southport CT

Artisan at Southport CT is not top-rated for no reason. This Seafood Chowder is my new three-star and a categorical best! Fresh, complex, well structured and textured it is a must have and worth a trip to Southport just for that. But call for a reservation, this place is super popular.

Microsoft Executive Conference Center, Redmond WA

Cafeteria at Microsoft Executive Conference Center

The best chowder I ever had! Fresh, well balanced, plenty of clams, perfectly executed potatoes.

This is our new "three-star" gold standard for how the chowder should look and feel and taste!

The place and the setting makes this offering quite exclusive. But if you're ever on the list, make sure to stop by the cafeteria at a lunch time and hope they have it on the menu.

Martha's Vineyard Chowders 2011

Not sure why, but all sampled chowders seem to be much improved in comparison to the last year. From the thin and milky at Among the Flowers to a thick pudding-like variety in Atlantic, it was so good, that we kept ordering them every time we went out.

Here is the list:

• The Seafood Shanty - okay, one star for the effort
• Among the Flowers (top pic) - very good, milky (so Leon didn't like it), but two stars still
• Newes (second) - good, thick, one star for the crispy bacon and another for Leon liking it.
• Quaterdeck Shack - very good, two stars
• The Wharf (third) - competent, two stars
• Atlantic (last) - gourmet thick pudding like, two stars

Overall - three stars across the board! Definitely worth a special trip!

The Sea Grill

Nearly perfect bowl of New England Clam Chowder at The Sea Grill at Rockefeller Center where we lunched with Slava and Irene while on tour of NYC. Fresh and nicely loaded, well balanced, not too thick.