Mansion Clam House, Westport, CT

Leon, Kostya and I took a break from work joining Olya, Max and Irene for a lunch at the Mansion Clam House by the Saugatuck river bridge in Westport.
I think this clam chowder was not bad, one or two stars - lots of fresh clams and not too salty. Leon thought that it's "like the Stew Leonard's one, on a good day". Okay, we'll make it a one star then.

Tia's, Boston Harbor

Big family outing in Boston yesterday (all of us + parents + Alik). The main course at Tia's was lobsters, but we tried their clam chowder first. It was fresh with enough goodies in it, but way too rich and creamy, at least for me. Maybe one little star.

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!!

Trader's Joe Crab & Corn Chowder

Spicy, too much corn, but plenty of real(!) crab meat...

Would I buy it again - probably not, but as far as store brands go, it deserves one star.

Whole Foods - Roasted Corn Seafood Chowder

The best bought in-store so far. Not a clam chowder exactly, but close enough. While it had some imitation crab meat in it, there were plenty of "real" seafood chunks. Curry paste and corn combined together in a Thai-like sweet and spicy chowder. One star, definitely. Maybe two.

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!

Bear Mountain Base, Killington, VT

Lunch at the Bear Mountain base in Killington. This year chowder is different - milkier and thinner, but still, no stars. Okay, may be one little star...

Applebees, Greenfield, MA

A traditional stop on the way to Killington. Salty and thick, but one star for lots of nice, firm and chewy clams with some gritty sand.

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...

Dressing Room, Westport CT

Seafood chowder, way too milky. Overpriced. Pictured is a half-portion for $13.

Abbondanza, Westport

A bistro (d/b/a BONDA Restaurant) across T3's office on 21 Charles Str.
The soup is billed as "seafood chowder" and is more of a fish chowder than a formal clam chowder.
Freshly made, with generous helpings of vegetables and three or four assortments of fish (but no clams). A bit too milky, but very good overall.

Whole Foods Store Brand

Not as bad as Stew Leonard's or Costco's and perhaps as far as store brands go, so far the best. Too thick and salty, but it didn't stop Leon and me finishing the quart in one sitting.

Outback Steakhouse Takeout

Pretty, pretty good. A bit too thick though.

Jamestown Oyster Bar, RI

So far, the best in R.I. Fresh, not as thick and salty.
Rest of the sea fare in this establishment sucked. Lobster cake was mostly oily bread and so was the soft shell crab. Real bad. Avoid the place.

Five33 Lounge, Hyatt Regency, Goat Island, RI

Light dinner at the deck of the hotel. Good service and decent food. The chowder was not too bad, but still too thick and salty for my taste.

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.

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.

Splash!

Had this bowl of Seafood Chowder at the patio of Splash! in Westport while dining there with Slava Krause and the family. Not a classical New England chowder and a bit too thick, but all the ingredients were fresh and real.

(also see newer record from 6/5/2010)