Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
mouth of the Bay, since 1920. It's named
after the founder's aunt, Carrie Cooper,
the originator of Rhode Island clam
cakes—deep-fried breaded patties of
clam-infused dough. Naturally, clam cakes
are featured on the menu, but the classic
thing to order here is a full shore dinner:
clam chowder, clam cakes, a brothy bowl
of steamer clams, batter-fried filet of sole
(served with corn on the cob and french
fries), a whole boiled lobster, and warm
Indian pudding for dessert. Note that
Rhode Island chowder is distinct from New
England or Manhattan chowders; it's a
clear clam-broth soup with bacon. The
lace-curtained dining room is a little more
formal than your usual clam shack; there's
table service, and the food is actually
served on china plates.
Although Carrie's invented the clam
cake, these days it's even better up north
of Newport, at
Flo's Clam Shack
(Park
Avenue, Portsmouth;
&
401/847-8141;
www.flosclamshack.com). Though Flo's
has been in operation since 1936, its
exposed seawall location made it a target
of four successive hurricanes over the
years (a post outside shows high-water
marks from each). The current shingled
shack is new, but still bares-bones casual
(there's a more upscale location closer to
Newport at 4 Wave Ave, Middletown;
&
401/847-8141
). Their “stuffies” (baked
stuffed quahogs) are particularly spicy, the
fried whole clams full of briny juice. You've
got to love a place that lists “lobsta” and
“chowda” on the menu and hands you a
painted rock to keep track of your order.
For a real pretty waterside location,
though, head a few miles farther north
along Rte. 138 to Tiverton, for
Evelyn's
Drive-In
(2335 Main Rd., Tiverton;
&
401/
624-3100;
www.evelynsdrivein.com). This
summers-only mom-and-pop red chowder
house with picnic tables is set right on
Nanaquaket Pond (you can also eat inside
in the air-conditioned dining room). The
menu is extensive, but to capitalize on that
waterside setting, stick to the classics Eve-
lyn's has been serving for 40 years: plump
fried clams, clam cakes, steamer clams and
steamed mussels, “stuffies,” and Rhode
Island clam chowder.
(
Providence International (28 miles/
45km).
L
$$$
Mill Street Inn,
75 Mill St.,
Newport (
&
401/782-2220;
www.mill
streetinn.com). $$
Village Inn,
1 Beach Rd.,
Narragansett (
&
401/782-2220;
www.v-inn.
com).
Seafood Shacks
233
Abbott's in the Rough
Lobster Al Fresco
Noank, Connecticut
Few summer pleasures are more conge-
nial than tucking into a lobster dinner on
the outdoor deck at Abbott's, as the
waters of Fisher's Island Sound gently slap
the pilings beneath you. Come at weekend
mealtimes, though, and you may have to
settle for a picnic table on the lawn, for
Abbott's draws crowds from all over the
Northeast. There are more tables under a
red-and-white-striped tent (the place to be
when it rains). For some, visiting the most
southeastern corner of Connecticut is
about seeing the old restored ships at
Mystic Seaport or cavorting whales and
dolphins at the Mystic Aquarium; for lob-
ster lovers, though, it's about dining on
lobsters fresh off the boat in a clambake-
casual waterside setting.
