# World's Best Clam Chowder **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 27, 2002, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097 "2002-10-27T09:09:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 9:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/1 "2002-10-27T09:09:24Z")
Sorry, don’t have one. Just hoping someone else does. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 9:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/2 "2002-10-27T09:27:55Z")
Progresso’s chowder is pretty good. ---
**Author:** ![HubZilla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/ccd318/32.png) [@HubZilla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HubZilla)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 11:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/3 "2002-10-27T11:25:23Z")
“The Bite”, a little shack in Menemsha on Martha’s Vineyard. Didja know “real” clam chowder isn’t supposed to have cream? ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 1:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/4 "2002-10-27T13:08:31Z")
I’ve been to any number of places in SF, Pismo Beach, and Monterey that claimed they had the best NECC, but without question the best I ever had was in Boston (though I don’t remember the name of the place). ---
**Author:** ![Yossarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/9de0a6/32.png) [@Yossarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yossarian)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/5 "2002-10-27T13:17:56Z")
New England style or Manhattan style? ---
**Author:** ![Albert\_Rose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9de053/32.png) [@Albert\_Rose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Albert_Rose)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/6 "2002-10-27T13:50:13Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by ArchiveGuy \* > \*\*I’ve been to any number of places in SF, Pismo Beach, and Monterey that claimed they had the best NECC, but without question the best I ever had was in Boston (though I don’t remember the name of the place). \*\* I’ll wager a guess… [Legal Sea Foods](http://www.legalseafoods.com/). They serve very delicious New England Clam Chowder. ---
**Author:** ![LolaCocaCola](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7cd45c/32.png) [@LolaCocaCola](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LolaCocaCola)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/7 "2002-10-27T13:50:27Z")
The NE Clam Chowder at The Oyster Bar in Grand Central Station. num num! ---
**Author:** ![Fenris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fenris/32/498_2.png) [@Fenris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fenris)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/8 "2002-10-27T13:57:46Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Pantellerite \* > \*\*New England style or Manhattan style? \*\* There is not “Manhattan style clam-chowder”. There’s Clam Chowder, the real stuff and there’s the stuff that amounts to watery red clam-sauce served in a bowl. Fenris, New England style partisan 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Jadis](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@Jadis](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jadis)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 2:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/9 "2002-10-27T14:08:30Z")
This has made my family swoon. Nothing like soup with butter, half and half _and_ bacon. Whee!! 😃 New England Clam Chowder 4-6 slices bacon, chopped 1 cup finely diced onion 1 cup (6 stalks) diced celery 2 cups cubed potatoes 1 cup finely diced carrot 3-4 cans clams (including juice) 3/4 cup butter 3/4 cup flour 1 quart half & half 1.5 tsp salt 2 tbs red wine vinegar ground black pepper to taste - Saute bacon in large kettle until amost crisp. Add onion, cook until translucent. - Drain juice from clams into kettle, add potatoes, carrot & celery. Add just enough water to cover and cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender. - In a separate heavy saucepan, melt butter. Add flour slowly until you have a past and blend until smooth, stirring constantly. Add cream slowly, stirring constantly. Cook and stir with wire whisk until thick and smooth. - Add cream/butter mixture to the vegetables/clam juice and stir until smooth. Add clams just before serving and heat through (clams get tough if cooked too long). - Add salt, pepper and vinegar, adjust seasonings to taste. ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/10 "2002-10-27T14:12:02Z")
The best I ever had is in a Resteraunt Bar and Grill in the Seattle Airport. It was served in a bread bowl, if I remember correctly. Great stuff! ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/11 "2002-10-27T14:37:56Z")
My favorite clam chowder dish, served over at **The Chowder House** , is a deliciously thick New England Clam Chowder (That’s Chowdah!) in a sourdough breadbowl. Unfortunately I’ve never been north of the Mason-Dixon line nor ordered chowder anywhere else but the house so wouldn’t be able to compare the chowder but I really really like it. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/12 "2002-10-27T15:08:41Z")
My first trip to Washington I was on a ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island. The galley had “the world’s best clam chowder”. Really? Well, I’d better try it! [Richard Dawson] Survey _says…!_ [/Richard Dawson] BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ! Nope. Not “the best”. Not even very good. Mediocre at best. It tasted pasty. I’ve had better chowder from a tin (which is where I suspect Washington State Ferry’s chowder came from). Progresso or Campbell’s is pretty good, but I’m occasionally on the lookout for better. I was about to post a related joke here that is so foul I was going to put it in a spoiler field. But it’s probably too foul for that, so never mind. ---
**Author:** ![effac3d](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b487fb/32.png) [@effac3d](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/effac3d)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 3:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/13 "2002-10-27T15:29:31Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Johnny L.A. \* > \*\*My first trip to Washington I was on a ferry from Anacortes to Orcas Island. The galley had “the world’s best clam chowder”. Really? Well, I’d better try it! > > [Richard Dawson] > Survey _says…!_ > [/Richard Dawson] > > BUZZZZZZZZZZZZ! > > Nope. Not “the best”. Not even very good. Mediocre at best. It tasted pasty. I’ve had better chowder from a tin (which is where I suspect Washington State Ferry’s chowder came from). Progresso or Campbell’s is pretty good, but I’m occasionally on the lookout for better. > > I was about to post a related joke here that is so foul I was going to put it in a spoiler field. But it’s probably too foul for that, so never mind. \*\* Damn beat me to it. All i’ll say is never order clam chowder if you’ve pissed off the staff. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Another\_Primate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@Another\_Primate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Another_Primate)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/14 "2002-10-27T15:36:06Z")
Thanks, all! I was looking for a recipe – I guess I should have put that in the title, eh? Looking forward to trying your chowder, Jadis. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/15 "2002-10-27T18:33:43Z")
The average New England Clam Chowder is better than the average Manhattan Clam Chowder. However, the best Manhattan – made with plenty of clam juice and whole tomatoes – beats the best New England hands down. The best clam chowder of all is my mother’s. ---
**Author:** ![Largo62](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/45deac/32.png) [@Largo62](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Largo62)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/16 "2002-10-27T19:01:38Z")
The best I ever had was at a little place in Balboa Beach, CA called the Crab Cooker. Manhattan style, loaded with clams. By contrast, the famous (but here nameless) place in Pismo beach served a New England style “clam” chowder that I’d swear was potato soup with a single clam dragged through the pot on a string. * * * Geezer ---
**Author:** ![Flymaster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c4cdca/32.png) [@Flymaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flymaster)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/17 "2002-10-27T19:08:21Z")
Dube’s Seafood, in Salem, MA. No question about it. And the best CANNED clam chowder is Snows condensed. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/18 "2002-10-27T19:17:31Z")
I’d forgotten about Snow’s. ---
**Author:** ![BraheSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ecccb3/32.png) [@BraheSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BraheSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 10:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/19 "2002-10-27T22:56:36Z")
The best I’ve had so far is from the Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach. I don’t know if that’s the one **DesertGeezer** ’s talking about, but I think it’s great. A close second is the chowder from the Los Alimitos Seafood Company. ---
**Author:** ![WSLer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a6a055/32.png) [@WSLer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WSLer)\ **Post date:** [October 27, 2002, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097/20 "2002-10-27T23:46:05Z")
**The Brotherhood Of Thieves** on Nantucket. End of discussion. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/worlds-best-clam-chowder/134097.md?page=2)