“Today we take New England clam chowder as something traditional that makes our roots as American cooking very solid, with a lot of foundation. But the first person who decided to mix potatoes and clams and bacon and cream, in his own way 100 to 200 years ago, was a modernist.” Chef Jose Andres
For the next week, my main focus is to eat as much clam chowder as possible and come up with a win, place and show for the restaurants offering the best version in my estimation.
This morning we left New York for the tip of Cape Cod and P’town (Provincetown), Massachusetts – a 5 1/2 hr. drive through a beautiful, tree-lined landscape. “Gloria,” the car’s GPS voice, mapped us Northbound from the city (vs. due East). David kept telling me she’s taking us away from the traditional I-95 North route. Instead “she” took us on a roundabout way, but through names of places that I’ve heard about before: Scarsdale (the famous diet), New Rochelle, Greenwich, Westport, etc.
Our first stop and meal were at Frank Pepe’s Pizzeria Napolitana, in New Haven (Yale), established in 1925. We ordered the house specialty, a large 18” White Clam Pizza. We happily devoured it as we tasted the rich garlic-infused sauce loaded with fresh clams on an extra thin, crispy charred crust…….I heard Ángels sing. We ordered their small 8” Tomato Pie to go for nighttime snacking. Btw… back East a whole pizza is a “pie.”
Arrived in P’town, checked into our B&B, and were led to their William Shakespeare Room (King Lear!). All rooms have designated writers’ names; ours next to Emily Dickinson. We quickly set out to explore the town (population under 3,000 in the off-season). I have to admit that David was right – the town is charming. Our host mentioned the nearby library as a must-see and we’d see why. We walked up to the 2nd floor and were greeted with a half-scale replica of the old schooner, the Rose Dorothea It took 11 years to build and it was built where it stands inside the three-story atrium.
Commercial Street is the main drag in town and flanked on both sides by unique shops, galleries, and as many restaurants. I’ve spotted a few to check out over the next two days, ice cream and candy stores….as per Little Orphan Annie, “Yes, yes, I think I’m gonna like it here.”
Dinner tonight at “The Lobster Pot,” a long time local institution: New England Clam Chowder (a so-so version – not a great start), Oysters Rockefeller (another dozen, please!) and David savored each bite of his Clams Casino, washed down with a refreshing Watermelon Martini (our festive waiter, Charley, presented him a double).
Weather chilly and breezy … It good thing I found a sweatshirt on a sale rack, it came in handy. We are now comfortably in our room with David’s nose deep into an honest-to-goodness, real version of the Sunday New York Times, bought in Manhattan this morning. Me – ready to escape into the world of “GOT.”
Oh, NO, don’t say it’s so – it’s the last chapter of “Games…” Winter Is Over.
