Fried clams
I feel bad. Paul Devine, the good guy who runs the Crab Pot at Lexington Market, calls me to alert me to a rare menu item -- fried soft-shell clams, New England style. Next to the long, cold wet winters, they are the thing about boyhood in Massachusetts (South Sho-ah) I miss the most. Paul gets them now and then, usually harvested out of the Chesapeake, and puts them on the menu -- bellies and all. Baltimoreans don't seem to appreciate them. So he calls me.
He called me the other day to say he was serving them on Friday, and I never got there, and I have no one to blame but myself and a pre-existing lunch commitment. But, Paul, please -- don't give up on me, babe. And there are other members of the New England diaspora in the Baltimore region who would make the special trip for a "quaht of clams" with "tahdah sauce." You can reach Paul weekdays at 410-752-7686.
Tell you what, someone organize a trip on an upcoming Friday, and I'm there with you.
Comments
Every time I go home to Massachusetts during the summer, the only place I want to eat is the local clam shack. Fried clams for lunch and a lobster roll for dinner.
Posted by: Ted | May 5, 2008 11:31 AM
I also have many fond memories of those whole fried clams in the paper pint containers filled to overflowing and the tarta sauce on the side. I remember the best ones came from a roadside place ova in Quincy.
Posted by: Bob | May 6, 2008 9:33 AM