Why doesnt Aunt Carries (Point Judith, RI) get more love?

[joe777cool]

This has got to be one of the best seafood "shacks" in RI, yet it never seems to get any attention! Seems like its always Flos, Iggys, Champlains, Evelyns get all the reviews, but to me Aunt Carries is a RI Institution! There are other places I like (and dont) but Aunt Carries alwasy seems to be consistent.

[gyppielou]

Oh and I have had horrid fried clams at Flo's but there was potential. As far as clam shacks go, I always recommend ordering very small and see how they batter, oil and staff stands up to the clam, the fry and the onion ring. You can always order more.

The clams I had at AC's just weren't battered or fried in a complimentary way to the glorious clam.

[jg1945]

I had to laugh..the typical native Rhode Islander won't travel more than 15 miles for a good meal....20 miles means packing an overnight bag. (lol)

Aunt Carrie's is a RI Institution, but in my opinion is nowhere what it was. Perhaps it was sold and living on the East Bay, rather than the West Bay, I may have missed the story when it was sold. 15-20 years ago, it was outstanding.

My choice in that area without a doubt is Champlain's...(heck they even have their own lobster boat to guarantee freshness)..Never, EVER had anything there to even think about possibly complaining about. Over in Newport, Flo's is fantastic, earlier poster gave it a bad write up, but that had to be isolated. You don't stay in the same business for a quarter of a century if you aren't consistantly good.......

[gyppielou]

The fried clams and the broiled oysters and the silly salad all sucked.

But the fritters - they were divine.

[RonBou]

I will be there tomorrow for an annual visit during a Rhode Island motorcycle ride. No...it's not the greatest place to eat but it is better than many. I will get whole belly clams, fries and a hot dog for dessert.

[Frank Terranova]

I have lived in RI all my life. Whats an Aunt Carries.

[okra]

Start looking here:
http://www.auntcarriesri.com/
'or
http://www.quahog.org/cuisine/index.p...

Aunt Carries
1240 Ocean Road, Narragansett
[phone]

are you sure you're a Rhode Islander?

[chefjohn]

It's the whole RI travel distance thing. I have lived in RI all my life going over 50 and from the east bay. I am not familiar with Carries. Did not spend a lot of time on that side of the bay. Thats how it is for most older Rhode Islanders, not traveling to far in the the smallest state.--lol Go figure.

[chenzo64]

My favorite place is Champlains too. I look forward to summer visits there. I also like Flo's and Evelyn's in Tiverton is ok. Although I am also thinking of ice cream at Grey's when I decide to go there!

[Trnrbrnr]

Their chowder reminds me of dishwater. I end the meal wondering why I did that to myself.

[JaneRI]

YES!! That's it! Dishwater. Couldn't quite put my finger on why I hate it so. I finally smartened up and haven't been in several years, but I recall terrible clamcakes too. I agree w/the poster above....Champlins & Iggys. Looking forward to trying Evelyns.

[snl1129]

I was not impressed with Evelyn's clam chowder in the least. It was watery, with chunks of potatoes, hardly any clams, and very bland. I like a good white or even red chowder,and Evelyn's only serves their signature "RI clear broth chowder. However, we did have an order of fried clams and they were good...not the best i've had, but good.

[thinks too much]

My mom is on a low-sodium diet. One of the results is that restaurant food is almost always unbearably salty for her. Soups in restaurants can easily go way overboard with a salt shaker. She loves Aunt Carries chowder. One man's poison ...

[JaneRI]

I know some people think "perfectly seasoned" is a thing to aim for, but it's so subjective....I'd always rather have to salt my food than run the risk of getting something too salty.

[RIRN2008]

Personally, I wasn't impressed with Aunt Carrie's...Champlains is my fav, with Iggy's runnign a close second...Haven't tried Flo's, though...

[joaniebaby]

Agreed. We tried Aunt Carrie's on our annual visit to RI. The fried clams were small, overcooked, and completely lacking that briney/clammy taste. The bay scallops were tasty, but VERY greasy. There was literally grease dripping off the bottom of the bag.

Two days later we went to Flo's. I know it gets mixed reviews on the board, but honestly, I can't remember ever having had better fried clams and I lived on the coast of Maine for over a decade. Try it!

Next year we are trying Champlains along with another visit to Flo's. What do people recommend there?

JB

[oystertripe]

I have tried to enjoy Aunt Carrie's on several occasions over the years, but have been uniformly disappointed by bland, greasy food and service that makes the DMV look good. All I see in its favor is location. On a different but related note, why doesn't anyone do more than the barest minimum when preparing clam cakes? Even using the standard mixes & pre-chopped clams, a bit of garlic powder and a hint of celery salt with additional clam meat produces something worth eating. The last time I visited Aunt Carrie's I was in the mood for clam cakes, but they killed that mood quickly with bland, possibly clam-free plugs of what should have been described as grease fritters.

[okra]

They seem to get plenty of business from the locals and touristas... go at 4:45 pm and you'll be knee deep in the early bird crowd. But, you answered your own question -it's an institution. When the Foys were still in the kitchen, I remember things being quite good - as of now, they're good enough to keep the lines out the door. That's really not enough to keep hounds happy though. I prefer Champlins lobster roll - and I haven't had a good clamcake in a few seasons...