Tips for Dining, Eating, and Food Shopping in Boston (and suburbs)
Start New ThreadThe sign is out. They reopen for the season on March 4th. I'm sure Tony's sign will be out soon as well. I always feel like winter is just about over once the signs go out, and even more so when I stop for that first batch of fried clams!
By Pegmeister
on Feb 26, 2010 06:20 AM
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And when you can eat them outside. Even if it's 45 degrees out
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Woo hoo! And word is, Sullivan's at Castle Island may be open as early as this weekend (though with the lousy weather continuing, maybe they'll wait a bit.).
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The Only Clam Box That Matters is already open. Now is a great time to go if you don't want to wait in line.
http://www.ipswichma.com/clambox/inde...
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That's okay for those of you on the North Shore, but given I can walk to the one on Wollaston beach, I'm pretty happy. Just curious though, have you ever been to the Clam Box on Wollaston beach? If so, convince me I should take the drive to the North shore.
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No I haven't, and I'd be more than willing to give it a try, but the one in Ipswich consistently has the best fried clams I've ever had anywhere, so it's set the bar pretty high, as far as I'm concerned.
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We visit both the Ipswich Clam Box and the Wollaston Clam Box about equally over the course of the season, but let me put it this way: if we're driving along the south shore, we will detour to the Wollaston Clam Box for dinner. But we will book a Zipcar SPECIFICALLY to go to the Ipswich Clam Box.
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Talk about dedication. I'm impressed!
BFP, how would you compare the Ipswich Clam Box with the Hingham Lobster Pound? I haven't been to the Clam Box up there in years.
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I don't have enough experience with the Hingham Lobster Pound to make a full comparison -- I've only been to the HLP once, although the clams were amazingly good that one time. I would say that for me, the Ipswich Clam Box wins not only because of the high quality of the food, but because it's my version of the canonical clam shack experience. So the clams are at least as good at Hingham, but Ipswich wins on style points.
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Haven't been to the Ipswich Clam Box, but the Hingham Lobster Pound is my favorite "local" (I'm in Nashua,NH) place. I'll make a clam run a couple of times a year when the craving hits. I'm a "strip" person - don't like the bellies- and they have some of the best breadding & frying I've had on fried seafood.
Be careful - they salt EVERYTHING they fry so taste before you put salt on anything. They use whole onions for their onion rings (which are my favorite onion rings from a seafood "shack") but unfortunately, their fries are straight from Sysco. They make their lobster roll on a hamburger bun for some reason so I've never tried it. If you're craving a lobster roll, I'd hit Tony's or The Clam Box (Quincy) instead (or Kelly's - too bad they don't have the HLP rings 'cause THAT would be perfection). They do sell live lobsters but for some odd reason, if you want a cooked lobster, you have to call ahead of time & they can arrange to steam it for you but all you'll get is the lobster - no melted butter.
There's also no seating but if you take a right coming out of the parking lot, Hingham Harbor is right there & there is picnic tables there & parking.
Hopefully, you'll do another clam crawl soon - maybe make it a North Shore versus South Shore crawl to crown the "Clam King"!
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I'm with you. The Hingham Lobster Pound is the best on the South Shore, for my taste. I like Tony's as well, but HLP is the real deal. Great lobster roll as well.
As with pizza, ribs and red sauce, it's a matter of taste.
Enjoy,
CocoDan
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Yeah, it's nice to have it in your backyard, but you definitely have to at least try the north shore clam box.
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I'm totally open to trying the North Shore Clam Box I was disappointed I couldn't do the clam crawl last summer. Thinking I may take a day off once the weather warms and give it a try. Guess the point of my original post was, for me, the Clam Box opening, signals the end of winter, and fried clams both of which make me very happy.
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Being originally from Southie, I usually head my car towards the South Shore - I like to say that people from Southies' cars aren't programed to drive North! But, then again, I think Somerville is the North Shore (or anything else over the Zachim Bridge). Since I'm driving 120 miles for clams at the HLP, maybe next time I'm visiting my friends in Revere I'll make them do the drive to the North Shore Clambox with me.
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I always forget - which is the better place to eat on Wollaston Beach: the Clam Box or Tony's?
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I prefer Tony's. I think their oil tends to be "cleaner", resulting in a crisper/less greasy product.
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Generally, I prefer Tony's, but I did find that I didn't care as much for their onion rings last summer. They tended to be more like well done onion strings. Since Clam Box is opening first, I'll kick off the season there. I also remember someone posting last summer that they had some unusually large clams at Tony's that weren't well prepared. I had a similar experience, but just once, and the next time I went back they were good. Also, Tony's doesn't mind if you ask for smaller belly clams, for those who care about such things.
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Thanks for reminding me where the huge clams were from, they bummed me out. It's 7:15 AM and I'm all excited for clams.
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FWIW, I thought the North Shore Clam Box was better than Tony's, especially the scallops, but that could just be because of the batch I tried at both...
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The Clam Box experience, wherever it may be, is a truly great and wondrous thing. But, if food, rather than the overall communal and (potentially) out-of-the-way character of the trip, is the point, they I say: we can do better than any of the Clam Boxes so far mentioned.
I say: Neptune. yeah yeah yeah...I know. It ain't a box (kind of feels like one, though, from the inside). But their fried clams are wonders to behold. Tastier, plumper, more expertly fried than any other place I know (but maybe I don't know many places ;->).
So...reactions?
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You can't compare a restaurant with a clam shack. Especially a clam shack on a beach.
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Agreed, and I love the fried clams at Neptune.
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Oh man! Can Speed's be far behind???????????
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Hasn't Greg been manning the cart all winter this year?
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Not on Saturdays-when I can get there! Although the website says he'll be there Saturdays weather permitting but I'm not sure if that's new or if that's been there all winter.
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Yes, we've been a few time but we usually call before we head over.
The phone number is on the website. http://www.bostonspeeddog.com/
Penny
http://www.bostonzest.com/
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Well, today was opening day at the Clam Box. When I drove by on my way home from work the sign was lit, but not a sole in the place. I'm sure the weather didn't help. It seemed so sad, I went back for a takeout. Clams were small bellies, sweet, light batter and very lightly fried. Fries are handcut, but were a little limp. Onion rings were thin, but way better than the ones I had at Tony's last summer. No word yet when Tony's will open, their sign says March, but their website doesn't have any info.
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Tony's website says they're opening March 26th.
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