About a month ago I asked for suggestions for Down East, downscale dining for an upcoming drive to Maine. In return I promised to share some of my finds. Here goes. Woodman's of Essex: Had my first pint of New England fried clams a few miles north of Boston in Essex. Essex, with such molluskan neighboring villages as Ipswich and Little Neck, is in the heart of New England clam country. At a place called Woodman's of Essex where Lawrence "Chubby" Woodman claims to have invented the frying of clams back in 1914. Seems he was frying some potatoes for folks to eat along with their raw clams when someone suggested he throw in some clams into the kettle. Generations of Woodman's have been doing just that ever since. Woodman's sits on the banks of the Essex River, which is more marsh than river. The clams Woodman's serves are raked from the mud of the Essex River at low tide. These are soft shell clams, also called, coincidentally, Ipswich clams and Little Necks. They're also the steamers that open up an authentic clam bake. Soft shells are tiny, plump, juicy clams. Woodman's tosses them in a mixture of flour and corn meal that is sifted every 15 minutes and fries them to a golden brown. Large batches of clams - clams cook best in large batches. The Clam Shack While Woodman's of Essex may have invented the fried clam and still cook clams worth a detour off I-95, the Clam Shack, along side the bridge that connects Kennebunk to Kennebunkport, has perfected the bivalve. It is truly a shack, white with gray trim, on the Kennebunk side of the Kennebunk River. Clams there also go by the 1/2 pint, pint and quart. The Clam Shack fries whatever is fresh and local, sometimes from nearby Maine Marshes, sometimes from Ipswich Bay. The Maine Diner Rte 1, Wells, Me. The Maine Diner's seafood chowder won top honors at the Orgunquit Chowderfest three years running, 1991, 1992 and 1993. I asked what happened in 1994 and my waitress told me that they stopped having the contest because nobody else ever won. I ended up ordering their specialty, the Lobster Pie - chunks of lobster, sauted in butter and topped with a crust of tomalley and bread crumbs. There's also a whole section of "Diner Food" - all home made - including such delicacies as clam cakes, codfish cakes and beans, chicken pot pie and chili. The Dockside Cafe On the docks at Government Wharf behind the Schooners Inn, Kennebunkport One of two great breakfast finds. Overlooks the Kennebunk river and a marina/fishing fleet. Ordered homemade corned beef hash and poached eggs. The hash - big , firm chunks of meat and potatoes was as good as I've had in quite a while. The Green Heron Across from the Schooners Inn Kennebunkport A more civilized breakfast. The dining room overlooks a pond complete with mallards. Grill their own English muffins. Pancakes plump full of assorted berries, benedicts and such. I had a down east version of huevos rancheros. Mabel's Lobster Claw Between the Schooners Inn and the Green Heron Inn Until this trip, I maintained Lobster rolls are best procured at weathered, roadside stands advertising "Lobster Rolls" with hand painted signs, usually faded red letters on white. That was until I met Mabel Hanson proprietor of one of Kennebunkport's finest restaurants, Mabel's Lobster Claw restaurant. Mabel, who been boiling lobster for the past twenty-six years, is not one to mince words. "You see someone selling a lobster roll for less than $12, they're using frozen lobster meat, no good. It takes seven chicken lobsters to make a pound of lobster meat." Mabel uses big chunks of tail and claw meat in her lobster roll - $12.50 and worth every penny. We also talked a about fried clams. "They're on the menu until blueberry season." Mabel goes on to explain, "Come blueberry season, mid July, all the local shuckers go and pick blueberries. Cost of shucked clams doubles. Can't afford 'em." I also had a bowl of Mabel's clam chowder - creamy, plenty of clams, big chunks of potatoes. Her touch - she seasons the chowder with chives. Enjoy, Holly Moore
Maine