The Balons Gorge in Conn and Mass

You’ve heard me go on ad infinutum ad nauseum about all the wonderful foods I remembered from my youth in Connecticut and Massachusetts. So last week we headed back to the ancestral digs to reconnect with family and of course, sample the local fare.The results, for the most part were quite rewarding, but there were a few disappointments as well.

A truly quintessential Ct seafood dish is fried whole belly clams. This is simply unattainable at any Austin restaurant and represents New England comfort food at its best. The clams should be medium (cherrystone) in size and absolutely fresh. The best batters are simple and the clams are deep fried and served with lemon and white tartar sauce. The results when the simple yet demanding formula is followed are simply jaw dropping flavors and textures. There is nothing quite like a great platter of fried clams. And for the love of God, please don’t be a putz and order the clam strips (sans bellies). The bellies carry the majority of the flavor.

We tried a place in Branford, Ct called Lenny’s. And the fried clams were exemplary: better than my old favorite Jimmy’s in West Haven and perhaps the best I’ve ever tasted. This place opened in 1968 and my one regret is that I never tried it when I was going to college not far from there at about that same time. Man, what explosive yet incredibly mellow flavors.

Ironically, we had tried to get to Jimmy’s the night before only to be greeted by an hour and twenty minute wait. So we drove back toward our New Haven hotel only to stumble across an old favorite that we’d forgotten about: Zupardi’s Apizza. This place dates back 75 years and is every bit as good as the more famous Pepe’s in New Haven. Pizza is another food that they really GET in Ct and Zupardi’s offers up the classic thin-crust east coast pie cooked in an ancient coal fired oven. The bacon pizza came out with that wonderfully crispy on the outside and moist on the inside crust and irresistible, mouth watering first-bite bliss. I cannot recall the last time I ate five slices of pizza. But there was no stopping once we got our choppers going on their pies. We also had some lovely clams on the half shell and a simple yet just about perfect Antipasto. And that’s it: that’s their entire menu and really, what more does one need?

As we headed toward Boston, a place with which I was most familiar, a trip to the famous Legal Seafood was inevitable. I had last dined there while in Boston for business and had only fond memories. Alas, with my brother and sister-in-law in tow, we tried one in a Boston suburb and were generally disappointed.The calamari with banana peppers was good but it ended there. The fried clams were overcooked and a pale comparison to Lenny’s. I had fried shrimp at the Oasis the other night that was better than the fried shrimp my sister-in-law Jan tried at Legal. The $153 bill was too high for the mediocre fare. Legal Seafood has branched out over the past ten years with locations as far south as Florida. Clearly, they should have stuck to Boston and as DKR is so fond of saying, “danced with who brung ’em.”

We ended our trip in Hopkinton, Mass with a home-cooked meal of steamed artichokes, salad, and shrimp scampi with linguine prepared by my sister-in-law Janus Connelly. The meal was fabuloso as Jan mastered the fine art of scampi (while not overly tricking it up with garlic).

The flavors were beautifully nuanced and she displayed a virtuosity with which I had previously been unfamiliar (I think it was the first time I ever tried her cooking). It was a great way to end the trip.

So we found a great new clam joint, revisited an old apizza classic, and flamed out at a famous restaurant that has lost its way. All in all, New England dining is still alive and well with its unique set of flavors and dishes. But you know what? I immediately went to Joe’s Bakery on our first morning back because we were craving Mexican breakfast! And despite the ads we saw in Boston for “Texas style BBQ”, thanks but I’ll stick to Austin, Elgin, Lockhart and Luling!