Image from Tasteofhome.com

If you’re interested in celebrating the Patriots with some of the best New England clam chowder in Connecticut or  Massachusetts, here are our all time favorite recommendations for all your chowder needs. Some of these locations are ideal places to watch the big game. Some are better for take out. Some are better for a pre-game lunch. But they’ll all leave you thankful to be in New England.

Shoreline CT

Fairfield County, Connecticut

• Westfair, Westport
  If I weren’t making my own, this would be my #1 recommendation. Take out chowder from Westfair. Go home, light a fire, add Harpoon and watch the game. Then you don’t have to deal with the whole “we live in Connecticut but we’re a suburb of NYC and therefore we’re not really New England” problem.
  Our Review of Westfair

• Black Duck, Westport
  This would be an insanely hard place to get a table for the the Super Bowl. But it may well be the best. The place is perfect – the right TVs, great drinks, great view, insane crowd, walkable to the train…and the chowder is exceptional.
  Our Review of the Black Duck
• 

  TVs and Great Chowder @Donovans

  Donovan’s, South Norwalk
  Another fantastic spot to watch and enjoy the big game. We’ve said before that it is our absolute favorite chowder in Fairfield County and we mean it. While I give Black Duck the slight edge out in best place to watch the Super Bowl, it’s only due to the proximity to Metro North and because the closer you get to New York City, the closer you get to Giants fans. And no one wants that. But Donovan’s chowder is better.
  Our Review of Donovan’s

• The Mansion Clam House, Westport
  I’m pretty sure they don’t even have TVs but you could totally go grab a fantastic lunch here pre-game.
  Our Review of The Mansion Clam House

New Haven County

• Temple Grill, New Haven
  Now THIS would be a fun time – Yalies, great food, a likely Super Bowl board, and great chowder.
  Our Review of Temple Grill

The Best in Connecticut – Worth a Drive

• The Griswold Inn, Essex
  So, it is the best New England clam chowder in Connecticut. However. They don’t have televisions except for in common areas of the hotel. So your best bet here might be to start of a celebratory weekend and visit for lunch.
  Our Review of The Griswold Inn

Not in Connecticut? Here are our favorite Cape Cod Treasures:

• 

  Take out and watch at home!

  American Lobster Mart, Bourne Bridge Rotary
  If we were going to the Cape to watch the Super Bowl, this would be our second choice. Our first would be the Lobster Trap. But we might get a second batch from these guys – it’s that good. Conveniently located ON the rotary, you can swing in and grab some before heading home to watch the game.
  Our Review of American Lobster Mart

• The Courtyard, Cataumet
  Oh we could so watch the game t here! Great fans, great food, great beer. You couldn’t do better for experiencing the Super Bowl in a local bar. And of course, their chowder? Rocks.
  One of our many Reviews of the Courtyard
• The Parrot,  Cataumet
  Or you could go across the street and visit the Parrot. Great chowder too – I always feel a bit overcrowded in there though.
  One of The Parrot Reviews
• Seafood Sam’s, Sandwich, Falmouth, Yarmouth
  The one we reviewed isn’t there any longer and it would be a terrible place to watch a game if they even had TVs but man, the chowder is good. You could take out a whole bunch, along with some fried clams, and have a great meal.
  Our Seafood Sams Review
• The Dolphin, Barnstable
  One of our all time favorites. Every. Single. Food we ate here was fantastic. And the beer selection was great. The bartender was wonderful. I’m pretty sure they don’t have TVs but again, great spot for lunch beforehand.
  Our Review of The Dolphin
• 

  Back in the day at Quahog Republic

  Quahog Republic, Falmouth
  So I have no idea about these guys. When they were in Bourne, we loved loved loved their attitude, the decor, and of course, the chowder. It’s only logical that it would still be fantastic in a new location, right? Gotta be. I feel secure recommending their chowder.
  Our Review From When Quahog Republic Was in Bourne

• Bobby Byrne’s Pub, Mashpee, Hyannis and Sandwich
  I would LOVE to watch the Super Bowl here. Any location, any time. Fantastic in so many ways, not just the chowder.
  Our Review of Bobby Byrne’s

So there you go. The best chowder for a great game. If you happen to try any of them, let us know!

ChowdaFest is being held at Bedford Middle School in Westport again this year. The first year we went, it was at the Unitarian Church in Westport and it was wonderful but a bit tight! Last year, they moved to the cafeteria and it was much better.

We’re happy to see it back in the middle school cafeteria this year. We plan on getting there bright and early so we can get situated and find. We’ll be tweeting our thoughts all day – follow along @chowderkids.

Looking over the list of the restaurants, we see a few favorites, a few places we’ve reviewed and panned, and a few new and exciting places.

Links to all of the restaurants, check em out!

Have you tried any of these places? Who do you think has the best chance at winning our hearts?

And what on earth is Super Duper Weenie doing on there? Scary.

Unrelated to chowder, we worked on a Lego scene from the Hunger Games. What do you think?

Preparations include nachos and of course. Chowder.

The kids have been hyping up the chowder here all summer, ever since I had to go to Chicago for work and the kids ate here with ChowderGrandma.

Well, it doesn’t disappoint at all!

How great is this chowder? Thick and buttery, perfectly cooked potatoes of just the right size, and fresh big clams. Tiny bit of grit, just enough to let you know it’s fresh. Perfect.

The nachos are fine.

You know what is really good though? The hurricane with the Myers floater.

Here’s hoping the Hurricane is as nice.

UPDATE: I just realized I never posted this entry in August – and am doing it now. I didn’t edit my comment about the Hurricane but it was actually a pretty easy way to experience it – on the Cape. We fared much better there than most of Connecticut did.

Way too fraking hot. Sweet. Not salty enough. Not fresh clams.

It sounded so wonderful too. It should have been like a dream come true for ChowderDad. Perfectly warm and quiet night, just the  two of us, outdoor seating…and all the beer choices! Heaven.

Tasty tastes.

Unfortunately, all I can say is that they do much better on their beer than on their chowder. And that’s okay. Not everything can be “Dancing in September”.

We ended up going to Papaya Thai in Norwalk for dinner and the Tom yum goong soup was so good that chowder boy needed to increase the scale. “This soup is yum tastic. It gets  11/10.”

Not bad! Not bad at all!

About Hemisphere’s chowder, he says “It’s better than Dolphin.”

Now, I am all about being positive. And rah-rahing people’s efforts. But seriously, ChowderBoy. You’ve gone off the rails here. It was good chowder. But better than the Dolphin? No way.

I said to him, “You know what I love about you? You’ve never met a chowder you didn’t like.” His response?

“Mom. I don’t meet chowder I eat chowder.”

I love it! I really do!

ChowderGirl says “It needs a bit of salt.” She keeps putting more and more salt in it and continues, “This chowder should be called potato chowder because it doesn’t have many clams in it.”

Personally, I really like the potatoes. A bit big but cooked perfectly. I felt like it was too floury. And I was bored with it halfway through. I didn’t get a lot of clams.

A rare photo with ChowderMom

ChowderDad said “It is certainly buttery enough for me but the flavoring is meh.”

All in all, Hemisphere was a great place for a family meal. It was a wonderful lunch, a great place to stop after biking the canal, and the wait staff was friendly. I’ll join ChowderBoy and say – thumbs up.

• Aquagrille
• Seafood Sam’s
• Hemisphere

Any thoughts?

They have Whale Tale Pale Ale on tap. So right off, ChowderParents want to weep with joy.

Here’s how the rest of the meal goes. Our chowder arrives and…

Dolphin's Chowder - a.k.a. OMGZZZZZx30

ChowderBoy just nods emphatically. Then he gives it a thousand. The bacon was great. He says it is almost as good as Bobby Byrnes. How this came to be his number 2 chowder, I don’t know…but he thinks it’s great.

ChowderDad. It was almost as good as lobster trap. Apparently it was so good, all he could do was stab at ChowderBoy’s spoon and grunt and make mmmmmm noises.

ChowderDad stealing the last bit from ChowderBoy.

ChowderGirl says “The taste was excellent.” She was speechless it was so good.

And then there’s ChowderMom, who seems to be solely responsible for typing it all up. These are my notes from mid-eating: “OMG. It has brandy in it I think. And the potatoes are perfect and the clams were cooked perfectly. I can’t get over it.” then muffled eating noises. Then “ChowderDad, did you EAT this? OMG – can I have yours?”

Honestly, all heck broke loose while we ate. And then we got perfect bread. The kind you want to take home to mom.  And the bacon wrapped scallops? They were almost as good as Chowder Mom’s.

These appetizers are MARVELOUS!

I don’t even know how to continue the review. The scallops carbonara made 75% of us weep with joy. ChowderDad’s stuffed shrimp meal was outstanding. The whole night was almost as good as it gets.

And chowder aside, I do want to say, I love when a place can embrace a family dining experience. The bartender (I now know her name is Liz) was kind to the kids, talked to them like people, and made the whole experience more than a regular meal. We adore this place. It may well be the perfect place for our lazy Jeep drives up 6A. In fact, I feel like making up an excuse to go back…