More Good Food

As if ribs weren't enough for one week, last night Leslie and I had another treat.

We were playing a gig on the North Shore in the quaint town of Newburyport. We arrived early enough to meet with the bride before the service, only we had been given the wrong address and the bride didn't really want to meet with us anyhow! So we followed the directions to a lovely park right off the ocean and set up our chairs and stands.

The published schedule was pre-wedding music from 4:30-5, then the wedding, some post wedding music and then pack up, go to the reception, re-set up and play until 6:30 pm. This is a fairly standard schedule for such events. But the bride and company didn't arrive until 5:30 so by the time we arrived at the reception, it was already 6:05. With set up there would be no way to play more than 15 minutes before that 6:30 time. As we entered the restaurant we could hear a piano and it didn't sound like recorded music. The bride had booked two sets of musicians for the 6-6:30 pm time and since he was already playing, we were free to go!

Leslie and I headed down Rt 1A in search of a clam shack. We have been talking about finding a good clam shack for several years, and this seemed like a good night for it. The weather wasn't too hot, or too cold. It was just the two of us, and we both felt that we needed to do something different and fun.

For those of you not from this area, the North Shore is known for their clams. In fact, to be specific, there are those that think Ipswich Clams are the best in the world. And as we crossed the Ipswich town line, there was the Clam Box. The building is made of cedar which has aged from years of sea salt, and the roof is fluted to look like a box opening. Hard to describe, and I wish I had had a camera with me to take a few shots.

The line was very long.... we waited 45 minutes to order. Leslie got the 'native clams' while I got the haddock. We both opted for mini-boxes since the platters we saw going by could feed most of Rhode Island! In the spirit of sharing, we got one dinner with fries, and one with onion rings. They were served with tartar sauce, and we requested lots of lemon.

Was this worth the wait? Oh YES! The fish was perfect. Flaky, tasty, and cooked perfectly. I haven't had fish this good since we ate at a road side stand in Peggy's Cove, Nova Scotia. And the clams? The best clams ever. I had a few of them though I really shouldn't, and Leslie enjoyed the rest. Totally the best clams ever.

By the time we ate, the sun had gone down and the mosquitos had descended. It was a challenge to eat the food with plastic utensils, while killing the bugs in the dark, but a challenge that I met successfully. The Clam Box is worth a yearly return visit.

[I found this picture of the Clam Box somewhere on the web, and so I offer it to you.]