Photo from Sneaker Dog's flickr.
Jimmy, pre-shuck. Photo from 庶民小文's flickr.
Photo from Riacale's flickr.
One of grandpa's great lines was about a meal he had at the Union Oyster House in Boston. It was his first time visiting Pops in the US, (197?) so his first introduction to clam chowder.
"Excellent. Not a single clam."
I don't believe for a second there were no clams... Gramps had never had clam chowder before so probably ate the clams along with the potato, none the wiser. Just a great example of the "carry on" attitude of an older Englishman.
Sidenote: every March, Redbones in Somerville hosts a pop-up raw bar on Fridays. Jimmy (above) is on duty for that. Mark the calendar. Anyway, is UOH good times or just a tourist trap... will tell you after lunch. Haven't been in years...
[Update; total success. bowl of chowder and 1/2 doz. littlenecks. No mignionette (generally my fave) but not needed. Squeeze of lemon does it. The wooden bar of the raw bar is half caved in so it leans towards you, you think the soup will all slide into your lap but ingeniously they stick a wedge of coasters on the low side to even out the bowl. Warm cornbread a plus. In and out in 15 minutes. It is wicked crowded around Quincy Market but beat the rush before 1:30. Bosh.]
