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| Woodman's of Essex |
Foodies that come to New England are in search for a few of
the traditional fares that make up the
“traditional
culinary” delights of the region. Lobsters, Clams, Blueberries,
Strawberries, Moose Meat, Woopie Pies, Baked Beans, Apples, Moxie, Haddock,
Fluff, Anadama Bread, etc… to name a few of finds of the New England food
scene.
Summer time is more
synonymous along the New England coast with the endless number of seasonal
“clam shacks” or
“lobster shacks”, where patrons typically eat
“in the rough”, a typical New England expression that literary
means no frills dinning, come as you are to the restaurant where the days of
dressing up do not matter, kids can run freely & some tend to be self
service facilities where paper & plastic are the norm for your plates &
utensils. How can I forget to mention the famous cardboard box to get all your
pints of freshly fried seafood from the
“clam
shacks”? My food journey yesterday took me to the North Shore of
Massachusetts in search for clams, well the famous Ipswich Clams.
I found out that the Ipswich Clams are world famous due to
how the clams are harvested. Growing up in Maine clams traditionally live in a
gravel bed, not a sandy one.
But
for clams that come from Ipswich there is something special about them. The town
of Ipswich has the Ipswich Bay where foodies will be in clam heaven because the
flavors of the clams come from the cleanest sand, unpolluted water, gentle
tidal flow to name a few of the natural environmental habitats that
characterize the circumstances that produce what most will call the sweetest
& most tender clam that they ever tasted. To harvest clams they must be
raked by hand, at low tide & any clam smaller than two inches is put back.
I ended up in the neighboring town of
Essex for the famous Woodman’s of Essex
“A
Yankee Tradition Since 1914”,
Woodman's (as locals would refer to it), for clams & other seafood deities for
lunch.
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| Ordering Counter |
I found out while I was at Woodman’s that there is quite the
legendary story behind this famous
“clam
shack”.
Back on July 3, 1916
quite the gastronomical history was born.
Lawrence Dexter “Chubby” Woodman, was preparing for the holiday weekend
at his small restaurant. A local fisherman named Tarr, was visiting the stand
& Chubby complained that, “business was slower than a couple of snails
headed uphill.”
Tarr while
snacking on some of the homemade potato chips, noticed a bucked of clams
nearby, pointed to them & jokingly said, “why don’t you fry up some of your
clams?
If they’re as tasty as
those potato chips of yours, you’ll never have to worry about having enough
customers.” Apparently the fisherman suggested to Chubby that frying clams
might be a good idea & the birth of the fried clams was born.
Today, fried clams are a summertime staple in New England
of amazing versatility, a very basic food that can be very appealing when it is
bought by a shack near the beach
& eaten straight away from a pint of cardboard containers. They are eaten
straight away like popcorn with the many condiments & not to forget to
squeeze fresh lemon on them for some zest. There’s something special with the
smell of the fried seafood’s that scream a delight for any true New England day
at the beach.
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| Fisher Burger with Onion Rings |
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| The "Famous" Fried Clams |
For many foodies no better place to eat fried clams &
other seafood delights is Woodman’s located on the marsh off of Route 133 in
the middle of the town of Essex near the local river.
Woodman’s is a self-service “
clam shack” where you place your order at the front of the
house.
The menu is a large board listing
all the specialties from pints of fried clams to fried fish, seafood
sandwiches, steamed clams, kids menu & side items. I was quite impressed on
the selection of seafood, but really wasn’t in the mood to eat a lot of fried
food.
You place the order &
the counter assistant gives you your receipt with your number on it for you to
pick up your order at the pick up counter.
Beverages must be order at the bar.
There is a wide selection of both
non-alcoholic & alcoholic beverages with local beers too from Sam Adam’s,
Shipyard, Ipswich
& Narragansett.
Water can be found in a self dispense pitcher. Patrons can sit wherever they like on the picnic tables
& booths. Also, the fixings
like ketchup & salt ‘n peppers are self-service too right next to where you
get your fork & paper napkins.
I found out that you got to ask for the fresh cut lemons for your order.
Don’t forget that there is no bus person, so picking up after yourself is
greatly appreciated by the staff.
Rumor has it that during a busy summer day, patrons will line out side
& wait a half an hour or more to get their order in. I had a hard time making up my mind
with the menu to be honest where as my dad easily order his pint of clams. He did claim that they were the best he has ever ate too. I
ended up getting the fried fish burger where the local fish was cod not
haddock, but very good with a side of onion rings. I’m a little food conscious to be honest when ordering
salmon from living in Alaska because up there “friends don’t let friends eat farm raised fish”, the same can be true for New Englander. I grew up in a family where eating Wild
Caught seafood was a top a priority not only to support the local fisherman but
for the quality of the food as well. There is a thing in New England &
other coastal communities around the world that when you get something off the
docks it’s the best tasting & freshest. In Japan, I recall when buying seafood it was dated &
timed for the consumer to know how fresh it is. Also, I tried the famous Nana
Bessie's Famous Clamcakes that were chocked full of clams. However, with all
the fried food that I ate a nice local beer came in hand
y. The food was quite
good to be honest. All of the items are gluten free except for the onion
rings.
It’s nice to see that they
accommodate special dietary needs today where not doing so was a thing of the
past. Overall, I would say that a true die-hard seafood lover looking for a
true experience of a traditional New England culinary delight would be in
heaven here or a tourist looking for a that special thing to do while on
holiday.
However, Woodman’s is a
hidden jewel that should not be missed. They have won numerous awards from
Boston Magazine’s Best of the Best award to write ups by Forbe’s Magazine to
name a few of the many awards & recognitions. There are other clam shacks around & the Boston Globe's, Boston.com site's
New England Clam Shack Review has put
out a lovely find of what they claim to be the top rated ones in New England,
but
bear in mind that each person
does have their own opinion on what is the best of the best though.
