Matt Jennings, New England, More than chowda, New England Eats: Favorites From A Well-Traveled Yankee, Chef Recommendations, Where to eat in New England, New England Dining Guide, Travel Guide, Best places to eat and drink in New England, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Maine
New England Eats: Favorites From A Well-Traveled Yankee
New England Eats
FAVORITES FROM A WELL-TRAVELED YANKEE
There are many reasons New England, the puritanical, far northern corner of the Northeast, is a culinary incubator and has long been synonymous with fine cuisine. We can thank our original settlers - who are more closely associated with bonnets and buckled black hats, than for groundbreaking cuisine - for laying the foundation of what is now some of the best food in the country.
From England, they brought many skills, none of the least were knowledge of seafood and shellfish cookery, homestead baking, pie making, a devotion to beans, and the ability to hunt for wild fowl and game. These skills they adopted, or perhaps more accurately, stole, from the natives (including corn and the ability to track animals), would prove to be hallmarks of New England cookery for centuries to come.
Today, we realize that we have come a long way. Some of the best places to eat are in areas you’d never expect. Street trucks. Tiny, cramped diners. Clam shacks.
This is a list of suggestions from one guy... one hungry New Englander who can’t get enough. It ain’t just chowda and clambakes. This is the best of New England food.
Final important note and general disclaimer: I’m a chef. I own what many people would consider a ‘fancy’ restaurant (although we think it is anything but). The spots I have selected display a broad range of culinary interest. While I may make charcuterie, work all day on creating the perfect duck stock, fuss with wispy greens, or pay visits to my local hog farmer, I’m a food lover at heart and for me, quality food and drink comes in many forms. Sure, some places here have white tablecloths, some have plastic, and others - none at all.
While an eclectic list, these are the places I consider to have some of the best eatin’ in New England, in whatever form they might take. So, I suggest you fill up the tank, grab a cup of steaming ‘Du-Do’s’ coffee and hit the road. There’s a lot to see, and even more to taste.
October 5, 2010
Duckfat (Portland, ME)
The goal? Bringing the same technique-driven and European inspired, locally sourced cuisine, to a level that all people, regardless of preferred price point, could love.... But, as can be discerned from the name, you are really here for something cooked in duck fat. Luckily for you, there is only one option: hand cut, Belgian-style French fries. Fried in…umm...you got it- duck fat.
MAINE
Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napolitana (New Haven, CT)
Known most commonly and simply as “Pepe’s,” the original location (it is widely known) is the only one worth the pilgrimage. Founded in 1925 by Frank Pepe, an Italian immigrant from the Amalfi Coast and former bakery owner, who would find time in his busy bakeshop schedule to deliver his freshly baked bread via a cart he pulled behind a bicycle.
El Charrito Taco Truck (Stamford, CT)
From a daytime cafeteria cook at General Electric, to the king of Latino street food in Southern New England, Carlos Terron has defined quality mobile Mexican fare with a cult following that cuts across culture and class.
CONNECTICUT
Morse’s Sauerkraut & Euro Deli (Waldoboro, ME)
Morse’s Kraut Haus is an hour or so drive inland from the Western Penobscot Bay, on an unassuming stretch of Washington Road. A taste of old world cuisine, inspired by the original founder and owner, Virgil Morse, whose ancestry claims he was one of the first Central European settling families in The Pine Tree State. Morse’s is a bratwurst battleship in the lines of defense against stale, loveless, pretentious cuisine.
Clover Food Lab (Cambridge, MA)
The Clover Trucks spread a vegetables-are-good-for-you-food-gospel, from multiple locations, most notably, adjacent to the MIT campus near the Kendall T-stop.
What are all the nerds in such a tizzy about? Well, how about everything from a breakfast of corn fritters, freshly baked banana & fig muffins, hearty breakfast sandwiches, or a lunch of homemade Concord grape lemonade and spicy chickpea salad? Full and heavy sandwiches, hearty soups and stews, and salads made with local vegetables are all frequent visitors to the menu as well.
MASSACHUSETTS
The Clam Box (Ipswich, MA)
There is something about Ipswich’s Clam Box that will forever be cemented in my head; great (not just ‘pretty good’) fried, whole belly clams. Get ready to stand in line for a good reason.... This place is shaped like a clam box, so better to just succumb and become a part of the living heritage that is the finest of North Shore clammeries.
Benton’s Sugar Shack (Thornton, NH)
Benton’s serves breakfast, and it is of the real deal, local ‘Northwoods’ variety: mile high pancakes with buttery, crispy edges and fluffy interior, stuffed with cranberries and brown sugar apples. Hot, steaming coffee served in a paper cup, and all the maple syrup products produced on-site, you can shake a sugar cane at.
NEW HAMPSHIRE
Black Trumpet Bistro (Portsmouth, NH)
French technique. World influences. Local and sustainable purchasing. New England sourcing. These are all traits that my fellow Chefs Collaborative cheerleader and executive chef and owner Evan Mallett, brings to his upscale, casual bistro. His menu is broken down in to ‘little,’ ‘medium’ and ‘large’ plates, which allows you to graze or go hog wild.
The Franklin Cafe (Boston, MA)
Open until 1:30 am, seven days a week, The Franklin does its thing well - simple elegance, down to earth approach. Food made fast and with fresh ingredients. Imagine going to your best friend’s house for dinner - just a little bit louder and more brash, a few more people than you thought were going to be there, oh...and getting a bill at the end of the meal. That’s what Franklin is all about. Making you feel at home.
Matunuck Oyster Bar (South Kingston, RI)
Perry Rasso is an oysterman extraordinaire. He founded the Ocean State Aqua Farm in 1992, on Potter Pond in the seaside Rhode Island community of East Matunuk.... A true believer in sustainable aquaculture, Rasso gladly gives tours of his oyster farm and after you’ve pulled the waders up your neck, trudged around in the pond, and seen what it is he does so well, you should make time to dine at Matunuk Oyster Bar.
RHODE ISLAND
Nick’s On Broadway (Providence, RI)
Sourced from local Rhode Island farms, created by a chef who lives and breathes all things Rhode Island, and cooked by a team of Johnson & Wales interns, it couldn’t really get any more Ocean State than this. Chef / owner Derek Wager has done his part to bring attention and appreciation to Rhode Island.... Well thought out, consciously constructed dishes that taste great. Nick’s On Broadway is well worth the trip to find this out of the way, Rhode Island gem.
The Alchemist (Waterbury, VT)
The Alchemist is a seven-barrel brewpub specializing in handcrafted beer and casual pub fare. All the ales here flow directly from the basement brewery, which was designed and installed by Master Brewer and co-proprietor John Kimmich. The Alchemist uses only the finest imported malts and domestic hops available to bring you the tastiest and finest selection of beers in Vermont.
VERMONT
The River Run (Plainfield, VT)
Northern hospitality and Southern ingenuity is what the River Run preaches. Indeed, this cramped ‘scratch’ restaurant in Northern Vermont, accomplishes both quite well. Chef and owner Jimmy Kennedy, originally hails from Brewer, Mississippi and he brings a ‘good old boy’ approach to his Southern-inspired food in this northern of northernmost kitchens.
Photo Credit: Find. Eat. Drink.