A beach day gets a lot better when fried clams, hot chowder, and sugar-dusted doughboys are waiting nearby. One order quickly turns into a tray full of seafood, napkins, and plans to come back before the trip ends.
Rhode Island gives this casual stop the kind of loyalty most restaurants spend decades trying to earn. How does one bowl of chowder convince people to drive across the state on an ordinary autumn afternoon?
The choices make things harder in a good way. Whole-belly clams, clam cakes, stuffed quahogs, lobster rolls, and fish and chips all compete for space beside three different chowders…