The New England Chowdafest, presented by Stop & Shop took place on October 2, 2016 at Sherwood Island State Park in Westport, CT. Guests had a chance sample chowder from 40 restaurants from all over New England and as far away as Seattle, while rating each restaurant to determine the best soups across four categories: Classic New England Clam Chowder; Traditional Chowder exclusively for Rhode Island (clear broth) and Manhattan Clam Chowders (tomato based); Creative Chowders; and Soup & Bisque.
We didn’t get a chance to sample all 40, but we probably tried half. Our favorites were the Lobster Shack of Westport, Pike Place Chowder, Donahue’s Clam Castle, and Our House Bistro.
Lessons Learned for next year’s 10th annual Chowdafest is slated for October 1st:
- Come early.
- Buy/bring a cupcake pan to hold the samples. Bring them to a picnic table, and rate as we sample.
- Don’t finish each sample. Save room to try all 40, if you can.
Alas…here are the 2016 Champions:
Classic New England Clam Chowder:
1st: Pike Place Chowder – Seattle WA
2nd: 250 Market – Portsmouth NH
3rd; Take Five Cookery – Hartford CT
Traditional Clam Chowder:
1st: Donahue’s Clam Castle (Rhode Island) – Madison CT
2nd: Dunville’s (Manhattan) – Westport CT
3rd: TIE!
Chef’s Table (Rhode Island) – Fairfield CT
Parallel Post (Manhattan) – Trumbull CT
Creative Chowder:
1st: Our House Bistro – Winooski VT
2nd: Gaffney’s – Saratogo Springs NY
3rd: Smithsonian Cafe & Chowder House – North Hampton MA
Soup/Bisque:
1st: Crab Shell – Stamford CT
2nd: Old Post Tavern – Fairfield CT
3rd: Sam’s American Bistro – Stamford CT
Chowdafest’s upcoming sister event called The Great Mac & Chili Challenge is happening on November 6th. Similar concept, but you’ll get to try 20 different chilis and mac ‘n cheese entries from local restaurants.
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