Clam Chowder!

I grew up in Lakewood, Washington (just South of Tacoma). Right on the Puget Sound -best place on earth to get the freshest seafood, both fresh and salt water varieties. And also the best place to find KILLER clam chowder. New England style. (BTW: I love really good Manhattan style chowder also)

Back in the late 80's/early 90s, there used to be a place in the town of Steilacoom called "The Forge", which was a small hole-in-the-wall deli that offered the "holy grail" of New England clam chowder. And I believe the key is that they did it consistently. I've heard some chefs say excellent clam chowder is a fluke and difficult to reproduce again and again. If you can do it, you've got a "best kept secret".

But not only did the Forge do it consistently, but they made a chowder that put hair on your chest and literally made you close your eyes and savor it! "Delicious" was an understatement. This chowder was so thick that if you stood a metal spoon up in your bowl it would remain standing indefinitely. This was chowder that had abundantly large pieces of clams -along with the occasional whole clam, potatoes cut just the right size and cooked to the perfect consistency. And creamy and buttery, but too much so, with a blend of spices that defied description. All came together to make lunch at the Forge a Friday a ritual with a group of close friends that included an equally killer "Roast Beast" sandwich (or ham, or whatever your favorite), followed by a short trip to Fort Steilacoom park to share a bowl of legendary Pacific Northwest killer greenbud to cap off the perfect meal. Religiously, every Friday for several years. Ahhhh, those were the days.

Then the Forge closed and sadly like many other good things in life, chowder Fridays came to an end. Now life is very different. Today I am married and have a child, I own a computer consulting business servicing all of San Gabriel Valley, and I own my own home- pretty much sums up the American dream. But one thing hasn't changed: my love and quest for the best clam chowder on earth.

Then, many years later, I thought I found it again. Three times, actually. First in Santa Barbara there is a rather high-end restaurant called the "Rusty Pelican". They serve a very good New England chowder that even though wasn't nearly the same as the Forge's chowder (which by the way still stands as the benchmark for the ultimate chowder) , is still what I'd consider world class. The Pelican's chowder isn't quite as creamy, but still has the chunky goodness of lots of clams and tender potatoes in a buttery, slightly spicy chowder base.

Next, was on Catalina Island. Armstrong's Fish Market & Seafood Restaurant. I attended their establishment during my honeymoon back in the summer of '94. They had chowder to knock your socks off. In many ways a lot like the old Forge chowder. And if memory serves, Armstrong's chowder arrived as a LARGE portion in a traditional sourdough bread bowl. I haven't been back there since, but someday I'd like to see if they still do it the same.

Finally, there's the "Stuffed Sandwich" in San Gabriel. Owned and operated by Sam And Marlene Samaniego, the Stuffed Sandwich is THE place to go for chowder and a beer. They have a great selection of beers on tap and beer is what most people go there for. But rules are rules. This is not a bar, so you have to order food when you order your beer. And what's better to go with a really good beer than a bowl of chowder? Hmmm, come to think of it, add one of their excellent ham or turkey sandwiches to that and you've got an hour for lunch you won't forget. And can't help but come back again. And again. You get the picture. They always have excellent beer on tap. And Sam carries so many bottles in every variety that he literally has something for everyone. Several times over. But this particular blog entry is really about chowder, not beer.

A little background: Much to my surprise about 2 years ago I sought out the Stuffed Sandwich on a recommendation by a friend in Tacoma who found them on the Internet while helping me find some places to get some good beer on tap. REAL beer, not that fizzy yellow stuff you can get anywhere. But I digress... When we arrived I ordered a beer and discovered that I also had to order food or it's adios, amigo! So when I saw they had clam chowder on the menu I thought, what the heck. And I was blown away. Sam makes his chowder fresh every day and I must admit it's the closest thing to the Forge chowder from a time long ago that I just sat there quietly in stunned silence at first and savored it like I did that chowder of old. Sam's chowder is so similar that it was almost uncanny. As if Sam has somehow either inherited the original recipe from the Forge itself, or by some divine coincidence concocted the same recipe!

In any case, The Stuffed Sandwich is THE place to go for the best clam chowder you have ever tasted. In fact, I almost would say the reverse of what others do. I'd say go there for the chowder first, and the beer second.

The Stuffed Sandwich can be found at:
1145 E. Las Tunas Drive
San Gabriel, CA. 91776
www.stuffedsandwich.com

Ps. Their website has just about any info you need to prepare for your visit, including what's on tap each month!