Though I don’t own up to it in “The Life and Death of the Skinner Coffee House” (because it wasn’t pertinent), I was one of the grad students working with Joseph Krupczynski on the project in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The pictures and video here are part of the presentation we gave to the mayor in December […]
Red’s Eats Main & Water Sts. Wiscasset, ME 207-882-6128; hollyeats.com/Reds.htm They pile on the lobster at Red’s. And the harmonious interaction of that fresh, cold meat, just barely mayo-dabbed, with the warm toasted bun underneath — well, it just sings of summer!
Maine Diner 2265 Post Rd. (Rte. 1) Wells, ME 207-646-4441; mainediner.com You don’t need a shell or a sauce. All you need is a pound of lobster meat, plenty of butter, and crushed Ritz cracker crumbs. Put those three into a casserole dish, bake, and serve. At the Maine Diner, timing and proportions are key, […]
Flo’s Clam Shack 4 Wave Ave. Middletown, RI 401-847-8141; quahog.org/cuisine Ocean State tradition has it that the clams are hard to find in clam cakes, but there’s always a tang from the clam juice in the fritterlike batter. The trick is to keep it light and to deep-fry these treats so they come out dry […]
J.T. Farnham’s 88 Eastern Ave. (Rte. 133) Essex, MA 978-768-6643 The “clam highway” on Boston’s North Shore and Cape Ann boasts at least five fabulous shacks, including Woodman’s, said to be the inventor of fried clams. Our preference is Farnham’s: light, not greasy, no rubbery clam strips, just sweet-and-tender bellies and necks.
The Commons Lunch 48 Commons Way Little Compton, RI 401-635-4388; quahog.org/cuisine Most Rhode Islanders don’t want their chowder sullied with milk. A base of straight clam-juice broth, plus a few onions and potatoes, maybe some diced salt pork, and plenty of shucked quahogs — that’s chowder. Typical accompaniments are clam cakes or jonnycakes, both in […]
Appleland Orchard 135 Smith Ave. (Rte. 116) Greenville, RI 401-949-3690 Since unpasteurized cider can legally be sold only at the orchard that presses it (a handful in New England still do this), it’s a 40-year-old tradition to trek to Appleland in the fall. The cider is an unbeatable blend of Macs, Empires, and Delicious apples, […]
Butler’s Colonial Donut House 459 Sanford Rd. Westport, MA 508-672-4600 Doughnuts are to New Englanders what bagels are to New Yorkers: a daily necessity. At Butler’s, they’ve taken this yeasty pastry to a new level by filling round and rectangular doughnuts with real whipped cream. The latter are called “Long Johns,” and under the cream […]
Wild Blueberry Land 1067 Rte. 1 Columbia Falls, ME 207-483-2583 This pie has that sweet crunch of small wild berries, that woodsy tang when the juice flows, plus a wisp of thickener and a delicate, delicious complementary crust (in this case, a Dutch crumb topping). And, the building’s shaped like a blueberry — all the […]
Video: See Yankee food editor Annie B. Copps discuss some of these best food places on NECN’s “TV Diner”. Since New England is the birthplace of this young nation of ours, it makes sense that it’s also the origin of some of our favorite foods, from turkey dinners to blueberry pancakes. Some of the dishes […]
I am from upstate New York. And not the upstate that is one to two hours from Manhattan. No, no. I grew up north of Albany, New York State’s capital, about 8 hours from Buffalo, NY and three hours from NYC. Of course, those who live north of Syracuse also refer to themselves as “upstaters” […]
There’s not much to Greenville, Maine, and that’s the beauty of it. The outpost town (population 1,600) sits at the southernmost point of Moose-head Lake, which, at more than 30 miles long, is the second-largest lake entirely within one state east of the Mississippi River. The region is the least populated area in the East […]
