James A.
Yelp
A decent place to stop by for fresh seafood in Rhode Island.
We decided to take a side tour to Rhode Island, and after stopping by downtown Newport, saw that the iconic Flo's Clam Shack was nearby. GPS took us pretty close to it, and then had to make an assumption of where to park (by going into a side street and finding backyard parking). We got lucky and found an empty spot in their private back lot. You then walk through a bamboo forest (reminded me of eating in those chintzy south pacific themed restaurants in landlocked areas), but end up in a house with outdoor window for ordering. We ordered and paid outside, found a table in their patio (we were the first ones there, but it filled up as we ate). We had to try their World Famous Fried WHOLE clam dinner (includes fries and slaw for $29.95), fried scallops a la carte ($22.95), fried squid ($14.95), and what I really came for: Rhode Island Clam Chowder (large, clear style for $8.95). You are given a beeper, and after about 15 minutes, I picked up the food from an indoor window.
The food was really good....would be one of my go-to places if this was near our place in Cali, but understand that there are probably better value places with better food in NE. I really liked the Clam Chowder...a break from the creamy, rich chowder that we've been gourging on during our trip. This was a lot lighter...broth was flavorful from the butter and salted pork, but not greasy at all. I wish it had more and larger clam pieces...the Quahog clams had been diced. The broth was good enough to just slurp down once the solid pieces were gone. I like Manhattan Clam Chower too, but I definitely didn't miss the tomatoes here...and will order this version any chance I get (though I've never seen RI style chowder on any menu outside of NE).
Fried whole clams and fried clam strips are a world apart...you can only get fried clam strips in the Midwest and West, and it tastes like deep fried cardboard compared to the fried whole clams I had here. It tastes more like deep fried oysters, with the briny explosion you get when you toss the whole clam and bite. It is delicate, but they did a nice job of using a very light batter and deep frying it just enough before it overcooks. There is no reason why the same level of expertise can't be used to deep fry other foods (like onion rings as an example). They gave just a small amount of fries (unlike other places which always gave us a lot). It was the batter dipped kind, just OK. Cole slaw was a small amount, but good...with enough vinegar to cut the oiliness.
The fried scallops were whole, and sweet. For ordering the small portion size, gave us a decent amount. The fried squid was good, it just came with the rings (no tentacles), and using the same batter, produced a decently tender amount of dippable squid.
The dining area I thought was the best of the chowder houses we visited, but the food here vs the value was at the lower end.