Pike Place Chowder
Clam chowder #3 was from Pike Place in Seattle, WA. The organizers of the Newport Chowder Cook-Off have apparently cast a wider net in their search for the best chowder. Which is fine, because we've started to notice a slight drop-off in the number of entries, and something must be done to stem the tide. So to speak.
This was a fine chowder, nothing really wrong with it, other than it wasn't as flavorful as Stefano's. Nothing else really was. Maybe this is just how they like their chowder in Seattle.
If Andy were here, his advanced chowder rating system would have awarded bonus points for the presence of both fresh-ground pepper AND a small tabasco bottle on the table. Of course, when the servers ask, "Do you want tabasco in your chowder?" a perfectly acceptable response is, "Do YOU think the chowder needs it, or would you rather have me taste it without?"
However, Andy would also have taken a point off for not providing spoons. None of the first 8 or so tables did, however - we were doing chowder "shooters" the first time around. I say that technically, that's a wash, if none of the tables in the entire category had spoons available.
Pike Place Chowder
Clam chowder #3 was from Pike Place in Seattle, WA. The organizers of the Newport Chowder Cook-Off have apparently cast a wider net in their search for the best chowder. Which is fine, because we've started to notice a slight drop-off in the number of entries, and something must be done to stem the tide. So to speak.
This was a fine chowder, nothing really wrong with it, other than it wasn't as flavorful as Stefano's. Nothing else really was. Maybe this is just how they like their chowder in Seattle.
If Andy were here, his advanced chowder rating system would have awarded bonus points for the presence of both fresh-ground pepper AND a small tabasco bottle on the table. Of course, when the servers ask, "Do you want tabasco in your chowder?" a perfectly acceptable response is, "Do YOU think the chowder needs it, or would you rather have me taste it without?"
However, Andy would also have taken a point off for not providing spoons. None of the first 8 or so tables did, however - we were doing chowder "shooters" the first time around. I say that technically, that's a wash, if none of the tables in the entire category had spoons available.