Dish of the Week: Clam Chowder at 701
The weather today may be more suited to meats on the grill than hearty winter soups, but you know that won’t last. Before you can say “outrageous gas bill,” the cold weather will be upon us, which means that it’ll be time for some New England clam chowder. (Sorry, but the tomato-based Manhattan version just doesn’t do much for me.)
Adam Longworth, the new chef at 701, offers a decidedly creamy chowder on his lunch and dinner menus ($11 for a sizable bowl). The appetizer, sweetened with small Manila clams, is thickened with both spuds and house-smoked potato gnocchi. The latter ingredient lends the chowder a smoky depth of flavor that no salt pork could ever provide.
And get this: Longworth, a Vermont native, is so obsessed with his chowder that he’s even baking his own oyster crackers. His first batches haven’t met his approval, so he’s still relying on commercial crackers. But look for that to change soon. Perhaps even sooner than the weather will change.
Comments
Leave a Reply
You can follow any responses to this entry through its comments RSS feed.
4:42 pm
The chowder buzz around these parts is about NE clam chowder with cream and potatoes. I grew up in New Jersey eating Manhattan clam chowder filled with tomatoes and other vegetables. Much lighter and healthier. Who serves it in the DC area? I asked Todd Kliman today, and he didn’t know.
Thanks