The Clam

Ken and I like to do family dinners at new restaurants; oftentimes, I’ll organize a weekend dinner with David and Laura or my cousin Andrew and Hsiao-Mei at a new restaurant so we can sample a variety of dishes and order lots of food. David and Laura met up with me and Ken at The Clam, a new-ish restaurant opened by the team behind The Little Owl (I was not a fan of the restaurant, as you can see in this

A creamy dip mixed with their zesty potato chips had just the right amount of brine and texture to make this addictive and a great way to start the meal.

We also ordered the clams:

I misunderstood Ken and thought he wanted the littleneck clams, when in reality he wanted the oysters. These clams were sweet and delicious, but Ken didn’t enjoy them as much because he was pining for the oysters. These also came with fresh vegetables that had a homemade green Goddess dip underneath.

Their homemade bread was buttery and so delicious:

Served warm and really delicious (in the background, you can see the clam dip was completely demolished by us!)

The clam chowder was promised to be the best in the city:

We were a little disappointed by it (it wasn’t creamy enough for us!) and my favorite is still from Pearl Oyster Bar.

The spaghetti and clams is a dish that I still dream about:

It comes with a spicy gravy (which is misleading because I thought it was a white sauce, not a tomato gravy), a salad on top, and clams. The sauce has just the right amount of spiciness but is really so thick that it really is quite heavenly. Definitely worth visiting the restaurant just to order the spaghetti and clams!

David ordered the sea bream:

The fish was well cooked and the citrus added a nice freshness to it, but I didn’t eat too much because I was so obsessed with the spaghetti and clams.

Ken ordered the clam and lobster sandwich, which was about $35 when we went:

And another shot:

The sandwich comes with lobster (mixed with a little bit of mayo) and on top of that, freshly fried clams. The sandwich is slightly intimidating to eat because it’s so large, but is delicious, even on the second day.

The Clam’s food and service makes me rethink my original review on The Little Owl and makes me think I should give them a second chance. I had a great meal there and Ken, David and Laura all enjoyed their meal there, too. It’s a great new restaurant in the west village and definitely worth a visit!