West Coast Eats: Happy As a Clam (Chowder + Bacon)

DATE: Quite Awhile Ago

LOCATION: Santa Barbara Shellfish Company

230 Stearns Wharf

Santa Barbara,CA 93101

If you’re ever out in Santa Barbara and make your way to Stearns Wharf, head straight over to Santa Barbara Shellfish Company and write your name down on the clipboard in front, because the wait for this place is long. Then take some time to stroll the pier, maybe grab a scoop of ice cream and enjoy the lovely sunset. There’s no waiting room inside the place, so be sure to also pack a light cardigan or jacket as you wait outside on the pier for your party to be called. I’m glad we were troopers and stuck out the wait, because I’m about to tell you what was so AH-mazing about this place.

Usually I like to save the best for last but I really can’t, so here it goes.

Best New England Style Clam Chowder!!! It’s a sad irony that one of my favorite New England clam chowders ever was in California. But it’s true. It had the perfect chowder consistency and texture, not overly thick but not watered down at all. I’m not saying I haven’t had really good clam chowders before. We have plenty of great New England clam chowders along on the East Coast. But something about this one had me scraping the bowl for more. Perhaps it was the bacon pieces they add to it that just made it phenomenal. In any case, this clam chowder is one of the few that continues to stand out on my taste buds.

(If you’re from East Coast and griping how could I give such accolades to a West Coast imitator, then please put your pitchforks down and grab a spoon instead. To mollify any Atlantic ocean based loyalties, I will say another clam chowder I’m still clamming over is from Pearl’s Oyster Bar in Philadelphia’s Reading Terminal Market. Unfortunately I do not have any photos or blogs posted about my trip there, but for what it’s worth, these are my top 2 clam chowders to date. But if you are curious about my Philly trip, feel free to check out my post on the Battle of the Cheesesteak Champions)

Now, back to Santa Barbara Shellfish Company. Aside from the nosh-worthy clam chowder, we also got a plate of the Garlic Baked Clams - Six Littleneck Clams topped with garlic, breadcrumbs and parmesan cheese. These were as good as garlic baked clams can be, no complaints there.

It almost was like I was setting myself up for disappointment when I ordered the Lobster Pasta. But I was oddly in the mood for pasta that day, even though I had almost every marina based dish at my disposal. The Lobster Pasta had a nice, fair amount of lobster in this dish (unlike the lobster mac & cheese from Blue Plate Oysterette in Santa Monica). The lobster was sautéed in butter, garlic, white wine, and sun-dried tomatoes over a bed of linguini. The pasta itself was fine if you don’t mind plain pasta with minimal sauce. It had just enough butter, garlic and white wine for it to not be dry, but my taste preferences is the wetter the better! But this gets a passing mark.

The steamed local crab that my hubby ordered definitely looked straight out of the tank and freshly made. You can see almost see the angry face this crab gave the cook before it met its demise. (I hope there aren’t any vegans/vegetarians reading this!) This pound and a half crab was served with coleslaw and garnished with onion rings.

What’s neat about this place is that it’s a not a large restaurant but not a hole-in-the-wall either. Definitely not your dirty or dingy shack that the exterior almost leads you to believe. There are long counters to sit at, with outdoor table seating. If you sit at the bar, you can watch them actually pick your dinner out from the tanks and get tossed onto the firey grill.

Bottom Line: Make a stop at Santa Barbara’s Shellfish Company. You’ll be happy as a clam with their New England Style Clam Chowder... because bacon makes everything better!

Happy Noshing, Jeanne