Roadfood Cross-Continental, Prologue

Although this summer will undoubtedly be filled with a myriad of regional summer staples (e.g., Wisconsin frozen custard, Washington state berries, Alberta beef burgers, etc.), it just wouldn’t be summer for us without New England fried clams and lobster rolls. Lucky for us that Stephen Rushmore included two of the Northeast’s most lauded Roadfood stops on our recent recap of the 2008 New England Ice Cream Tour. It turns out that 3 p.m. on a Thursday afternoon is the optimal time to visit the picturesque village of Wiscasset, Maine and Red’s Eats — no lines, no waiting, and 10 minutes later we were enjoying lobster rolls on Red’s back porch overlooking the bay. The heaped hunks of lobster meat are enough to satisfy any seafood craving; however, it would’ve seemed a shame to pass by Massachusetts’ North Shore without stopping at the Clam Box of Ipswich. The three-way combo plate of whole-belly clams, two-bite scallops, and jumbo shrimp made the sides of onion rings and coleslaw seem superfluous. Even at the very end of the business day, the Clam Box served up the freshest seafood in the area. Stay tuned as we begin our cross-country travels and take on the New Jersey pork roll, the Philly cheesesteak…and the I-95 corridor!