Gettin' Iggy With It

First, I'm having a few technical difficulties getting the last of my photos to go from my camera to either my work or personal computers (something about the USB not being recognized- even though it JUST worked the other day *sigh*) So the rest of my Massachusetts pics are coming shortly!

Second, I want to say that with the exception of one site in particular, I had a good (if not exhausting) time in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. I'll discuss my negative experience later, but I wanted to start off on a positive note.

These two states represent my first blog-related treks into New England. When I think New England, I think pilgrims and colonials. I think cold and dreary weather. I think largely of sports teams I either have no strong opinions of- or extreme hatred towards. And I think of chowder, lobster, and other seafood.Well, it was a bit cooler than expected the weekend I went, and I got rained on my first two days ending up with a pretty soggy suitcase. I did do three sports related excursions, but we'll get to those later (once my pics are uploaded to my Facebook page). So I'll focus on my first entry on the food I ate, specifically at Iggy's Doughboys and Chowderhouse.

No seriously, I hate these cheating bums.
Image from www.roosterteeth.com

I already knew that yes, there is the traditional New England clam chowder that's white and creamy, and yes, there's the Manhattan version that's red and tomato based. But I learned in this clip from CBS's 'Taste of America Tour' that there is indeed a third version of the Northeast's signature soup: the Rhode Island Clear. Since several travel sites all agreed that Iggy's was THE place to go to try Rhode Island seafood, I decided to give it a go.

Iggy's...and my $45 cab

I took a cab from the TF Green Airport (after getting to Rhode Island by train from Boston), down to Iggy's- a round trip ride that ended up costing me $45.00 with tax and tip! (Yes, apparently Rhode Islanders pay tax on cab rides, something I learned from my driver is highly disliked by those in the business. I gotta say I agree with them- I've never heard of such foolishness.) But it was worth it. I ordered a little bit of everything that I had either never heard of or was told was a specialty of the region/restaurant. Way too much food for one person, but most of it was tasty.

Here's a pic of my Rhode Island Clear chowder. It isn't on the menu (only Red and White are), so you have to ask for it specifically. Slightly too salty, but otherwise well flavored.

Clam cakes and Rhode Island Clear chowder

The bowl is next to an outpouring of clam cakes. I was least impressed with these. My cab driver said you're supposed to eat them by dipping them into whatever chowder you have. This greatly helped because these things were a bit dry, and I'm not 100% sure I had any actual clam inside of the ones I ate (though admittedly, I only finished like 2 or 3 of them). It may be hard to tell, but they were slightly larger than a golf ball.

An Iggy doughboy, covered in powdered sugar. HUGE but tasty!
The taste reminded me of funnel cake/donut hybrid.

Above you'll see one doughboy- a near hand-sized patty of fried dough topped with a topping of your choice (my cab driver said powdered sugar is the most popular- I personally would've gone with cinnamon sugar otherwise.) I got six of these for free using a coupon I got for signing up for their emails. I think a few solicitations is worth saving three bucks and some change.

A Famous Iggy Burger and Iggy root beer

I got a hamburger on the off chance that I hated all the seafood I got and was still hungry. The most popular burger is the Famous Iggy Burger and it comes with sauteed peppers and onions, mustard, relish, and optional cheese (which I gladly accepted). It was just okay- not horrible by any means, but not super amazing. But, what do you expect from a place that specializes in seafood, not landlubber fare? The root beer is made by Iggy's (they also sell a house made raspberry-lime pop as well...oops, I guess I mean soda for those of you not from a pop-saying city). It was probably the best root beer I've ever had- smooth, not too harsh or metallic tasting. It was great.

A Rhode Island "stuffie" or stuffed quahog

Now this was my favorite part of the meal. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter (and really, why wouldn't you?) you would know that trying to say "quahog" without sounding like a total tourist was something I wanted to accomplish. (Think co-hog, or watch a few episodes of Family Guy and listen to them say it). Nearly every Rhode Island tourism website I found said that visitors should try a "stuffie" while they are there. I only ordered one, partly because they were $2.50 each (sorry, but that's not a lot of chewing for nearly $3) and partly because I wasn't sure if I would like it.

What a quahog that's alive and in the wild looks like I can't tell you (though I'm assuming that's its shell they serve it in), but what it tasted like was a very delicate seafood taste, with stuffing and other goodness, drizzled with lemon juice. My cab driver told me that locals eat theirs with hot sauce. It was such a warm and comforting taste! I don't know what the stuffing is, how they chop it up and cook it or anything, but I DO know that I was very pleased. While waiting for my order to be finished, I saw people sitting at tables with trays full of these empty shells. I guess I'm not alone on liking them.

Well, I'll update you on my four day adventure (my most ambitious outing yet itinerary-wise) every couple of days over the next few weeks. Alaska and Washington state are next month, so I'm gearing up for that, and you know, I do have work and other responsibilities here at home.

Thank you for reading along and following me on my journey!