Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1252581
NORTHSHOREMAG.COM 20 JUNE + JULY 2020 E AT + D R I N K A few miles down 133, the Clam Box missed the Spanish flu, but not by much. The iconic cardboard container–shaped restaurant has stood the test of time for more than 80 years. "They don't make buildings like this anymore," Johanna Aggelakis says with a laugh. That's perhaps partly because snow collects inside the top of the iconic box- shaped stand each winter, and Johanna's husband, Dmitri, has to climb in with a ladder to shovel it out. Dmitri's mother, Marina "Chickie" Aggelakis, has owned the restaurant since 1986, and she's still managing quality control, albeit from her car and by phone while social distancing is required. Chickie is ensuring that enough cole slaw and tartar sauce is made fresh every morning, and that everything tastes just right. While she's not in the kitchen, she's frequently getting a plate brought out to her car to make sure nothing is going awry, Aggelakis says. But with employees with decades of experience in the kitchen, Chickie probably needn't worry. Like Woodman's, Clam Box uses a recipe that has been handed down for generations—a proprietary blend of corn flour, which has come from the same family- owned business for 40 years, and pastry flour, fried in a mixture of beef fat and vegetable oil that is changed twice a day. "Literally the clams that customers are eating today were dug this morning from the Ipswich flats," Aggelakis says. "They go from the flats at 4 a.m. to the shucking house at 7 or 8 and then are delivered here at 9." Bob Lobster is the new kid on the block— they've only been slinging clams since 2001 or so, when Bob and Joyce Hartigan converted an ice cream stand into a seafood market that quickly morphed into a restaurant. When the Hartigans announced they were retiring in 2017, four friends from Plum Island, Brad DeLibero, Jasmine Lewan, Paul Rooney, and Kim-Soo DeLibero, bought the business. Without the weight of history on their shoulders, DeLibero, who trained as a chef, changed up the recipe for the breading. The former owners dipped in white flour, then a powdered milk mixture then yellow flour. Now the clams are dipped in evaporated milk, then a mixture of white flour, corn flour, baking powder and a bit of salt. "As soon as we made that swap, people [said] they could actually taste the seafood more," DeLibero says. "Now it's a lighter, crispier batter." While the fried clams haven't experienced the same modern innovation as some of Bob Lobster's lobster rolls (think wasabi cream, sriracha aioli, or butter-braised with avocado), you can order many of the lobster roll sauces as a dipping side. Or you can go all-out with the Fat Lobster : fried clams, cole slaw, and onion rings atop lobster salad on a toasted jumbo brioche. It's worth the trip—like the North Shore's other clam shack treasures, people travel from many states for a taste. Recently, a police officers' motorcycle club from all over New England roared into Bob Lobster for the perfect social distance lunch stop. Fried seafood fans travel far and wide— North Shore residents are fortunate to access a perfect clam plate in under an hour. Chew on this as you support our local legends: "We have people coming from New York," Maureen Woodman says. "They are leaving at eight in the morning, getting here at one o'clock, having clams and driving home. They said, 'We have nothing else to do.' Imagine. Nothing else to do but drive for 10 hours to get fried clams." Yep, we're a lucky bunch. Get Your Fry On Here are a few insider tips for avoiding the crowds at North Shore clam shacks. Please check social media for the latest from each spot. And don't forget to tip generously if you can. BOB LOBSTER + While the restaurant is still allowing walk-up orders, you can avoid lining up with people from all over by ordering over the phone and requesting curbside pick-up. Call when you arrive and staff will bring your meal out to you. You can call early in the day—or even the day before—to place an order to pick up later on. 49 Plum Island Turnpike, Newbury. 978-465- 7100, boblobster.com CLAM BOX + During social distancing, you must call ahead to order, but keep this number to yourself: 978-356-5019. That's the secret insider hotline for orders. Call that number, tell them when you want to come by (you can call early in the day to place an order to pick up for dinner if you'd like), and pay by phone. They will call your name over the parking lot loudspeaker at the time you've requested. They are very prompt. 246 High St., Ipswich, 978-356-5019, clamboxipswich.com WOODMAN'S OF ESSEX + During social distancing, you must call ahead to order, and the phones can be very busy. Try off-hours to get through more quickly. At press time, the restaurant was expecting to launch a full-service online ordering option on their website by the end of May. That will be the best way to avoid busy signals. 119 Main St., Essex, 978-768-6057, woodmans.com IN THE KNOW Bob Lobster in Newbury is another clam shack treasure! PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF BOB LOBSTER