Official Website of UCLA, United Clam Lovers of America
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THE PLACE, Guilford CT
Best Non-Fried Clams we've
tasted are the wood-fire
roasted "specials" at The
Place in Guilford CT, serving
hordes of hungry clam fans
since Spiro T. Agnew was
tasted are the wood-fire
roasted "specials" at The
Place in Guilford CT, serving
hordes of hungry clam fans
since Spiro T. Agnew was
Vice President and a new Cadillac cost less than six grand.
You can also get great lobster, chicken, shrimp, mussels,
fish, steak and corn. BYOB or buy a soft drink. If your kids
are finicky eaters, it's OK to bring in burgers or McNuggets
from nearby McDonalds. Tabletops and people perch on tree
stumps. The ground is paved with stomped-on clam shells. A
big tent-top will shield you in a drizzle; but fire and cooks
can't be waterproofed, so stay away if it's raining hard.
Wal-Mart and Carvel are across the street, and a big farmer's
You can also get great lobster, chicken, shrimp, mussels,
fish, steak and corn. BYOB or buy a soft drink. If your kids
are finicky eaters, it's OK to bring in burgers or McNuggets
from nearby McDonalds. Tabletops and people perch on tree
stumps. The ground is paved with stomped-on clam shells. A
big tent-top will shield you in a drizzle; but fire and cooks
can't be waterproofed, so stay away if it's raining hard.
Wal-Mart and Carvel are across the street, and a big farmer's
market is five minutes away -- it's easy to spend an afternoon in the neighborhood. The Place is
on the Boston Post Road (US Route 1), about a mile west of the water tower. It's open from late
April through October. If you're coming from the west, take I-95 to exit 57. From the east, use
exit 59. Call for hours: 203 453-9276. You can make a reservation for a group. Come hungry.
on the Boston Post Road (US Route 1), about a mile west of the water tower. It's open from late
April through October. If you're coming from the west, take I-95 to exit 57. From the east, use
exit 59. Call for hours: 203 453-9276. You can make a reservation for a group. Come hungry.
▲The Place attracts clam fans from all over. These hungry folks traveled about 90 miles from
New York.
New York.
▲The Place was packed on 4/30/04 -- the first night of the 35th season. The weather was
perfect, and so was the food. Your humble webmaster slurped five dozen "special" clams,
plus half a lobster, six ears of corn and six shrimp... and washed them down with a Carvel
Thick Shake from across the street. YUM!
perfect, and so was the food. Your humble webmaster slurped five dozen "special" clams,
plus half a lobster, six ears of corn and six shrimp... and washed them down with a Carvel
Thick Shake from across the street. YUM!
◄Clams cook on wire
grids supported on steel
rails over hardwood fire.
When the shells open up,
the special sauce goes
on, and the clams go
back on the fire for a few
more minutes.
If you're a wimp, you can
skip the sauce, and save
a dime a dozen.
grids supported on steel
rails over hardwood fire.
When the shells open up,
the special sauce goes
on, and the clams go
back on the fire for a few
more minutes.
If you're a wimp, you can
skip the sauce, and save
a dime a dozen.
◄If your kids don't like
clams as much as these
two do, you can bring in
burgers or McNuggets
from nearby McDonalds.
Allison (left) slurped down
26 specials.
Younger sister Michelle
didn't finish her first
dozen, but did beat Ali in
corn: four ears to two.
clams as much as these
two do, you can bring in
burgers or McNuggets
from nearby McDonalds.
Allison (left) slurped down
26 specials.
Younger sister Michelle
didn't finish her first
dozen, but did beat Ali in
corn: four ears to two.
◄Three Generations of
clam fans. From left,
Helen Smith Knowles
(deceased mother of
present owners), Barbara
Knowles Jacobsen (sister
of present owners and
first waitress for original
owner Whitey Miller),
Vanessa Knowles
(daughter of co-owner
Vaughn Knowles.)
Barbara and brothers are
all teachers, but the men
left the classroom to
concentrate on clams.
clam fans. From left,
Helen Smith Knowles
(deceased mother of
present owners), Barbara
Knowles Jacobsen (sister
of present owners and
first waitress for original
owner Whitey Miller),
Vanessa Knowles
(daughter of co-owner
Vaughn Knowles.)
Barbara and brothers are
all teachers, but the men
left the classroom to
concentrate on clams.
◄Vaughn Knowles and
Noah Gourlie cook clams
and corn on grids over the
hardwood fire.
The big pots are used for
lobster. You can order yours
boiled or roasted.
Noah Gourlie cook clams
and corn on grids over the
hardwood fire.
The big pots are used for
lobster. You can order yours
boiled or roasted.
▲Clams stay on the fire until the heat causes the shells to open. Lobsters
and shrimp are roasted in foil. Corn gets cooked in their husks, on top
rack. If you're a professional eater who wants a BIG MEAL, without food
getting cold before you can devour it, ask your server to schedule
deliveries to your table. Figure about 10 minutes to eat two dozen clams
and an ear or two of corn. Newcomers, fancy folks and amateurs eat the
clams with forks. Pros prefer to slurp from the shell.
and shrimp are roasted in foil. Corn gets cooked in their husks, on top
rack. If you're a professional eater who wants a BIG MEAL, without food
getting cold before you can devour it, ask your server to schedule
deliveries to your table. Figure about 10 minutes to eat two dozen clams
and an ear or two of corn. Newcomers, fancy folks and amateurs eat the
clams with forks. Pros prefer to slurp from the shell.
▲Regular customers and special
visitors are honored with personalized
tree trunk chunks to sit on.
visitors are honored with personalized
tree trunk chunks to sit on.
▲Once you taste corn roasted in the
husk, it will be tough going back to
corn from the can.
husk, it will be tough going back to
corn from the can.
▲It's gonna get messy! The Place is not the place for fancy clothes. The
corn has LOTS of butter. Leave the prom gown and tuxedo at home.
Lobster bibs and foul weather gear are more appropriate attire. Corn gets
eaten like a giant lollypop, with the peeled-back husk serving as a handle.
corn has LOTS of butter. Leave the prom gown and tuxedo at home.
Lobster bibs and foul weather gear are more appropriate attire. Corn gets
eaten like a giant lollypop, with the peeled-back husk serving as a handle.
▲Before the place became THE
PLACE, original owner Whitey said he
cooked the food on "iron wood."
Present owners Vaughn and Gary
Knowles worked summers for Whitey,
and now admit to using oak and poplar
instead of iron.
PLACE, original owner Whitey said he
cooked the food on "iron wood."
Present owners Vaughn and Gary
Knowles worked summers for Whitey,
and now admit to using oak and poplar
instead of iron.
If you're fancy, bring a tablecloth, linens, china, silverware, wine, maid and
butler -- whatever makes you happy. If you're less fancy, it's OK to dump
the clamshells on the ground and stomp on them.
butler -- whatever makes you happy. If you're less fancy, it's OK to dump
the clamshells on the ground and stomp on them.
▲This is Gary Knowles preparing
clams for the fire. He knocks two
together, and can hear when a clam is
dead or a shell is filled with mud.
Clams are not rinsed before cooking,
but I've never found a speck of sand in
thousands of The Place's clams. At
home, I rinse, soak and rinse, and still
find sand. Apparently, I don't have the
magic.
clams for the fire. He knocks two
together, and can hear when a clam is
dead or a shell is filled with mud.
Clams are not rinsed before cooking,
but I've never found a speck of sand in
thousands of The Place's clams. At
home, I rinse, soak and rinse, and still
find sand. Apparently, I don't have the
magic.
▲Tree stump chunks can be hard
on the hiney. To be kind to your
behind when you put your rump on
the stump, bring a seat cushion.
Color coordination is nice.
on the hiney. To be kind to your
behind when you put your rump on
the stump, bring a seat cushion.
Color coordination is nice.
▲The wooden fork is the sign of
an amateur. Professional eaters
slurp their clams right from the
shells. WARNING: let them cool off
for a minute or two.
an amateur. Professional eaters
slurp their clams right from the
shells. WARNING: let them cool off
for a minute or two.
◄Waitress Vanessa Knowles is much
more polite, and a lot prettier, than
Whitey was. She's the daughter of one
of the present owners, and niece of
Whitey's first waitress, Barbara
Knowles.
Aunt Barbara was brought to tears
when Whitey fired her for not making a
pot of water hot enough. He later went
to her house and asked her to come
back, saying he had scolded her
publicly so customers would be
sympathetic and give her bigger tips.
One regular customer used to tip $1
for a 25-cent ear of corn. Corn costs
close to $2 now. It's worth it.
more polite, and a lot prettier, than
Whitey was. She's the daughter of one
of the present owners, and niece of
Whitey's first waitress, Barbara
Knowles.
Aunt Barbara was brought to tears
when Whitey fired her for not making a
pot of water hot enough. He later went
to her house and asked her to come
back, saying he had scolded her
publicly so customers would be
sympathetic and give her bigger tips.
One regular customer used to tip $1
for a 25-cent ear of corn. Corn costs
close to $2 now. It's worth it.
◄Here's the 2003
menu, shrouded in
smoke from the fire
pit. Prices seem to
go up a few cents
each year.
There's sometimes
variation from day to
day, too, depending
on local market
conditions.
Whatever you order,
it will be fresh and
delicious.
You're welcome to
supplement the
menu. It's OK to
bring in adult
beverages, salads,
birthday cakes,
anything.
The menu has
grown over the
years, but don't
expect to find hot
dogs or burgers.
menu, shrouded in
smoke from the fire
pit. Prices seem to
go up a few cents
each year.
There's sometimes
variation from day to
day, too, depending
on local market
conditions.
Whatever you order,
it will be fresh and
delicious.
You're welcome to
supplement the
menu. It's OK to
bring in adult
beverages, salads,
birthday cakes,
anything.
The menu has
grown over the
years, but don't
expect to find hot
dogs or burgers.
▲Everything tastes better when
cooked on an open fire. Here's
Vaughn Knowles overseeing
chicken and shrimp.
cooked on an open fire. Here's
Vaughn Knowles overseeing
chicken and shrimp.
▲Working at the saucing station.
The shells open from the heat,
then the top halves get torn off,
the secret sauce gets squirted on,
and then the clams go back on the
fire to blend the sauce with the
clam juice. BE CAREFUL:
sometimes the heat makes the
shells brittle.
The shells open from the heat,
then the top halves get torn off,
the secret sauce gets squirted on,
and then the clams go back on the
fire to blend the sauce with the
clam juice. BE CAREFUL:
sometimes the heat makes the
shells brittle.
If your kids are picky eaters, you can bring in food from a nearby McDonald's
or pizza place. Well-behaved pets are welcome, too. You can pay with cash or
check, or change plastic to paper at a nearby ATM.
or pizza place. Well-behaved pets are welcome, too. You can pay with cash or
check, or change plastic to paper at a nearby ATM.
▲Put your rump on a stump
WeLoveClams.com Michael N. Marcus, Clam Master
| My favorite non-fried clams are the "specials" served at The Place.in Guilford, CT. I discovered The Place in the early 1960s, when it was known as "Whitey's," and run by Whitey, a Popeye look-alike. Whitey was really Harold Alonzo Miller, and he put up a sign that said, "There's no place, anything like this place, anywhere near this place, so this must be the place." After Whitey sold the place, the place was re-named, "The Place." The center of activity is a huge wood-burning fire surrounded by a cinderblock and brick wall about 4' high. Wire mesh baskets and grids are suspended over the fire, and hold your clams, lobster, shrimp, fish, steak, chicken or corn for cooking. When your clams are done, the grid is brought to your table -- a round or oval piece of red plywood mounted on a thick piece of tree trunk -- and you eat. In the old days, when Whitey was at the helm, he'd deliver your clams, wearing enormous fireproof gloves, with a stern warning, "Don't you ever touch that wire. It's HOT." Cooking and eating are outdoors, so don't bother going in a rainstorm. I once called in early December to see if they were open. I was surprised and thrilled when they said "yes." When I got there, they were selling Christmas trees, not clams. Fooey! The food is magnificent. First-timers may start with a dozen littleneck clams, but professionals like your humble webmaster order three dozen to start with and can easily scarf down five or six dozen. My personal best was 10 dozen.(2004 UPDATE: I did 12 dozen!) Figure on an ear of corn for each 12 clams. (NOTE: despite their great taste, you probably won't want to eat more than six ears at one time.) Get some lobsters and shrimp and maybe some chicken and fish and steak. Let everyone at the table share each dish, dress to get messy, and have a good time. Four enthusiastic eaters could easily spend $100 or more. You can pay with cash or a check. Credit cards are not accepted. Soda, shirts and souvenir hats are available, but adult beverages are not. It's OK to BYO beer or wine. © Popeye picture might be copyrighted by King Features Syndicate, Inc |
