photo/Figgy DiBenedetto
Clam Bar
199 West Commerial St., Portland
805-1763
clambarportland.com
Going to the Old Port between May and September always reminds me of the ’80s arcade game Frogger. By the time I get back to the West End I have to remind myself that I too was once a tourist here, tourism is good for our economy (mostly), and I should embrace the celebration of our city. Doggone it, people like us!
But, yah — no, I hate it. I know I’m running the risk of sounding like an actual 50-year-old, but the crowds drive me bananas. I’d be perfectly fine never leaving the West End all summer. Yet when the family from Missouri is in town, they want the quintessential Maine fried foods, which until recently meant either a harrowing walk or an extra 30 minutes to find parking. Wah.
Well, the Grease Gods have since answered my prayers with Clam Bar, and they’ve granted us mortals free parking too!
Clam Bar graces the (less graceful) western end of Commercial Street, out where they repair yachts and vets. Its shacky-chic look was created by owner Garrett FitzGerald in collabaration with local architect Chelsea Lipham, Woolwich-based sustainable construction firm OpBox, and SKG Designs. Add some raised flower beds, yellow umbrellas and brightly painted tables and you’ve got yourself a vibrant roadside attraction overlooking the Fore River as it enters Portland Harbor.
The foodie-forward menu features items like tuna tostadas with crema, pickled jalapeño sauce and seaweed salad ($15), clam rangoons ($12) with a sweet-and-spicy Thai chili sauce, crab cakes with roasted red pepper sauce ($22), and Jalisco steamed clams ($24) with braised brisket, peppers and onions in a beef broth. Clam Bar also has classics like fish and chips ($22) with local hake, a smash burger ($17), and Maine red-snapper hotdogs ($11 with fries, $16 for two), but the dogs are classed up with crema, cotija, and spicy ketchup and peppers.
The whole-belly clams ($22) and those in the clam roll ($20) are fried to juicy perfection and, like all their fried stuff, gluten-free! You can also get them steamed New England–style with white wine and toast points, or in the brothy chowder ($9) with bacon, fennel and a “giant” crouton. Hello, Summer in Maine, I see you — and you’re so affordable!
Clam Bar has a beer garden serving over a dozen craft (and cheap) selections, including two non-alcoholic options. There are short but well curated cocktail/mocktail and wine lists.
The only addition I would make to the menu is something sweet, but they do have Moose. Not mousse, Moose, a towering, bearded, pirate-y fella who greets outta-towners, locals and their four-legged friends with pure New England charm. Your uncle and aunt from Minnesota will be telling their friends about Moose and the Clam Bar for years to come.
Clam Bar is open daily, rain or shine, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
