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My wife and I read the July issue of NH magazine, and saw the Best of NH Editors Choice for "Best Clams Inland" - The Dipsy Doodle in Northfield, NH. It's right off exit 19 of Route 93 - Just below Tilton. She loves fried clams and since I spent my summers growing up at the ocean on the North Shore of Massachusetts, I know good fried clams!

The Dipsy Doodle is a real old style Clam Shack / Dairy Bar Restaurant. You can eat inside or outside, we ate outside because it was a nice day and not too warm.

The clams were Ipswich and the coating was good and tasty, but not too thick to overpower the sweetness of the clam itself. We got the plate, meaning it came with French fries and their homemade Cole slaw. For an extra 75 cents each my wife upgraded to sweet potato fries, and I got homemade onion rings - both were really good.

We also noticed on the menu that their lobster rolls could be purchased cold or hot (drizzled with butter). The people sitting at the next table had ordered them and said they were all lobster, no celery or filler.

We didn't try the ice cream cones but I did have a black and white frappe with my meal and it was thick and tasty.

All in all we would say the Dipsy Doodle was a hit with our family and since it's only a half hour from where we live, I'm sure we will return.

Jeff

Plymouth, NH

Ate at The Bite in Menemsha today and would now put them at the top of my life's list of good fried clams.

Agreed that there isn;t enough salt in most clam flour, but The Bite's seemed just right. Perfecto in fact.

Thanks for the tips. I live in Colorado and there is no where to find anything close to a fried belly clam. I grew up near Saybrook, CT and we always went to J. Ad's for clams.

I'm in Boston next week on a biz trip. Last time there, I was disappointed. Between the airport and Chelmsford (where I have to stay) is there any chance of great fried clams and/or steamers?

Hi Ed!

Thanks for the Christie's reccomendation, I documented my visit on Off The Broiler:

http://tinyurl.com/efjju

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Make sure if you get a chance, to head up to Dover, NH to Newicks. This is a family run restaurants with a few outposts in NH. This particular restaurant is about 1 hour north of boston, and SOOOO worth the visit from the fried platter or delicious lobster and steamers. It is a real friendly place on a beautiful little cove. I visit this place 3 or 4 times a year from Boston.

Hey Ed, if you are comping to Boston and want a few restaurant suggestions- just let me know-jeff

Ken's Place in Scarborough, Maine. Been there for over four decades, serving the best puffs of crunchy sweet salinity you've ever had. The clam bellies are coated with your choice of batter or crumbs (of course, batter is the way to go). They also do an excellent classic lobster roll. Added bonus--it looks like (well, to me, anyway) a drive-in worthy of "Happy Days."