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Hi Ed. I have never been to Celeste or Bianca, but I'm now curious to check them both out. My new favorite cheap Italian/pizzeria is Bella Vita, located right next door to The New York Times. Try it. I think you'll have a new favorite on your list!

Thanks,

Shari

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

Have to agree with Baha... Ken's Place in Scarborough, Maine... natives would refer to it as Pine Point... fried clams are terrific and I never leave the restaurant without a clamcake or two. But some of the very best fried clams I've ever had (and I grew up on the southern coast of Maine) are at a little shack in Wells... The Fisherman's Catch. Orgasmic!!!

Hi

There is a clamshack called Arnolds on the cape near Eastham or Orleans ( located on Route 6 ) that has fanastic fried clams and seafood. It is definatleyt worth a trip. It ranks right up there with Lennys in CT and Kens Place in ME.

Joe's in Park Slope? Really? A painfully average slice of your typical "i'm drunk and need some cheap, greasy food" pizza. How can this possibly be on the list when No. 28 Carmine in the West Village and Lucali's in Carroll Gardens is left off? How dare you?

Makanmata wrote:

"The De Marco kids seem entirely unashamed to serve garbage food, made with little or no care, and served with little or no pride. Unlike every other pizza place in town without a pizza maestro to learn from, these guys have no excuse. They know how to make a quality product, but don't care to bother to do so. There is nothing sadder in this world than unfulfilled potential, and De Marco is the absolute personification of it."

Incredibly and entirely arrogant commentary, even though I would agree that De Marco's makes a sub-par slice. What makes you think that, intrinsically, Dom's kids have the talent to make a pizza anywhere near as good as papa, even if they were trying?

As far as I know, Dom has absolutely nothing to do with this operation whatsoever.

Makanmata further ponticates:

"So, I would suggest that the use of the term “garbage” is not unwarranted vitriol, but if anything, speaks too softly in the face of the threat that the acceptance of mediocrity poses to our food and culture. The loss of quality food is a very real threat to our quality of life, and while some people might not think it worthy of invoking strong words, I simply don’t agree. By maintaining a sense of passion about our food, we have a chance to win the fight against mediocrity, and preserve the precious little food culture we have left here."

Thanks for this bullshit global culinary commentary.