Best of Boston

2004 Best Chowder, Clam

Turner Fisheries

Chowder, that most traditional of New England foods, could never be invented today. Leaving aside the Manhattanite abomination, a good chowder, with its base of salt pork and heavy cream, is a test of will to modern-day dieters. Turner Fisheries serves the most testing chowder of all. The broth is aromatic and fluid, not gagged with flour. Instead, it’s dense with clams that taste freshly shucked and even sport the odd peppering of sand, while the seasoning is delicate enough to let the flavor of the shellfish come through. This is soup for a New Englander’s soul.

10 Huntington Ave., Boston, 617-424-7425, turnersboston.com