Inside The Clam, A Charming New West Village Seafood Eatery
Jan. 27, 2014, 3 p.m.
Taste the briny bivalves in a spicy sauce over pasta, fried in a sandwich or simply steamed in a fragrant broth.
There are other sea creatures on the menu at The Clam, a charming new neighborhood eatery in the West Village, but it's the tiny jewels inside the shells that are the star of the show. Helmed by the guys behind Little Owl and Market Table, the new eatery shares the similar casual elegance as its sisters, with 50 seats tucked beneath arched mother-of-pearl ceilings and a few seats overlooking the raw bar.
There are raw Littlenecks on ice, naturally, as well as oysters, king crab and a refreshing shrimp campechana with avocado and tortilla chips. Chef and owner Mike Price offers clams in multiple preparations, including over spaghetti with a spicy red sauce, fried in sandwiches with a lobster remoulade and simply steamed with juicy bread. If you're not down with molluscs, try out the spicy jumbo lump crab cakes or a half Bell & Evans chicken roasted with mushrooms and radishes.
The cocktail list aims to complement the briny bivalves, including a tequila-based Dark & Stormy and a winter Old Fashioned with muddled kumquats. They've got some wines on tap as well, with a special section devoted to vintages from Islands like Sardinia and the Canaries.
420 Hudson Street, (212) 242-7420; theclamnyc.com
