Returning to The Original Clam Tavern

A bonus sidebar on my most recent burger can be found at the bottom of this post.

---

While I may have included a few photos from The Original Clam Tavern of Clifton Heights, Pennsylvania, in a past composite post, I’ve never devoted an entire post to them. Of all the restaurants in that part of Delaware County, none deserves one more than they do. 

They’ve been serving up seafood and beverages of choice on the same mostly residential block for over 60 years. But their notoriety goes beyond the neighborhood. The Clam Tavern is one of relatively few remaining old-school shellfish houses in a region that used to be full of them.

When I was a kid and well into my twenties, there was a restaurant called Captain Chet’s Blue Point in Northeast Philly that was a big favorite of mine. The Original Clam Tavern is as close as I can get to that type of place now, albeit without the hard-shell crabs that were the Captain’s specialty. 

My wife and I headed there to eat Friday for the first time in a few years and were joined by three friends and former colleagues – Brenda, Sue and Ted.

Diners must walk past the tight bar to get to the dining area, which stretches over a couple different rooms on two floors. The place really has the look of a mid-20th century seafood house, with lots of wood paneled walls covered with fish and other appropriately themed items. 

The menu is mostly seafood, but there are options for landlubbers as well. In the handful of times I’ve eaten there, I’m not sure I’ve ever ordered an entree or sandwich, instead always opting for several appetizers. Friday was no exception.

Two of the three items I ordered this time around featured clams. I always get at least one such dish, figuring they probably chose their name for a good reason. In addition to my usual favorite, Clams Casino, I also ordered the house specialty, baked clams. 

The last couple times I ordered Clams Casino – at other restaurants – it was disappointing. Not surprisingly, the Clam Tavern broke that streak with their excellent take on an old standard. They were moist and flavorful.

We also shared an order of fried calamari with marinara for dipping. This was another winner.

As always, the baked clams arrived on a metal tray that is perfectly designed for its purpose. They lacked the breading of the Clams Casino, making them lighter – a good thing given that there were a full dozen and nobody else at the table was interested in helping me eat them. 

As good as they were, I still thought the Clams Casino packed more flavor. 

Nobody else ordered clams, but Brenda easily polished off a dozen raw oysters. We both love shellfish, but I prefer it cooked, while she goes for uncooked.

To round out the first course dishes, Sue opted for a beet salad.

As previously alluded to, my next dish was also from the menu’s appetizer section. I’ve ordered mussels in red or white sauce just about every time I’ve been to the Clam Tavern. Red was the choice this time.

I had stockpiled several pieces of bread for dipping in the mussel sauce and was surprised when they arrived with two pieces of toasted bread, something I don’t recall being the case during past visits. It wasn’t a problem. 

The mussels were a nice medium size – the way I like them – while the sauce was as flavorful as anticipated. 

Ted ordered a crab cake sandwich, which looked very good for a crab cake made outside of Maryland. He indicated his pleasure with it as well. 

Brenda also skipped a traditional entree and opted for a bowl of New England style clam chowder and a Caesar Salad.

Sue chose fish and chips, one of the night’s specials. She mentioned that it was made with Cod and that it was good. 

To close out the second course dishes, my wife ordered a Chicken Parmesan sandwich.

It was great to get back to The Original Clam Tavern and confirm that they are still one of my favorite seafood and Delaware County restaurants. I doubt I’ll wait as long for my next return visit. 

---

I’ve already written about the cheesesteak at The Rook in the Manayunk section of Philadelphia a couple times. It didn’t live up to my expectations, but I still liked their menu and atmosphere and vowed to return to try an “O” Double burger. It finally happened Saturday for lunch.

The reason this particular burger stuck out to me is that it is a smash burger – my favorite style of burger – that comes topped just the way I like it, with cheese, mustard, ketchup, onions and pickles – which also happens to be the way they top them at McDonald’s. 

Given the burger’s name, I expected a standard double cheeseburger. I should have read the menu description more closely.

As indicated in the above photo, I received two single burgers rather than a pair of patties on one bun. 

It’s tough to say whether I’d have preferred it as a double. The patties were probably quarter-pounders, at least before losing some of their fat-weight during the cooking process. I typically don’t like patties bigger than that when having a double, but it’s on the edge of being too small for a single. 

Regardless, the meat had a nice flavor and the cheese added to it texturally. The toppings were well proportioned and the seeded bun was from Sarcone’s, one of the area’s top bread bakeries that is better known for their steak and hoagie rolls. 

The Rook is a short ride from where my mother and stepfather live and has a menu with enough variety to satisfy most people. I see myself returning. Perhaps I’ll ask if they can make an ‘O’ Double as an actual double next time for comparison sake.