The Best _____ I Have Ever Had...Chowder & Bisque Edition

In continuing with my The Best ________ I Have Ever Had, today I choose to discuss chowder first and then bisque.  Or Chowda…depending on where in the world you are at when you say it. 

I love chowder.  Have not met one I didn’t love.  In case you were unaware, I pretty much love all food. 

Even though chowder and bisques are both cream based, the difference is largely based on how one is made.  In terms of chowder, large chunks of the ingredients are left intact.  Chowder was largely considered a dish of the “lower class” probably why I love it so much.  Chowder is basically the same as stew, but it becomes “chowder” because cream is added.

So, the best chowder I have ever had in my life should not come as I surprise when I tell you it came to me in a bread bowl in downtown Boston.  The Union Oyster House, which initially scared me, because I am not a big fan of oysters unless they are fried, but OMG…by far the best Clam Chowder I have ever eaten.  Not too thick, not too thin, arrives at your table sitting in their fresh made sourdough bread bowls…just the right amount of seasoning, with thick giant pieces of clam and potatoes.  And not the kinds of clams that are full of sand either…delicious luscious not too chewy clams.

Sometimes I think the food you eat can be made better or worse depending on “where” you are eating it.  Location, location, location.   I had some major delish clam chowder on the opposite coast in San Clemente, California…but honest to God, this one hands down won my heart and warmed my soul.

Bisque is a type of soup with a rich, thick, creamy even texture which has been pureed.  Traditionally it includes seafood, wine or cognac and cream, along with spices.  Interestingly it is related to consommé which is another very rich soup made through a very long cooking process that concentrates flavors for a more intense taste.

The entire mixture of ingredients used to make Bisque is pureed, including the seafood shells if it is seafood based.  There are many different types of Bisque that are not seafood including squash, spinach, tomato, etc.

So, the best bisque I have ever had in my life comes to you from the Landmark Café in downtown Galesburg, Illinois.   Lobster bisque that is.  They also have spinach bisque which is amazeballs, but the lobster is by far my favorite.  Very rich, very creamy, almost to the point of decadence…It’s one of those dishes that you almost feel guilty eating but you don’t want it to end.  A cup is not enough, a bowl is almost too much…there is no happy medium. 

So, it is now your turn to share your favorite chowder and bisque…and then we can all drool the rest of the day.