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Death by Chowder: An Unexpected Undertaking

By: Alexander Wheeler

Features Editor

And

Courtney Carr
Staff Writer

 

The 17th Annual Chowderfest took place this past Saturday in Saratoga Springs. The event featured over 80 different chowders for event goers to sample and then vote for a winner. Cups of chowder were sold for $1 sample sizes (3oz) and ranged from pulled pork options to classics like corn based soups. The event lasted for five hours which was just enough time in the 13 degree weather.

One of the most eccentric parts about Chowderfest was the seventh annual “Dog Chow Down” competition. The premise behind this idea was that the mayor of Saratoga Springs, Joanne Yepsen, brought her dog to pick a winner out of four chowders. The dog, Sasha, was allowed to sniff all of the chowders and then was asked to pick her favorite by going to that bowl first. Sasha picked a winner and they went home with a large trophy aptly named The Dog Trophy.

Preparation for the event consisted of ensuring empty stomachs in order to chow down on infinite chowders, eighty-eight to be exact, and even consisted of Courtney questioning whether or not she needed stretchy pants.

We ended up going to ten different participating restaurants turning out different high quality chowders. Among them were some of Saratoga’s best culinary institutes including: Hatties, Gaffney’s, Halfmoon Cellars Winery and the Parting Glass.

Q: What does Chowder mean to you?

Courtney: CHOWDAH. New England.

Alexander: Well, to be exact, chowder is a rich soup that typically contains fish, potatoes, or corn. I’d agree with Courtney that chowder to me typically means New England.

Q: Which chowder was your favorite?

Courtney: My favorite chowder was from Parting Glass because although it was the first chowder we ate it was the one that reminded me the most of a traditional clam chowder.

Alexander: What as so good about that initial chowder was that it included a piece of candied lobster that added a succulent sweetness to the dish. My favorite, however, was Halfmoon Cellars. The chowder was thinner but was cooked with wine in it which added a nice aroma and made for a different chowder experience.

Q: Would you say that Saratoga was crowded?

Courtney: I get anxious in crowded areas. Saratoga was definitely crowded this weekend. Thankfully my love for chowder is greater than my social anxiety.

Alexander: Everywhere we went was insanely packed. There were some places that we didn’t even consider going into because it was so crowded.

Q: What was the most interesting chowder? Did any of them fail to excite?

Courtney: I was super excited to try the buffalo chicken chowder from Dango’s. Upon tasting the red liquid with a chicken wing in it I was greatly dissatisfied.

Alexander: I think that was the most interesting idea available, but it fell flat in execution. The most interesting chowder that I had was the Clam Casino Chowder from Bailey’s Café. I love clams casino and the idea of it being chowder was intriguing to me and Bailey’s soup lived up to the hype.

Q: What are your chowder qualifications?

Courtney: I grew up in Massachusetts and I have a tattoo of the state on my leg so I like to think that I can identify good chowder when I see it.

Alexander: Chowder for me needs to be thick. A lot of the chowders we tried today were just soups attempting to be chowders.

While we were in Saratoga we ran into Brittany O’Hea who was trying chowder for the first time in her life. “For never having chowder before this was certainly an awesome experience,” said O’Hea.

Needless to say, Chowderfest was an interesting time in the Capital District that Alexander and Courtney truly recommend for everyone. It happens every year so mark your calendars folks, bring a bib and bring an empty stomach.

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