OT - Best Fried Seafood in CT | The Boneyard

OT - Best Fried Seafood in CT

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End of May heading to CT and we were looking forward to revisiting Dinos. Seems they've gone downhill.
So what can people recommend? Thanks in advance.
 
August_West said:
Fish Tale. Madison/Westbrook/New Haven. King of the region for good reason.
Clam Castle Madison
Johnny Ad's - Saybrook

For Gluttony the Seafood Platter at Bills Seafood
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Nailed it. Agree on all, and have a slight preference for Johnny Ad's and Clam Castle.

Only thing I would add is that I have heard mixed reviews of late re the Fish Tale in New Haven.
 
August_West said:
Fish Tale. Madison/Westbrook/New Haven. King of the region for good reason.
Clam Castle Madison
Johnny Ad's - Saybrook

For Gluttony the Seafood Platter at Bills Seafood
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I knew Lenny and Joe growing up. Sadly Mrs. Fleud and I didn't care for the taste of the fried food at Fish Tale. Maybe if we put ketchup on it?

Anyways based on the recommendations of you and @8893 in the dog thread I think we'll try Clam Castle or Johnny Ad's.

Anything in the Southington area?
 
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8893 said:
Nailed it. Agree on all, and have a slight preference for Johnny Ad's and Clam Castle.

Only thing I would add is that I have heard mixed reviews of late re the Fish Tale in New Haven.
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Only went to New Haven once right when they opened. And I actually like the counter service Madison one better than the Sit down Westbrook one. They move such vast amounts of stuff through there daily its always fresh as .
 
fleudslipcon said:
I knew Lenny and Joe growing up. Sadly Mrs. Fleud and I didn't care for the taste of the fried food at Fish Tale. Maybe if we put ketchup on it?

Anyways based on the recommendations of you and @8893 in the dog thread I think we'll try Clam Castle or Johnny Ad's.

Anything in the Southington area?
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Maybe the peanut oil?
 
August_West said:
Only went to New Haven once right when they opened. And I actually like the counter service Madison one better than the Sit down Westbrook one. They move such vast amounts of stuff through there daily its always fresh as .
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We also prefer the Madison one to the others. Eating outdoors with the BYOB rules, and even though only our youngest might still be interested in the carousel, I still like that it's there. Always a great scene. I always make a note to listen for the numbers they are calling when I'm leaving and compare to the number we had. It is amazing how much food they move there.
 
Sand Castle in East Haven is pretty good.

My favorite was Cap'n Nick's originally in Branford then East Haven (other than Jimmy's of Savin Rock, which died when it franchised). Cap'N Nicks resurfaced as Dockside in Branford for a while.

Not a fan of Clam Castle that existed for decades while I worked in Madison. Very different. Haven't tried the new one yet. Which one you reviewing 8893?
 
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David 76 said:
Not a fan of Clam Castle that existed for decades while I worked in Madison. Very different. Haven't tried the new one yet. Which one you reviewing 8893?
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The new one only. Actually never went there prior to Donahue's buying it. They have done a very good job there imo. One of very few places where our whole family is happy, given the breadth of their menu (some very good daily specials, too). Also very reasonably priced imo.
 
8893 said:
We also prefer the Madison one to the others. Eating outdoors with the BYOB rules, and even though only our youngest might still be interested in the carousel, I still like that it's there. Always a great scene. I always make a note to listen for the numbers they are calling when I'm leaving and compare to the number we had. It is amazing how much food they move there.
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The owners of both Lenny & Joe's do a lot of good. For example, all those carousel dollars go to different community groups. They were good to us.
 
fleudslipcon said:
End of May heading to CT and we were looking forward to revisiting Dinos. Seems they've gone downhill.
So what can people recommend? Thanks in advance.
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DINOS IS THE BEST..CHANGED BATTER FOR A FEW MONTHS BUT THEN WENT BACK..GREAT SCALLOPS!!
 
nomar said:
It's been a LONG time, but when I was a kid, Jimmies of Savin Rock was the be-all, end-all. My guess is that the nostalgia is better than the taste.
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DOWN HILL!!
 
8893 said:
The new one only. Actually never went there prior to Donahue's buying it. They have done a very good job there imo. One of very few places where our whole family is happy, given the breadth of their menu (some very good daily specials, too). Also very reasonably priced imo.
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My faith is restored!
 
8893 said:
We also prefer the Madison one to the others. Eating outdoors with the BYOB rules, and even though only our youngest might still be interested in the carousel, I still like that it's there. Always a great scene. I always make a note to listen for the numbers they are calling when I'm leaving and compare to the number we had. It is amazing how much food they move there.
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My daugther lived on that Carousel in her formative years (at that time we lived down the street right over Clinton line) during the summer we would be there 5 times a week at her request. Many times not even to eat. Just some carousel rides and maybe an ice cream. That ride taught her patience. Being an only child she initially threw fits when she wasnt the one grabbing the ring. She learned a life lesson quickly. Thanks Fish Tale!

Westbrook has some decent dishes you cant get Madison. For example I love the Scampi casserole they do in Westbrook. They broil shrimp with crumbled ritz crackers a metric ton of butter and garlic. Its awesome. Sometimes they have a lobster scampi mix that is incredible as well. But for fried, yeah, madison. (not that westbrooks is really any different, its not, its just a change of pace since Im always eating fried in Madison)
 
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nomar said:
It's been a LONG time, but when I was a kid, Jimmies of Savin Rock was the be-all, end-all. My guess is that the nostalgia is better than the taste.
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I live in the New Haven area and went to both Jimmies and Lenny & Joe's last summer, which were both pretty good. I went to Jimmies all the time as a little kid, so the nostalgia factor is obviously there
 
ARIDE said:
DINOS IS THE BEST..CHANGED BATTER FOR A FEW MONTHS BUT THEN WENT BACK..GREAT SCALLOPS!!
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That's good to hear! When's the last time you ate there?
Anyone else been there recently.
 
nomar said:
It's been a LONG time, but when I was a kid, Jimmies of Savin Rock was the be-all, end-all. My guess is that the nostalgia is better than the taste.
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Those were the days. Savin Rock, withJimmies and Phyllis's restaurants. People had loyalty to one or the other. Jimmies was king of the hot dogs for me bar none!! As someone mentioned in the hot dog thread the hot dog guy at the outside counter was incredible. I loved watching him cut up groups of hotdogs and shift them on the hot plate, load them on the buns, add up the order and take money. He was the Seph Curry of hot dog vending.

I was a lousy eater growing up. My two exotic foods initially were chow mien and hot dogs. That started to change and I developed a taste for fried whole belly clams. Ended up liking Phyllis's clams better but the family preferred Jimmy's so we rarely ate at Phyllis's.

Speaking of chow mien can the foodies on this site direct me to a good Chinese restaurant in CT.
 
fleudslipcon said:
Those were the days. Savin Rock, withJimmies and Phyllis's restaurants. People had loyalty to one or the other. Jimmies was king of the hot dogs for me bar none!! As someone mentioned in the hot dog thread the hot dog guy at the outside counter was incredible. I loved watching him cut up groups of hotdogs and shift them on the hot plate, load them on the buns, add up the order and take money. He was the Seph Curry of hot dog vending.

I was a lousy eater growing up. My two exotic foods initially were chow mien and hot dogs. That started to change and I developed a taste for fried whole belly clams. Ended up liking Phyllis's clams better but the family preferred Jimmy's so we rarely ate at Phyllis's.

Speaking of chow mien can the foodies on this site direct me to a good Chinese restaurant in CT.
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I was always a fried shrimp guy as a kid. Still my favorite, even after I got into clams and oysters.

Also, the lobster rolls. Growing up, I had no idea that for a lot of (most?) people, lobster rolls involve mayo rather than butter!

There was a Jimmies in a mall parking lot -- I can't remember where, maybe Hamden -- that my grandfather and I went to a couple times. Food was fine but it just wasn't the same thing as going to the boardwalk.
 
nomar said:
I was always a fried shrimp guy as a kid. Still my favorite, even after I got into clams and oysters.

Also, the lobster rolls. Growing up, I had no idea that for a lot of (most?) people, lobster rolls involve mayo rather than butter!

There was a Jimmies in a mall parking lot -- I can't remember where, maybe Hamden -- that my grandfather and I went to a couple times. Food was fine but it just wasn't the same thing as going to the boardwalk.
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Forgot about those lobster rolls. When I read what you wrote I actually experienced tasting them again. They were my favorites. Why did I forget them. Because when I started to like them was when I hit that teenage growth phase and I had a voluminous appetite. We didn't have a lot of discretionary income to spend going out. I could easily have eaten five or six of those lobster rolls, and after eating one it was a matter of feeling deprived vs. enjoying the one I ate so the money was plunked on hot dogs.

Best dang lobster rolls ever. The butter is still melting in my mouth dang you.

And the satellite Jimmies was horrible.
 
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Only 1 answer to this question:

Maine Fish Market in Windsor Locks
 
fleudslipcon said:
I could easily have eaten five or six of those lobster rolls, and after eating one it was a matter of feeling deprived vs. enjoying the one I ate so the money was plunked on hot dogs.
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That's always the case with lobster rolls (well, maybe not five or six, but at least a few). That's why I love having the excellent sausage and peppers at Lobster Landing as a follow-up. My youngest daughter (the only one who likes lobster, thank God) and I are usually the ones eating there, and our standard order is a lobster roll each, and one sausage and peppers to split. Perfect.

As for the fried seafood of choice, for me it's scallops 90% of the time. Fried fish sandwich the other 10%. Not big on the clams, and I save the fried shrimp and fried oysters for my semi-annual New Orleans trips.
 
8893 said:
That's always the case with lobster rolls (well, maybe not five or six, but at least a few). That's why I love having the excellent sausage and peppers at Lobster Landing as a follow-up. My youngest daughter (the only one who likes lobster, thank God) and I are usually the ones eating there, and our standard order is a lobster roll each, and one sausage and peppers to split. Perfect.
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You're a better man than I was a teenager Gunga Din!
Yeah I would order the lobster roll and 3 or 4 dogs (my parents and heavy friend hated me) but eating the dogs as fillers just didn't do it. And I loved the dogs. I finally settled on eating 3 0r 4 dogs and finishing it with the lobster roll but ultimately I gave up the roll. Just too much pain in knowing what I couldn't have.
So how are the Lobster Landing lobster rolls prepared? I can't eat four or five of them but am salivating at the prospect of eating two of them if they come close to those Jimmy rolls.
 
Anyone know if they will ever rebuild the Dock & Dine in Old Saybrook? There are places with better food but that was a sublime place to sit and enjoy dinner.
 
I just love the carousel at Fish Tale. Re-enacting the buffalo scene from Dancing with Wolves is really fun. If only people didn't keep yelling for me to get off. Ruins my moment. F'em.

2 months til soft shell crabs!
 
Dove said:
I just love the carousel at Fish Tale. Re-enacting the buffalo scene from Dancing with Wolves is really fun. If only people didn't keep yelling for me to get off. Ruins my moment. F'em.

2 months til soft shell crabs!
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Love soft shell crab. That's the other thing Bills excels at. I love bringing land lubbers there and the seeing the look on their face when a crab on a hamburger bun with its legs sticking out the sides makes its appearance.
 
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