Anthea Gerrie Gets Down And Dirty With Clam And Lobster Shells At Fabulously Fishy Connie And Ted’s, West Hollywood
Seafood aficionado Connie and her husband Ted were born in olde England, settled in New England and now enjoy a posthumous legacy thousands of miles away in West Hollywood. Which makes Connie and Ted’s, named for the grandparents of chef-patron Michael Cimarusti, an exotic dining choice for California, even though clam chowder is America’s most beloved indigenous soup.
Connie hailed from Bolton, Ted from Peterborough, but by the time they started school they were newly-minted Americans. Married on Connie’s birthday in 1940, the couple lived, fished and cooked their catch for decades in Rhode Island, the tiny New England state which has native lobsters aplenty and its very own eclectic take on chowder.
Although the aim of this huge, buzzy room whose wavy roof has made it an architectural landmark on WeHo’s Santa Monica Boulevard was to recreate the clam shacks and oyster bars dotting the New England shore, culinary ambition has turned it into more of a world seafood emporium. Cimarusti, a Michelin-starred chef who also owns the acclaimed Providence in LA, has added crudos – a complex Californian raw fish response to sashimi – to simpler offerings like the battered cod and chips with tartare sauce of his ancestral homeland, and created a unique ceviche tostada.
For non-pescatarians there are rib-eye steaks, burgers and chicken and for vegetarians burrata or blue-cheese salad, but Connie and Ted’s is really a place for fish lovers.
We kicked off with a three-chowder sampler($15), even though it’s hard to surpass the creamy New England style which is the nation’s favourite. Tomato-based Manhattan chowder, too rarely seen beyond the Big Apple, deserves a west coast outing, and the clear Rhode Island version was a gourmet delight, its clear broth allowing the full, rich clam flavour to shine. Generous cups of a single variety($11) will satisfy those who already know their mind.
Clam lovers could not do better than follow the chowder with a dish of steamers($42) – the fat soft-shell molluscs which traditionally in the US are peeled, dipped in clam broth to “clean” them(these days the broth is served as a flavour-bomb rather than functional accompaniment) followed by a dunk in melted butter.
If it’s hard to choose between those and the fresh lobster flown in from New England twice weekly, come on Saturday to get the New England Boiled Dinner($44) which is that day’s special, the lobster pieces and steamers augmented by mussels, sausage, spuds and corn on the cob. There is, of course, a lobster roll on the menu($42), including a warm version for those who prefer melted butter to the mayo which anoints a traditional cold lobster roll. An included huge portion of beautifully-cooked fries makes either roll a full and satisfying meal.
Drinks always push up the prices at good American restaurants, but here the least expensive wine by the glass – a delightful Mothershucker chardonnay blend from Oregon at $16 a pop – was highly quaffable, and bring your own can alleviate the budget for a corkage fee of $40 per bottle. While some diners balk at paying for bread, it’s not compulsory at Connie and Ted’s but they do offer something special – that puffy, buttery segmented loaf known as Parker house rolls. They actually come free with the Sunday night special of buttermilk fried free-range chicken, a $28 bargain I’ll be going back for on my next trip.
You definitely don’t need dessert, but the downside to our ringside view of the open kitchen was seeing so many delicious choices arrive on the pass, all-American treats like sundaes and devil’s food chocolate cake. We couldn’t resist sharing a slice of authentic key lime pie($13) made with a variety of lime not available outside the Americas, and worth every unnecessary bite.
A sweet ending to the kind of earthily messy fish feast you don’t come across often on the sophisticated streets of southern California, and a reason in its own right to come back to West Hollywood.
Tell Me More About Eating At Connie And Ted’s
Connie And Ted’s 8171 Santa Monica Boulevard West Hollywood, California 90046
T: +1 (323) 848-2722
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