NARRAGANSETT, R.I. — As they stood outside Aunt Carrie’s Restaurant, Renee Bessette asked US Senator Sheldon Whitehouse why he had agreed to join the 10th Lil Rhody Clam Clake Crawl.
“A momentary lapse in judgment,” Whitehouse replied with a laugh.
But the Senate Judiciary Committee member grew serious when it came time to judge Rhode Island clam cakes using a rigorous seven-point rubric that includes “clam-to-cake ratio” (does it have a lot of clams?), “clambiance” (as an overall experience, would you go here again?), and “nubbins” (Does it have protrusions, often clams, that can also be used as a handle as you eat?)
“Less on crispy. Smaller. More on tenderosity,” Whitehouse said as he contrasted an Iggy’s clam cake with an Aunt Carrie’s clam cake. “I went with a virtually unnubbined clam cake. But it does seem just from a review of both steps that Aunt Carrie’s gives better nubbins.”
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The Rhode Island Report podcast hit the road as a group of friends known as the “Clamarati” fired up their “Clambourghini” and drove 185 miles over two days, ranking the best clam cakes in greater Rhode Island.
Bessette, a Providence resident, and Riverside residents Joe Mecca and Carol Caulfield Mecca launched their first clam cake crawl in 2014, in part because they were disappointed that calamari was named the official state appetizer. And this year, they were joined by a retinue of friends and relatives.
When asked whether clams or calamari deserve that state appetizer designation, Whitehouse said he had to support former Rhode Island Democratic Party chairman Joseph M. McNamara, who famously stood on Oakland Beach next to a chef holding a plate of calamari to cast votes for “The Calamari Comeback State of Rhode Island” during the virtual 2020 Democratic National Convention.
“I couldn’t walk the Gaspee (Day) Parade with Joe Mac again if I didn’t back him on calamari,” Whitehouse said.
Whitehouse also shared Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s memories of the clam cakes he devoured while working on a re-election campaign for the late Senator Claiborne Pell.
As they went from shack to shack, the Clamarati found that inflation is having an impact on clam cakes. They paid anywhere from $9.99 to $26 for a dozen clam cakes, excluding tax and tip. And Elsie Foy, third generation owner of Aunt Carrie’s, spoke to them about the challenges of finding and retaining workers, and the increased prices for everything, from necessary ingredients and seafood, to packaging and napkins.
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In all, the Clamarati ranked 10 clam shacks. Aunt Carrie’s was not part of the competition because it has already been enshrined in the “Clam Cake Crawl of Fame.”
The crawl is usually a one-day adventure. But as the Clamarati reached the sixth stop on June 22, thunderstorms rolled in, making it likely that other clam shacks would close. So they called it a day, declaring “clamcakus interruptus.”
But undeterred, they finished up the following day and announced the winner at the Narragansett Brewery in Providence later in the week.
“We do this so you don’t have to,” Joe Mecca said. “You’re welcome.”
To find out who won, listen to the podcast. And for a full recap of the adventure, visit the Lil Rhody Clam Cake Crawl blog.
To get the latest episode each week, follow Rhode Island Report podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and other podcasting platforms, or listen in the player above.
Edward Fitzpatrick can be reached at edward.fitzpatrick@globe.com. Follow him @FitzProv.