Connie and Ted's ---- for the fans out there, why's it so great?

I still have no fucking clue why it’s so great.

but everyone seems to love it.

hmmmmmm

Funny you post this thread, I was just in there yesterday.

Felt so LA - Angelyne (sp?) was eating there and so was the lead actor for NCIS New Orleans.

Had a hit/miss meal, with some great highs as well as some misses. I’ll just say the big hit of the day was the clams/mussels dish.

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Fried clams with bellies.

Literally the only place that does them out on the West Coast for some reason?

That’s the only thing I can think of.

If I were to get more philosophical about it, I would say that there is truly no difference between Connie & Ted’s and somewhere like Night + Market, or Cassia. It’s a quintessentially LA place in that it effectively takes what would otherwise be seen as/called an “ethnic” cuisine from a different area than California, ports the cuisine here to serve a wide swath of expats from the region, while amplifying the cuisine with California ingredients, and cooking technique (i.e. “elevating the food”).

It isn’t “obvious” that this is what C&T’s is because most of us are racist pigs in our subconscious or the food media doesn’t portray it that way since it’s New England cuisine, something White people eat, so it doesn’t get thrown in with the usual mix.

But that seems to me to be a large part of why it is considered so awesome.

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Really interesting assessment. I spent summers in New England as a kid and yes, the place brings me back. Love, love, love the fried clams w/bellies. Reminds of how they’re done at the Bite on MV.

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Are fried clams w/ bellies $23 an order in NE?

I’m definitely thinking I should’ve ordered these instead of the NE breakfast sandwich I got.

Yeah, that is about what I remember paying for them a couple years back out in NE, maybe a couple bucks less.

Just had fried clams - ostensibly with bellies (that’s what they told me) at Catch and Release. They were terrible and no bellies that I could discern.

To me, their hot lobster roll is perfect. I crave that thing weekly. I’ve never been to New England so I can’t compare authenticity and stuff, but I just love it. And for a seafood place, their burger is damn good. I love the clam chowder, too, even if it’s a little thinner than I prefer. Also a big fan of the fried clams with bellies like others here. Maybe I’m just an easily pleased simpleton, but it’s definitely one of my favorite restaurants in LA.

Agree. I’ve seen Danny DeVito and Rhea Perlman there a couple of times.

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Trying to remember the size of the order of clams at Connie and Ted’s but yeah, that sounds about right. The place I referenced on Martha’s Vineyard has some of the best fried seafood I’ve had but it’s really, really expensive considering it’s little more than a wooden shack with counter service and a couple of picnic tables.

Guess I need to go back to C&T then - $23 cheaper than flying =X

$4 Belon’s from ME too; I thought Belon’s were a French thing? Or have they figured out how to raise Belons elsewhere?

Here’s the menu of the place I referenced. C&T’s is a bargain in comparison but it lacks the multi-million dollar view of Menemsha Bight.

Wish I saw that before going to C&T yesterday; would’ve helped with perspective. a lot.

Hey @kevin,

I like Connie & Ted’s not for everything, but of the dishes I like, they do a great job. Examples:

  • Lobster Roll - Just great stuff. I thought it was superior to Lobsta’ Truck (which I like also), Cousins Maine Lobster and Hungry Cat and BP Oysterette.

  • Clam Chowders x 3 - Love their 3 varieties of Clam Chowder (New England style, Manhattan, Rhode Island Clear (which is almost never seen around here). You have to order these larger than Sampler Size to enjoy the bits and pieces in each one, but it’s far less heavy than most versions of Chowder I’ve had around here.

  • Their Wild White Mexican Shrimp is awesome. Grilled, lemon-herb beurre blanc, summer vegetables.

  • Their Santa Barbara Uni (Live) is worth ordering usually; amazing! But this summer has been a bit off (not just there but at a few restaurants around town - I think this summer has been off in general).

  • Fish & Chips - Really enjoy their Fish & Chips as well.

Thanks.

mmmm sampler.

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This is also why I love C&T. They’re all so good!

They said they had bellies? I’ve had the HoJo clam strips there…but never had a claim that they came with bellies? Sounds like a server just trying to impress you with pseudo-knowledge haha

Fish and Chips, Lobster Roll and Onion Rings all good.

Everything else not so much.

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I’ve had clams with the bellies there before and I understand the difference between whole clams w/bellies and strips.

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Interesting. How their clams w/ bellies as good as C&T’s? Better? Worse?

This place close to LAX carries NZ sourced flat oysters, good quality. Wish they were larger though.

http://www.kaigourmet.com/products/shellfish/kiwa-flat-oysters.html