Sacre bleu! Normally, part of the point of Chowdafest is to show off your Boston chops, because only a Bostonian would stand on a broiling-hot City Hall Plaza to eat spoonful after spoonful of boiling hot clam chowder. But yesterday was actually quite pleasant, even on the plaza - which made the annual event more tolerable for wussy tourists, I suppose.

The USS Wasp had the most original clam chowder - made with shrimp - but my vote went to Christopher's out in far-distant Maynard - its chowder was creamy and had plenty of clams, if perhaps just a tad too much bacon.

Pam rates all ten entries, including this dismissal of the Grille at Hobbs Brook:

This chowder was way too thick, almost gluey. There was no clam flavor; all I could taste was potatoes. Very institutional, but not surprising for hotel food.

Clair, meanwhile, notes that City Hall Plaza seems to be falling apart - loose and even missing bricks all over the place:

... It is easy for someone to trip and fall. A matter of fact, I saw some mid-aged woman fall because of the missing bricks. Good thing she was ok. One of the people I was with saw someone else fall and spill his chowder. ...