Amazingly, I read about Sea Swirl in Mystic Connecticut on the Roadfood site just days before I would be in that neck of the woods this summer.
True to Michael Stern's words, I had the best fried clams of my life there. I lived in Maine for nearly twenty years, so that's saying a lot! The clam bellies were light and sweet, the fries and cole slaw just fine. True to the location's legacy as a Carvel stand, they also sell soft-serve ice cream, so a complete dinner can be had there.
