Westfair Fish & Chips

Posted By Michael Stern on December 24, 2004 3:52 PM

Westfair Fish & Chips is an unlikely eatery set back from Route One in otherwise posh Westport. Operating in the good old-fashioned eat-in-the-rough manner, it is little more than a kitchen with an order window and a few tables scattered about to which customers tote there own food on cardboard plates. There are picnic-style accommodations outside for good weather dining.

One prominent feature of the interior is a lobster tank; and many customers come here to buy them whole for cooking at home. "Hot lobster roll" heads the blackboard menu, and if we hadn't been jonesing for fried clams, we definitely would have tried it. Next time, for sure.

We were not at all unhappy to have an all-fried meal: clams with crusty golden cases and shrimp that were snapping fresh inside their crunch. We only regret not having ordered onion rings (75 cents extra).

Frying is the specialty of the house, and you can get whole clams, clam strips, sole, scallops, shrimp, oysters and squid ... accompanied, of course, by French fries (or baked potato or onion rings). Most of the fish are also available broiled; and the menu includes linguine with clam sauce and baked stuffed shrimp. It is important to note that whatever fish you get, you should definitely avail yourself of Westfair tartar sauce. It is bright with lemony zest and a great companion to seafood.

Also on the hit list for our next visit is chowder. Three kinds are available: New England, Manhattan, and Rhode Island. And lobster bisque sounds pretty tempting, too.

Fried Shrimp

Hot Lobster Roll

New England Clam Chowder

Rhode Island Clam Chowder

While Belly Fried Clams

Crab Cake