Happy as clams: The Clam Bake celebrates 24 years of New England seafood in Fort Myers

Ask owner Laurie Thomas, and she'll tell you The Clam Bake is one of the oldest New England-style seafood restaurants in the area, that she and her crew have been serving lobster rolls and Ipswich baskets long before it was trendy.

“We were doing it before it became a thing here,” she said.

In 2005, Laurie and her husband, Mark Thomas, purchased the small restaurant in Island Park Shopping Center in south Fort Myers from Bob and Nancy McDonald, the couple who launched the concept in 1998. Laurie said the McDonalds were adamant about selling their business to someone from New England, someone who would be committed to carrying their culinary torch.

The Thomases have lived up to that commitment, while adding a few of their own personal touches through the years. Mark is a graduate of the prestigious culinary program at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, Rhode Island. He owned a restaurant in nearby West Warwick. That’s where the couple met before deciding to seek refuge from the area’s harsh winters in sunny Southwest Florida. They also decided to bring a taste of home to their new home.

The Clam Bake’s seafood comes in overnight from Ipswich, Massachusetts. Deliveries arrive almost daily during visitor's season in winter and spring. This freshness, the owners say, is key. Especially when it comes to their signature New England clam bake.

“We bring out our five-star linens for it,” Laurie said, laughing, “newspaper.”

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The paper makes cleanup easy, since this giant pot of food can get messy. It contains one Maine lobster, clams, mussels, cod, sausage, corn, potatoes, celery and onion, along with a heap of Atlantic seaweed that “really enhances the flavor,” according to Laurie.

Served with garlic bread and a cup of clam chowder, it’s enough to share. A hungry duo or trio can add an additional lobster and/or crab to the pot for some extra heft.

“When it comes out, the smell just takes over the restaurant. It’s intoxicating,” Laurie said.

Customers from nearby tables are known to leave their seats for a closer look, sometimes snapping photos.

Even with the size of The Clam Bake's clam bake, many diners opt to tack on some famous New England starters such as stuffed quahogs. Here, these massive clams can be filled with simple breadcrumbs or with a touch of chourico, a Portuguese sausage.

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Another popular appetizer: The Clam Bake's hand-cut and breaded onion rings. Cut into thick circles, Mark and his kitchen staff coat the onions in the same style of cornmeal-flour breading that goes on the cod for their famous fish and chips.

Setting this kitchen apart from many others, the onion rings, fish and potatoes each cook in separate fryers.

“My husband is very particular,” Laurie said. “You don’t want to bite into an onion ring or a french fry and have it taste like fish.”

Mark is even known to change out the big bins of oil in the middle of a busy dinner service to keep it fresh and flavorful, while ensuring one fryer always remains gluten-free.

Another of The Clam Bake’s specialties: New England steamers.

“People who know what they are travel from all over to have them here,” Laurie said.

What are they, exactly? Soft-shell clams with the neck and belly intact. Steamers require a little work to get the meat out of the shell. There is a ritual to eating them, and Laurie and her servers will go out of their way to show first-timers how it's properly done.

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In a nod to the Thomas’s roots, Wednesday is Rhode Island Day at The Clam Bake. The chowder this day is clear, full of clams and served with clam cakes — as it is in Rhode Island.

For non-seafood lovers, Laurie brags about the pork tenderloin and chicken wings. “People are astonished by how amazing they are," she said, "plump and juicy.”

Nine years ago, The Clam Bake relocated a few doors down from its original spot in the Island Park Shopping Center, more than doubling its space. The Thomases added a custom-built bar stocked with an array of liquors and cocktails. The Clam Bake's signature drinks include martinis such as the Old Mandarin in the Mountain, a blend of mandarin-flavored vodka and St-Germain elderflower liqueur, and the Boston Cream Pie, which can double as a boozy dessert.

Speaking of dessert, The Clam Bake's traditional Boston Cream Pie is made from scratch, as is the strawberry-rhubarb pie served hot with vanilla ice cream.

The bar gets especially lively during football season. It’s home to the New England Patriots fan club. On game days, Mark is known to cook up specials such as Sloppy Joe sandwiches and more.

When the pandemic shut down dining rooms, these Clam Bake fans turned out in droves. They ordered whole bellies and clam baskets to-go and ate them at their cars, turning the parking lot into a New England-style tailgate party.

“The outpouring of support was just crazy,” Laurie said. “Words just can’t express — they started as guests and have become like extended family.”

Gina Birch writes about food, wine and spirits for The News-Press and at thebirchbeat.blogspot.com. Follow her as @ginabirch on Twitter and find her on Facebook. 

The Clam Bake Restaurant

Address: Island Park Shopping Center, 16520 S. Tamiami Trail, south Fort Myers

Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Monday to Saturday, 2-8 p.m. Sunday

More: 239-482-1930; clambakefortmyers.com

This article originally appeared on Fort Myers News-Press: The Clam Bake serves lobster rolls, New England seafood in Fort Myers