Saturday, April 18, around 2 pm.

First up: The Lobster Pot, Provincetown

Their Claim:

On their menu, it says:

Cape Cod Life, "Best Of," 1999, 2001-2008
Grand Prize Winner
Four-time winner Cape Cod Chowder Festival
Three-time winner Boston Chowder Festival

Their Clam:

(So, what happened in 2000?)

Not nearly warm enough. At the edges, downright chilly. Very thick and opaque, almost too creamy. Potatoes: peeled. Onions: scanty. Clams: not terribly plentiful. Then, half way through my bowl, my companion's empty cup of what was Portuguese kale soup was removed and all the bags of oyster crackers were swept away with it, leaving me cracker-free. Very sad.

Not sure why they have won all the prizes, but their seating person is delightful. A cross between Thelma Ritter and Selma Diamond, which isn't much of a cross come to think of it. Tons of extra points for her. I'll try again later in the season and give them a second chance. It is a bit early and maybe they just don't have their chowder mojo yet.