Iggy’s Doughboys And Chowder House

The Ocean-State Doughboy

You will not find a meal of doughboys and chowder beyond New England’s southern shores. But you will find doughboy cognates throughout the east and even way out west. In Rhode Island, the term doughboy describes a small square of puffy fried dough, served hot and usually rolled in sugar. Sold by the dozen, they make especially good sweet-bread companions for seafood.

Elsewhere in New England, similar fried pillows go by the name of flippers, cheats or malasadas. (That last one is a Portuguese bakery specialty.) Doughboys vaguely resemble the scones of Utah and the sopaipillas of New Mexico. Indeed, they are members in good standing of a sprawling fried dough family that includes the beignets of New Orleans and donuts everywhere.

To Accompany Your Doughboys…

Where to eat them? At Iggy’s, of course. In this Warwick boardwalk restaurant with a charming waterside view, you can order doughboys by the dozen. Choose whether you want them sprinkled with granulated sugar, cinnamon, or powdered sugar. Or have them plain. They make a fine companion for a lobster roll or a plate of fried calamari.

Yes, you can buy them by the dozen, and they’re what you want to eat here, but I strongly advise you limit your intake. They are all too easy to eat. But you want a healthy appetite to enjoy Iggy’s big, crusty clam cakes, red or white chowder, and good fried clams — available whole-belly (that’s oceanic-gooey) or as more modest, scarcely-clam-flavored strips. I also suggest that any meal include a stuffie or two, listed on the menu as “stuffed quohogs.” These are quohog clam shells piled with vividly-seasoned clam stuffing.

For Fish Frowners

If doughboys and chowder are not your cup of tea or you really don’t like fish much at all, you may choose from an extensive menu of burgers and sandwiches. Adventurous eaters should fork into that only-in-Rhode Island favorite, snail salad. And to make it a meal unique to the Ocean State, have a glass of coffee milk. It’s Rhode Island’s Official State Drink.