Memorable | One of the Best
The Place
Review by: Michael Stern
The Place is as plain as its name: an open-air clambake by the side of Route One. Tree stumps are chairs and cable spools are tables. They are all arranged in a sunny clearing around a smoky wood fire where seafood is cooked to order by the shirt-sleeved staff. Tents are erected when it rains.
The menu includes bluefish, which we are told by experts is delicious. But for us, The Place is a place to eat clams, lobsters, and corn. The one need-to-eat dish is littleneck clams roasted over wood, split open, daubed with butter and hot sauce and put back on the fire just long enough for everything to come together in perfect, picnic harmony. There are steamer clams, too; and don’t forget corn-on-the-cob. It is cooked in its husk and swabbed with melted butter. All other accoutrements — including bread and salad, wine and beer (and glasses for wine and beer, if you want them), you must bring yourself.
The Place is open only in the summer, starting the last weekend in April, going through the end of October. On a nice weekend day it can be maddeningly crowded. But come late at night on a weekday, and it is a happy retreat from the bustle of shoreline shops and traffic.
Directions & Hours
Information
| Price | $$ |
| Seasons | Summer |
| Meals Served | Lunch, Dinner |
| Credit Cards Accepted | No |
| Alcohol Served | No |
| Outdoor Seating | Yes |
What To Eat
The Place Recipes
Discuss
What do you think of The Place?
3 Responses to “The Place”
Carri
September 21st, 2023
Hi I was wondering are you open rain or shine?
Angelita Buckman
July 9th, 2023
I was here years ago. I can’t wait to get back
Hilary Mattison
January 22nd, 2011
Must go! The Place has great food and a great environment. I have been going here for years and it’s my favorite summer restaurant (it’s seasonal and outdoors with a tented area). It’s a great place to stop in with friends, linger over wonderful grilled seafood, and have a conversation outside under the stars.
There’s an outdoor cooking fire; seats are on stumps (some named after loyal customers). This is a social mixing pot. You’ll see people dressed very low key from a day of working outside sitting next to people dressed up in their finest who brought tablecloths and flowers to make a night of it. It’s a non-pretentious “real” restaurant.
The menu is no-frills. Definitely order the corn, and order seafood: clams, mussels, shrimp, fish, and lobster. There are a few good non-seafood items, but the seafood choices are best, in my opinion. The menu has been the same for years. The owners don’t mind if you want to bring your own sides or alcohol. They have a website with the menu so you can plan.
It’s fun: I’ve thrown parties at The Place, brought all kinds of friends, and we always have a blast. The Place has a well-deserved cult following. Count me in, I’m thinking about it right now.