Rays or Petes

When you're cruising down A1A, you have a number of choices for which clam shack you're going to eat at. In Rye, there's Ray's and Pete's. We (my SO and I) gave Pete's a try a few weeks ago. Even though it was a mid-week Wednesday after Labor day, there was still a wait. You could get seats in the bar, but it was a bit smoky (get with it NH, follow MA and go smoke free), so we waited for a table in the main dining room. It was a bit noisy, but service was rapid and they did have Isle of Shoals Pale Ale on tap. For appetizer, I had their clam chowder, which turned out to be a good basic chowder, without an emphasis on spices (targon or anything) and with plenty of clams. For the main course, we went fried, because what else are you going to have at a clam shack? The fried shrimp (small) and scallops were good, although the shrimp had little flavor. They were served on a big pile of fries, cut from fresh potatoes. One meal would have been plenty for the two of us (especially after soups) and we took some home. We also ordered onion rings, which were sweet and tasty. All and all, Pete's provided a middle of the road clam shack experience. Next stop, Rays.