Chowder (Restaurant Food)

This is another tasty dish I enjoyed at a restaurant while on vacation. It is a simple seafood chowder, a common dish you can find as an appetizer in many restaurants. No two chowders are ever the same, and whether a chowder is good or not can only be defined by your personal tastes. Of course there are also many different kinds of chowder - such as seafood chowder and corn chowder, not to be confused with cream soups, such as cream of mushroom, chicken, tomato, etc. Cream soups and chowders are similar, but not the same. Cream soups are usually fairly smooth and thinner than chowders, and are often just one simple flavor pureed with cream added. Chowders are typically thicker and chunkier, with a nice medley of different ingredients. Chowders vary in thickness and creaminess, depending on how much cream, milk, water, and stock are used. Some chowders are very chunky, while others aren't quite as hearty. Some chowders are very spicy, others are mildly flavored. Some chowders focus on just a few ingredients, while others contain many different additions. I have not actually tasted that many different chowders, but the reason this one stood out to me from the menu was the variety of generously portioned seafood the chowder contains. This chowder had cod, lobster, mussels, and shrimp, possibly even other seafood I have forgotten as well. It contained quite a bit of celery in large slices, slightly too much and too large of a cut for my liking. The carrot in the chowder was much better - finely copped, and not too much of it. I like a few vegetables in my seafood chowder, but I prefer the focus to remain on the seafood. This chowder was nicely spiced, and the right thickness, but a little too rich. The richness didn't bother me for a small cup of chowder, but I would never be able to eat a whole bowlful of this. Overall, not a bad chowder, it certainly had plenty of seafood, so I can't complain!