House Guest Clam Bake

Last week, I was invited to a Clam Bake at House Guest. Never having been to House Guest or a Clam Bake before, I headed to the venue without any expectations. When I got there, just 20 minutes after the party started, it was already quite busy. The lineup to the bar about 3 people deep and the people kept pouring in!
After we got our drinks, we sat down and to our delight, food started appearing! First thing I tried were their PMC, Pimento Macaroni and Cheese balls. What kicks this up a notch for me wasn't the Red Eye Ketchup, but it was what was inside...the Pimento. That addition gave the mac and cheese a new depth, not really spicy, but just added a good amount of heat.
We also tried their Prawn Guac, served on a blue corn chip. One of the best guacamole I've had in a long time. I'm not a fan of avocado, but I am a fan of guacamole. Add some shrimp to that, make it bite sized by placing it on the chip and you've got a winner. This was rich and creamy, and you could actually taste the sweetness of the prawns. Also, I apprecaited that it wasn't overly garlicky, we were at a party afterall.

 

Everyone has tried the famous Ivar's Clam Chowder in a bread bowl, and I am no exception.But no matter how hard I try, I never actually finish the bowl. The folks at House Guest have taken care of this problem. Check out the soup to bun ratio on these babies. A tablespoon of creamy soup in a hollowed out and airy profiterole. It's hard to stop at just one!   My favourite of the night were these Lobster Rolls. Not really a roll, but not really a sandwich either. This came out and I was smitten. Generous chunks of lobster, with a creamy dressing in a super soft bun. I really liked how cool the lobster salad was, and how the bun was just lightly toasted so that it was still soft enough to bit through, without having to fight through a hard crust.
The Crab Tater Tots are what everyone should be having for breakfast, in my opinion. Bits of crab and mashed potato all rolled into a crispy crunchy crust. A bit smaller than the PMC, these are way more addictive! There was tarragon remoulade that accompanied the dish and while it was nice, it didn’t seem necessary.
I would say that the best bites of the night was the Lobster Roll and the Clam Chowder. If either are on the menu when you go (some menu items change), be sure to try at least one of them. You won't regret it!