Tender fried clams are a delicate choice at the Blount Clam Shack near the Crescent Park Carousel in Riverside.

The Providence Journal / Sandor Bodo

EAST PROVIDENCE Once upon a time, a summery Saturday evening attracted thousands to Crescent Park for a night of food and fun.

It’s nice to recall those days, but now we all have a chance to make new memories there along the lovely waters of Narragansett Bay in this city’s Riverside community.

What’s better than driving along Bullocks Point Avenue to the Crescent Park Carousel and finding a clam shack waiting with huge, meaty lobster rolls and tender fried-bellied clams? Blount Fine Foods, the Warren-based seafood wholesalers, has been expanding in several ways, and none is more welcome than with the setting for their second clam shack (the first is in Warren) there in the shadow of the historic carousel where for $1 riders can hop on a beautifully carved horse and still grab for the brass ring.

“Being famous for its shore dinner hall, people come to the park still to this day for chowder and clam cakes, and for a ride on the carousel and to reminisce about the days when the park was open,” summed up Donna McMahon, vice chair of the Crescent Park Carousel Commission.

A stop here is also a step back in time in another way. On Saturday evenings, classic cars are lined up between the clam shack and the carousel for a Cruise Night. Familiar songs from the ’50s and ’60s blast from speakers and transport us back to days that seem so simple in retrospect.

A dinner here too harkens back to less complicated and fussy times. It offers the whole package of the most casual summer fun but with the convenience of an easy-to-get-to urban setting. It’s the attraction of ordering at the window, sharing space at a picnic table and eating outdoors near the carousel, an opportunity that we didn’t have until now. It’s only open Thursday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. and only takes cash. There’s no phone, so forget about calling ahead. Cans of soda are sold from a single vending machine. There’s no alcohol allowed at the clam shack.

I suggest you stop first at the ice cream stand called the Dari Bee, 240 Bullocks Point Ave., and order a shake (I know you want coffee but the blueberry one is great) to accompany your meal. Then stop back for a cone later.

Back at the Clam Shack, the lobster roll is amazing, with probably a pound of fresh meat lightly dressed with a Dijon-mayonnaise blend. The lobster is then loaded on a piece of fresh lettuce into an oversize hot dog roll. It costs $19.95 and comes with loads of French fries and a small order of fresh coleslaw.

I loved the clams ($10.95 for a side order or $16.95 for a platter), which were as tender as could be with a light batter. Even the bellies were delicate. For me, the side order was the perfect size, especially since I wanted to share an order of clam cakes, $3.50 for a half dozen. You’ll find the clam cakes on the heavy side but that’s because they have loads of clams inside.

Clam chowder is a specialty here and there are three varieties — white, red or clear with chorizo. A cup of each costs $3.75. The white version was satisfying with plenty of clams and potatoes in a creamy broth, but it was a bit salty even before the oyster crackers went in.

Blount’s menu includes clam strips (a roll for $7.95), but also items for those who lack an affinity for seafood. There are hot dogs ($2.75), hamburgers or chicken fingers (each $3.50) and a side of fries ($2.50). There are also fish and chips and daily specials.

The tiny clam shack is a stark contrast to the many incarnations of the shore dinner hall that dated back to 1892, felled by hurricanes and ultimately by fire in 1984. Charles Looff Jr. (son of famed-carousel builder Charles I.D. Looff) built one hall in 1914 large enough to feed 2,000. But what would you expect there at the spot that was called “The Coney Island of the Northeast”? At the carousel museum, you can view some of the old menus like one from the 1920s with all-you-can-eat chowder and clam cakes for 25 cents. “Don’t forget the Narragansett Ale and Lager,” the menu says. A shore dinner cost $1.90 including lobster.

Crescent Park Carousel was built in 1895 by the senior Looff and still operates seasonally, as will the clam shack.

Todd Blount, president of Blount Fine Foods, lives a mile from Crescent Park and so he was receptive when the Carousel Commission called him at this time last year looking for a vendor to take over the small concession stand and serve food that would recall the park’s heyday. Blount had already opened their first clam shack on the Warren waterfront two years earlier, finding it the natural evolution of their business.

Last year in Riverside, Blount didn’t open until the summer was halfway over, but with help from the experienced Warren team, they opened this year in May.

“We believe the shacks are getting back to our roots,” said Blount. An authentic clam shack lifestyle is the perfect fit for their products which include soups, chowders and clam strips.

Blount also likes that the shack brings back some of the fun to an area that will always remembered for all the great times enjoyed there.

And all it took was serving up some chowder and clam cakes.

Blount Clam Shack, Crescent Park Carousel, 684 Bullocks Point Ave., East Providence. No phone. Free parking lot. Outside picnic tables to share. Cash only. Soda from a vending machine. No alcoholic beverages allowed. Open Thursday to Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. Closed holidays. Open seasonally at least through September. Seafood and grill items, $2.75-$19.95.

Also at Warren Waterfront, 335 Water St., Warren, (401) 245-3210. Credit cards accepted. Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday to 9 p.m. Closed Tuesday and holidays.

Dari Bee, 240 Bullocks Point Ave, East Providence, (401) 433-1931.

gciampa@projo.com