Food
| Recommended 
Seafood reigns supreme at Duffy’s
12:42 AM EDT on Thursday, July 5, 2007
The owner says Duffy’s quahog chili is the best. It offers a wide range of seafood dishes at comfortable prices.
It would be easy for a hungry driver to cruise by Duffy’s Tavern & Restaurant at 235 Tower Hill Rd. and continue on to quaint Wickford Village just minutes down the busy street. Several buildings are set back and there’s no sign by the road. Even the sign on the restaurant is partially covered by a shrub. Blink, and your gaze would divert to Mancini Hardware next door.
But should the giant lobster on the front wall beckon, a surprise awaits. Within the confines of Duffy’s a menu of wonderfully fresh and well-prepared seafood would appeal to anyone seeking a fine meal with prices that are equally desirable.
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Barely seated a minute, M and I had quite the dilemma. Do we go for the steamed lobsters? Can we choose between a lobster roll or a lobster pie? Do we opt for steamers? Is it a raw bar kind of day with peel-and-eat shrimp at 10 cents apiece this lunch hour? What about chowders or a Portuguese fisherman stew or quahog chili? Or do we ask for the fresh fish of the day as a friend recommended? Even a crowd couldn’t taste half of what is offered.
All I knew was I had to start with a favorite guilty pleasure —clam cakes. Beyond the fact that Duffy’s were luscious with plenty of clams and though deep fried, not at all greasy, they were large. Six of them came on a plate and they were four bites each. They were dense and flavorful and fried a perfect light golden brown. The cost was an amazing six for $2.95.
Add a salad and I’d be more than satisfied.
Owner Stuart Tucker calls his Duffy’s Tavern “A seafood in the rough restaurant.” But I don’t know what is so rough about Duffy’s. The restaurant’s ambiance is rustic, with paneled walls covered with loads of memorabilia and photos. There are snapshots and sporting photographs, including a shrine to Ted Williams. There are 300 seats in two large dining rooms and the tavern, which has a large, busy oval bar. There’s also a takeout window and a fish market behind the restaurant.
From our booth in the tavern, the service was attentive and the meal was served on casual china with silverware and glasses. The menu isn’t on fancy paper and has lots of extra items written in with pen — that’s a good thing. One of them was Roasted Corn and Shrimp Chowder ($3 for a cup).
Though my dining companion M intended to have only a few spoons to save her appetite, and calories, she licked the cup clean. And it was full to the top with three shrimp, lots of corn, celery, potatoes and onions. This perfectly seasoned version had a light cream broth but was still hearty with all the fresh ingredients. Corn chowder lovers will adore this version.
We opted for the fresh catch of the day — cod. The piece was huge, almost as large as the plate. We ordered it baked ($7.95). Lightly breaded and boneless, it was just a delightful chunk of fish. It came with a choice of potato. We liked the hearty helping of homemade potato salad made with yummy red bliss potatoes. It also came with a vegetable choice including a cucumber salad salad, which was what we chose. It was served in a small cup and packed a wallop. Thin slices of cucumbers marinated in a tangy vinaigrette with onions added just the right kick to the plate. I loved it.
We felt compelled to try the lobster salad roll ($15.95), as everyone is always searching for the best. We certainly found it here, with a hot dog roll stuffed to bursting with lobster meat. No skimping here, and the dressing included welcome pieces of celery and a nicely seasoned mayonnaise mix. Forget the size, this lobster can stand up to the best on any lobster lover’s list.
Beyond Duffy’s appetizing seafood menu, there are plenty of non-seafood items for diners. I couldn’t ignore the BBQ Baby Back Ribs dinner with half a rack ($9.95), especially when the menu described them as slowly smoked on premises. They were fine indeed, with a just right blend of sweet and tangy sauce cooked into the tender pieces of meat. The accompanying French fries, again a choice, were hot and crispy.
In a conversation after the visit, Tucker told me his roots as a restaurant supplier and owner of Tucker Seafood is the reason for the quality and prices of the fish. His other business interests include Oak Hill Tavern, a fine dining restaurant in North Kingstown, and Company Picnic Catering, which does clambakes, among other things.
When Tucker bought Duffy’s back in 1978, it had previously been a men’s bar and he operated it as a tavern. He didn’t get a food license until 1992, and it became a restaurant in 1994. He’s still tweaking things there on Tower Hill Road, adding a waiting room for the weekend crowds.
Knowing we only sampled a bit of the menu, I let Tucker tell me about what I missed. He told me how at the raw bar everything is shucked to order and the shrimp are only 10 cents apiece. He told me the quahog chili was the best, and how many of the recipes came from his mother, Gladys Tucker, and her kitchen. He said people love lobster, and that’s why Duffy’s serves not only single, double and triple lobsters, but a seafood pie.
Now there’s something to start with on the next visit.
A meal for two at Duffy’s might look like this
Half a dozen clam cakes…$2.95
Cup of chowder…$3.00
Baked cod… $7.95
Lobster salad roll… $15.95
2 sodas… $3.00
Total food and drink… $32.85
Tax…$2.63
Tip… $6.60
Total bill… $42.08
Duffy’s Tavern & Restaurant, 235 Tower Hill Rd., Wickford, (401) 295-0073, www.quahog.com. Very casual. Free parking lot. Wheelchair accessible. Highchairs. No reservations. AE, MC, V. Serves daily 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and noon to 9 p.m. Sunday. Appetizers $1 to $7.95; sandwiches $4.50 to $6.50; dinners $8.95 to $15.95; lobsters start at $14.95. Takeout fish market on premises. Full bar.
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