Scallops, and clams and coleslaw - Oh my!

Another item on my list of things to do while on vacation is, of course, to eat more than my share of seafood. No offense Oregon coast seafood restaurants, but when I think of great seafood, I naturally think of Maine and New Hampshire. Now, I'm not talking upscale, fine china and white linen on the table kind of restaurants. To me, the perfect seafood restaurant is casual and laid back, with the emphasis on the food, not on the finery. In fact, to me, there's nothing better than paper plates, paper place mats and plastic silverware to let me focus on the really important part - and that's the food.
Ray's Seafood Restaurant in Rye, NH understands what it's all about when it comes to good seafood. Ray's has been in business for more than 40 years and is one of the oldest continuously operating seafood restaurants on the New Hampshire seacoast. Their menu is extensive, with both fried and baked seafood, and their pricing is reasonable. The views from the inside and the outside upper deck are not too shabby either. We opted last night to sit outside on the open deck facing the ocean so that the "tourist" (me) could enjoy the Atlantic view and the sea breezes.

Me and my newly-discovered niece Giuliana

I didn't deliberate on the menu for long because for me, it's always got to be fried clams and scallops. My dish arrived (on a paper plate) and was piled high with tender scallops and nice sized clams all deep friend to a golden perfection. The fries were a little limp but that's okay - my focus was the seafood and that was fantastic. I'm embarrassed to report that I ate every delectable morsel but you know what, I'm on vacation, so I think it's perfectly acceptable. I didn't eat lunch yesterday, so I'm sure everything balanced out on the calorie/fat scale. I also enjoyed a nice glass of "Lobster Claw" white wine with my meal. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. The company certainly made it that much better too.  My best friend Joanne, her husband Howard and her niece Giuliana (or Jules as I like to call her) were my dinner companions for the evening. Good food, good wine and good company. http://www.raysseafoodrestaurant.com/about.html