Sure we've got great scenery, but don't forget fried clams, lobster rolls & ice cream

LAKES REGION — Gardners look for the crocuses, birdwatchers look for returning songbirds. For food enthusiasts, there's no more welcome sign of the approaching summer than the region's beloved ice cream and seafood shacks unlocking their doors and sliding open their service windows. For those who visit the establishments, the flavors they seek are a familiar pleasure in a changing world and are as essential to a lakeside summer as loon calls and fretting about the Red Sox.

Last weekend, Jon Benton opened Pop's Clam Shell for the summer season. The Alton Bay establishment has been serving fried seafood since the 1950s at least — he's not really sure how long it's been around. Benton bought the business from his in-laws and has been running it for the past 13 years. Although he's the fourth owner, he still uses the same recipes developed by the Andrews brothers, who started the business as Andrews' Clam Bar.

Benton was already a food industry veteran when he took over Pop's, having worked most recently as an executive chef. He had to change the way he thought about cuisine to work at a clam shack. "You've definitely got to shift gears," he said. The first summer under his ownership, he attempted to offer some inventive specials alongside the traditional fried seafood. "No one bought them," he said, concluding that his patrons were singularly motivated by the prospect of fried clams and onion rings.

As a trained chef, he can understand why a basket of fresh clams, perfectly breaded and fried, is hard to beat. First, there's the brine of the shellfish. "You can taste the ocean," he said. The meat is sweet and creamy, add the crispy breading and the tartness of the tartar sauce, "It hits all the spots you're looking for."

Although fried clams are a summer staple for many New Englanders, Benton said the uninitiated either fall into the "love it" or "hate it" categories. When an out-of-town vacationer orders them for the first time, Benton will offer to fry up a couple of clams as a sample. "They're usually 50-50. Sometimes they're dumbfounded that people would eat the stuff, others are like, 'where have these been all my life.'"

Travel 13 miles northwest on Route 11 from Pop's and Sawyer's Dairy Bar in Gilford appears on the left-hand side of the road. In business for 67 years, Sawyer's has been operated by Parry and Pati Litchfield for the past six. Although they've only owned the place for six years, their familiarity goes back much further. "I've been coming here since I was a boy — and I'm 75," said Larry.

The restaurant's heritage precludes the need for any advertising or marketing. During the spring, and because the restaurant relies on local students to staff the place, Sawyer's is only open when high school is not in session. Even so, it's not unusual for hopeful customers to pull into the parking lot and peer through the service windows.

"They come here year after year," said Larry. "They come for the seafood, the ice cream and the ambiance — it's like stepping back in time." The old-fashioned ambiance is more than skin-deep. All of Sawyer's ice cream is made on the premise. "Nobody makes ice cream like we do, that's not to say that other people don't make good ice cream," said Larry.

As old-fashioned as the ice cream is the sort of interaction that Pati observes in the dining room and around the picnic tables. There's not a television screen to be seen, something Pati considers addition by subtraction. "Sawyer's is a diamond in the rough," she said. "It's families talking to eachother, having fun together. it truly is something that can bring them together."

Jim Clayton, who purchased the Tamarack Drive In in 2007, also feels the weight of the Weirs institution's history. "It's not like opening up any other place. Owning the Tamarack is a huge responsibility." It's not unusual for people to call from around the country, asking if the business will be open when they arrive for a New Hampshire vacation. "A lot of people that come here came here as kids, this is part of their childhood. You've got to meet their expectations."

The Tamarack had begun to lose its way when Clayton purchased it. So, unlike the Litchfields and Sawyer's, Clayton has had to work to restore the gleam to his pearl. He's proud to say that his heaping lobster rolls contain nothing but the real thing and his hamburger is freshly ground by the Meredith Center Store — so there's no questionable fillers in the burgers, either. This summer, he's beginning a relationship with the nearby Picnic Rock Farm for fresh vegetables.

"My customers come from all over, but everybody understands the importance of buying locally," Clayed said.

He and his staff have also worked to come up with new menu items, such as fajitas, wraps and specialty burgers. While some would call those changes, Clayton considers them steps to return to the philosophy of Ma and Pa Gilbert, who first opened the Tamarack in 1963. "They used the quality products, I went back to the quality."

That philosophy is the antithesis of what Clayton calls "fast food". Their food is cooked to order and, as much as is possible, prepared on-site by human hands. "It doesn't come to us pre-made or frozen. If I wanted to sell that stuff I would have bought a MacDonald's or Wendy's. But that would be like kissing your sister. What's the point?"

Craig Jordan isn't kissing his sister but he is making his dad's ice cream. Jordan's Ice Creamery in Belmont, at only 18 years in business, isn't nearly as storied as the others described above. However, its growing popularity are sure to make it a summer favorite of generations to come.

Eric Jordan, a former school teacher, started the business with his wife Gail to help put their four children through college. Craig, the youngest, came back home and is now in his second year of taking over the business.

Located in a small building on Route 106 near the Belmont village, the ice cream business has developed a reach far beyond what appearances would suggest. During the first summer, Eric said he would make about 100 gallons of ice cream each week. This summer, they'll crank out 1,000 gallons each week to keep up with demand. Each gallon of that ice cream will be made at the small shop, and only by Eric or Craig. Consistency and quality are jealously guarded by the Jordans.

The Jordans will sell most of their ice cream through their shop in Belmont, though there are several retail locations in the area that carry their products. Another significant outlet for them is the New Hampshire Motor Speedway, where they'll scoop 500 gallons on race day.

Jordan's, like the other businesses listed above, continued to see success in recent years in spite of the national recession. Craig expects future growth is possible. "We've built up a reputation in the area for being a great product. Ice cream, it's comfort food. It's getting out of the house, having fun, and it's not too expensive."

And it wouldn't be summer in the Lakes Region without it.

CAPTION for ICE CREAM SAWYER'S in AA:

Pati Litchfield, one of the owners of Sawyer's Dairy Bar in Gilford, packs a gallon of freshly-made ice cream. Sawyer's is one of several iconic warm-weather businesses in the region that is re-opening after being closed all winter. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)

CAPTION for ICE CREAM JORDAN'S in AA:

Craig and Eric Jordan, father and son, are the only people who are allowed to make Jordan's ice cream. While a relative newcomer to the ice cream scene, the Belmont business has rapidly grown to a regional favorite. (Laconia Daily Sun photo/Adam Drapcho)