February 10, 2025 by Kazuki Borchardt (‘26) & Ava Tatum (‘25)
Chowder Fest is an annual Saratoga tradition where chowder fans unite to test different chowder recipes from over 80 businesses downtown. Representing the Lightning Rod’s official chowder tasters are Kazuki Borchardt and Ava Tatum.
Our writers’ choices of vendors were Rhea’s Seafood Corn Chowder Ramen, Morrissey’s Miso Ramen Clam Chowder, Brasserie Benelux’s Loaded Potato Leek Chowder, and more. Each bowl of chowder sold for $2.
Rhea:
Our tasters started with Rhea and their seafood corn chowder which featured a thinner, more soupy broth, with corn, carrots, shrimp, and various herbs. Rhea specializes in Asian fusion, so it only makes sense that the dish would be inspired by some of their menu items. Compared to other chowders, the broth was more on the seafood side, but this didn’t take away from the savory ramen flavors.
Morrisey’s:
Next up was Morrissey’s miso ramen chowder, which had quahog clams, pork belly, white miso, and ramen noodles. For only $2, this chowder had a lot more substance than some of the others, it was packed with seafood and ramen noodles, and you would definitely leave the stand feeling like you got a bang for your buck. On the other hand, some of the ingredients in the dish felt like they were clashing, even though it was filling, it might be a little too much for most.
Brasserie Benelux’s
Next on our chowder journey was Brasserie Benelux’s potato chowder. This was a vegan, gluten-free, chowder, but cheese was given to those who requested it. Since this is a vegan chowder, there was no seafood, which might sit well with those who don’t like fishy food. The consistency was the thickest out of all the chowders that were tried, and the portion was the largest. Even though the flavors were good, it was a little gritty due to the potatoes and it could’ve used more seasoning.
Mittler’s
Our taster Kazuki recorded his top 2 chowders: One of his top picks was Mittler’s. They were serving up a lasagna-based chowder which included noodles and Tomato sauce along with sausage. He noticed the seasoning within the chowder was well balanced to accentuate the rich tasting chowder. The sausage that went along with it also added a nice flavor on the cold day.
Sara’s Kitchen
After Mittler’s, Kazuki headed over to Sara’s Kitchen located on Broadway. They were serving a Chicken shawarma chowder with pita chips on the top. The Pita chips were a nice addition complementing the chowder giving some texture into the Spoonfuls. The chowder itself tasted very nice with all of the different spices coming to the fore front.