Kool Kone
There are a million clam shacks and ice cream stands from Cape Cod to Coastal Maine, but this one definitely delivers. We are in Wareham, Massachusetts and a legendary roadside stand known as Kool Kone.
Kool Kone has been here almost 60 years so it is definitely an old school kind of place. Tom Strom bought it and 20 years ago. He's a Waltham native. He went to Johnson and Wales and when he came here to Kool Kone, he really expanded the menu way beyond your soft serve, your hard ice cream. These days this place is known for seafood, comfort food, and just a lot of food. Now this is not a full service sit down kind of place. You walk up to the counter and you order what you want. Then as soon as your food is ready, they get on the microphone. You pick up your tray, you can dine inside or you can dine outside and then you just go to town.
Golden fried seafood is the number one seller and the most popular item at Kool Kone. And they do it in several different ways. I like to get a taste of a little bit of everything. So I go for the fried fisherman's platter. It's an all star team of all of summertime’s best foods. You have a big old filet of fried haddock, perfectly fried shrimp, nice plump fried scallops, and of course, the pièce de résistance- the fried clam. It is a heaping portion, it is overflowing off the plate, and it’s served over a massive bed of French fries as well. Of course you don't want to forget the coleslaw and the tartar sauce on the side. And like I always say, the only thing better than fried seafood is a whole bunch of different fried seafood.
Now let's talk about clams. If you go north, you're gonna get fried clams. If you go south, you're gonna get clam cakes. If you aren't familiar with a clam cake, essentially, it's a savory fritter made with chopped clams inside, a seafood doughnut if you will. So when you break open your clam cake, it's hot. It's fluffy. You can see the chopped clams inside. Here's a pro tip: Definitely get a side of clam chowder with the clam cakes. So you take those fluffy hot clam cakes and you dip them right into that beautiful New England Clam Chowder. And the chowder itself is just a pure beautiful New England recipe. Not too thick, not too thin. Lots of cream, lots of butter, lots of potatoes, little onion, and certainly tons and tons of fresh clams.
Anytime I'm going to a clam shack, I'm getting a lobster roll, a nice buttery toasted split top bun stuffed inside with lobster meat and plenty of it. You’ve got claw and knuckle meat with a little bit of mayo and that is it. Nothing else needed. Nothing else wanted. It looks like a good lobster roll. It tastes like a good lobster roll. And when you spend the money on it, you'll realize actually in terms of value, it's a phenomenal lobster roll.
They're also known for their fried chicken here and yes, you can get your fried chicken by the bucket. This is all super fresh, hand battered, highly seasoned chicken. Comes out of the fryolator exactly the way you want it. You get that crispy skin on the outside, that juicy moist chicken on the inside. You can get one piece, two pieces, I say get the whole bucket. I guarantee it's the best fried chicken you will ever find at an ice cream shop.
For decades, people have been flocking to the Kool Kone to get a cool cone. They have over 50 flavors of ice cream and multiple styles. You got your soft serve ice cream, you got your hard packed ice cream, any kind of flavor, any kind of topping you can imagine, they pretty much have it. I think the best dessert here isn't even on the menu. It's a top secret item known as the fried banana sundae. So you take a fresh ripe banana, little bit of batter, and they deep fry the banana. That's the base of the sundae. Then you get two scoops of ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream, sprinkles, and a cherry on top. The fried banana is kind of puffy and crispy on the outside, soft and warm on the inside. This sundae is all about the contrasting textures and flavors. Crispy, smooth, hot, cold. This is everything you're looking for in a great sundae. It takes about 10 minutes to make one of these desserts so if they're busy, they probably won't make it for you. But if you've come on an off day, get it, it's worth it.
This seems like the kind of place that’s only open in the summer. Kool Kone is actually open all year round. They actually roll out a completely different menu in the fall and in the spring. So you can get anything from pot roast to corned beef. No matter what time of year you come though you are guaranteed to end up with one of the best meal deals anywhere in New England. Great food, awesome ice cream, indoor seating, outdoor seating, even an 18 hole mini golf course. This place has it all, come from the food, stay for the ice cream and come back all year round to Kool Kone.
