Morrison's Chowder House - Freeport, Maine

During a recent snowstorm, my husband and I braved the elements to run a few errands in Freeport. Along the way, we spotted Morrison's Chowder House and decided that it was the perfect day for a cup of chowder.

Located at 4 Mechanic Street, Morrison's is a tiny little restaurant with only a couple of tables and a half dozen stools. The chowder is made in the owner's house in town and delivered to the Chowder House daily.

The menu at the Chowder House is limited to just a handful of items. Clearly chowder is the specialty, though lobster, crab, tuna and shrimp rolls are also on the menu.

We ordered cups of the corn ($2.95) and haddock chowders ($3.95) to share. Both were accompanied by a soft roll, making for an inexpensive and hearty lunch. The corn chowder was my favorite. Made with chunks of red bliss potatoes, perfectly sauteed onions, corn, cream and plenty of butter, this chowder was the perfect consistency for my taste - thick and creamy, but not gluey. The haddock chowder was chock full of haddock, potatoes, onion and just a hint of bacon, though it had a thinner consistency than the corn chowder.

Instead of dessert, we decided to share a bowl of lobster stew ($7.95). Available only in 8 oz containers, the thin broth was buttery and sweet, filled with chunks of lobster and a full claw - exactly as promised in the description on the menu. Once the lobster chunks were consumed, there wasn't much flavor to the stew, and the consistency of the broth was much too thin.

Morrison's has been the recipient of the Best Seafood Chowder Award at the Freeport Chowder Challenge the last three years in a row. In addition to their chowder houses in Freeport and downtown Portland (Temple Street), their chowder can be found in many retail stores, including Hannaford and Browne Trading.

Though we left Morrison's satiated and with warm bellies, I've had better haddock chowder and lobster stew. I would only return to Morrison's for the corn chowder, which I deem - by far - their best recipe in terms of flavor and consistency.