There's Always Room For Ice Cream: St. Clair Annex in Watch Hill
Since today was another gorgeous day in the OS, I decided to motor over to St. Clair's (no one ever actually refers to it by the full name St. Clair Annex btw) on Bay Street in Watch Hill.
Now, let's talk ice cream. I've seen a lot of blogs (some more extensive and highly detailed than others) and polls on the topic and I'm here to tell you that this is the most unscientific and totally subjective recommendation you're going to come across: You see, my fam and I have been enjoying St. Clair's handmade-on-the-premises (by the same family since the late 1880's — that’s right, I said 1880's), incredibly fresh ice cream for the last 25-30 years or more, so I'm definitely biased. But in a good way!
Hands down, my favorite flavor is the peach, with bits of real peach (what I ordered today), but there are literally dozens of others to choose from and hey, they are all pretty outstanding. Sometimes, they add in special, limited edition flavors too.
And, in case you missed it, last year I blogged about how one of my brothers has a competition with his daughter every summer to see who will be the first to work their way thru the menu by Labor Day, sampling the most flavors.
If you're looking for more than ice cream, St Clair's also has some of the best cheeseburgers and chowda (also made fresh in-house) in Westerly and beyond. The perfect meals after a day at the beach and before the long car ride back home. Or the short walk back to The OH, the Watch Hill Inn or Watch Hill Court, renovated yet still super charming in an old time-y motor lodge kind of way.
So, it's a fave of locals and tourists alike.
At night, during peak summer months, you will have to log some time on line and I'm not talking about staring into the screen on your I-Phone. It's totally worth it though.
As always, if you go after reading THIS, please let them know you were inspired by Patty J and PattyJ.com.
*For more inside scoop about Watch Hill, click here.
Photo Credits: Pics of St Clair's courtesy of me. Pics of the Ocean House, the Watch Hill Inn, etc by Ashley Farney. Thumbnail pic courtesy of Getty/SquareSpace.