See the beach, walk a dock, then choose a chowder

There's just something about clam chowder. Perhaps it's the squishy texture of the clams or the hearty thickness that fills your stomach. Or maybe it's the combination of cool and rainy weather when chowder is able to satiate hunger and warm the soul.

When the chowder craving becomes great, journey over to the waterfront — where the smell of the sea sharpens the tastebuds and fresh chowder is abundant.

South of Seattle, Des Moines offers a handful of different chowder interpretations. Make chowder tasting the sole mission, or indulge in the comfort after a jaunt along the Des Moines Marina or down the boardwalk at Redondo Beach. Or after frolicking at the Saltwater State Park beach, complete your day with a bowl of the bivalve mollusk stew. From the shore of Puget Sound, the water is a pale gray on a sunny day and the Olympic Mountains are magnificent.

But one person's bowl of chowder is another person's stomachache. So we surveyed the chowders in the Des Moines area and asked the chefs what makes theirs stand apart from the others.

Anthony's HomePort and Oyster Bar & Grill, 421 S. 227th St., Des Moines, 206-824-1947.

A cup costs $2.95, a bowl $3.95.

The key to the chowder at Anthony's is what's put into it, said regional chef Geoff Foubert.

"All the recipes are basically the same, it's just the care we put into the chowder and the ingredients we use," he said. High-quality ingredients, as fresh as possible, are key, he said.

Instead of cream, Anthony's uses half-and-half so the chowder is lighter, but not thin. And the base is cooked in a steam-jacketed kettle to keep from scorching.

Located within the Des Moines Marina, Anthony's, in all its cloth-napkin glory, offers views of Puget Sound. Eat at the Oyster Bar & Grill or indulge at the HomePort. Chowder is served at both.

Breakers Restaurant, 22503 Dock St., Des Moines, 206-878-7719.

A cup costs $3.25, a bowl $4.25.

Clams, and lots of them, are fundamental to Breakers' chowder.

"I believe in that," said co-owner and chowder chef Joyce Balcom. "If you're going to eat clam chowder, you want to taste the clams. You want to know there are clams in it."

Located down the parking lot from Anthony's, Breakers feels like an authentic fishing hut with model airplanes strung from the ceiling, views of the boats moored at the Des Moines Marina, and a boat-repair yard headquartered in the same building.

The Breakers chowder is slightly thinner and saltier than other versions. Although Balcom wouldn't reveal any of the secret ingredients of the chowder at the 5-year-old restaurant, she did say she uses a combination of bases and no cream.

Des Moines Creek Restaurant, 21830 Marine View Drive S., Des Moines, 206-878-3855.

A cup costs $2.50, a bowl $3.50.

The secret to the chowder at Des Moines Creek Restaurant is the 20-year-old recipe developed by co-owner Bill Grant.

"It's lots of clams, a little pinch of nutmeg, a touch of garlic, a little dill, green bell peppers, onions and celery," said Grant. "But it's the combination of seasonings and how they work together that make the difference."

Set upon a hill, the Des Moines Creek Restaurant is family-friendly, with frilly window dressings and Pictionary questions framed at every table.

And the chowder is purposefully thinner than most.

"I don't want it so the spoon stands straight up in the bowl," said Grant. "It's just the way we make it."

Salty's at Redondo Beach, 28201 Redondo Beach Drive S., Des Moines, 253-946-0636.

A cup costs $3.95, a bowl $4.95.

Actually a seafood chowder because of the additions of bay shrimp and bay scallops, the success of the chowder at Salty's is based on "a lot of love and tender care," said executive chef Gabe Cabrera.

He said the chowder has been made the same way every time for the past 20 years.

"We go by the recipe every day. It never varies. Everything is proportioned and measured and all the procedures are followed the same way ... every day," said Cabrera.

Subbing the fat from the bacon for butter and half-and-half for cream, the chowder tends to be lighter and smoother.

"I believe that cream does probably give a richer flavor, but it doesn't make it better," said Cabrera.

Set on a pier next to a public boat launch, Salty's offers views of sunsets over Puget Sound and is at the foot of a winding drive along the waterfront. A stroll along the boardwalk offers a peep into seafront living.

Wally's Chowder House, 22531 Marine View Drive S., Des Moines, 206-878-8140.

A cup costs $2.79, a bowl $5.25, a quart $8.99.

Wally's clam chowder is the way chowder is made along the New England coast — thick and rich.

"It's good, hearty, old-fashioned chowder with heavy cream. The heavy cream is really the key," said co-owner Mike Nordean. "You can go for a lighter, thinner type, but we choose to go for a more traditional, heavier style."

The recipe was developed in about a week eight years ago when the restaurant opened, and Wally's now goes through about 20 gallons of chowder each day.

The gray eatery with white trim has a comfortable wood-paneled interior with wooden fish, nets and other marine decorations in case the salty air hasn't already gotten chowder-goers in the mood for seafood.

Nordean tastes the chowder every day, seven days a week, to make sure it's up to Wally's standards.

"We're a chowder house; we call ourselves a chowder house," said Nordean. "So we have an obligation to our customers to have good chowder."

Gina Kim can be reached at 206-464-2761 or gkim@seattletimes.com.