The venerable Fries & Co. is busy and, like me, everyone is doing take-out. 

The amiable staff seems to love their work.  The walls are adorned with pictures depicting the restaurant’s history as well as the daily paper’s front page. 

The menu features the expected seafood plus chicken and burgers.
 
The Bam Bam Shrimp (six for $7.49) is disappointing.  Lightly battered, most of the shrimp are small, one is tiny and all are flavourless – saved only by the sweet chili sauce. 

The two-piece fish and chips ($8.91), is a good-sized serving. These tasty fries keep pretty good company to large, fresh, golden-brown fish.  But while one piece is lightly battered, the other, surprisingly, is heavily battered and mushy. 

The Seafood Chowder (bowl $4.99) is a winner. It is chock-full of haddock, baby shrimp, scallops, bits of potato and a delicious, but not-too-rich, broth.

The reason for this institution’s longevity lies in this bowl.