It was founded in 1974 by the DeCandia family, who immigrated from Bari in the 1950s, the capital of the heel of the Italian boot, Apulia. One of the clam bars that has become an empire unto itself is Lenny’s Clam Bar at 161-03 Cross Bay Boulevard, near 161st Avenue, in Howard Beach, Queens. Softshell clams are also common - known to generations of Brooklyn children as piss clams because of their ability to squirt skyward when tromped on at the beach - which are used for fried or steamer clams. Chowder clams are the generic term to refer to the largest specimens, which are chopped and used in stews. The core of the menu features clams of two varieties: Hardshell clams, or quahogs, are divided by size, with the smallest designated littlenecks, followed by topnecks and cherrystones. These places often began with a limited menu of raw and cooked mollusks that also included oysters and conch, but have expanded their menus to feature a broad range of mainly Italian seafood dishes over the years. While the number has diminished over the decades, a few - like Sheepshead Bay’s sainted Randazzo’s - persist.
The maritime areas of New York City, Long Island, and the Jersey Shore have long been the site of clam bars strung along the shore like beads on a necklace.
