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Phantom Gourmet: Aunt Carrie's In Narragansett, Rhode Island

NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island (CBS) -- New England has its share of legendary seafood shacks, and right up there with the best of them is Aunt Carrie's.

Located in Narragansett, Rhode Island, Aunt Carrie's has been an Ocean State institution, serving golden-fried goodness, for nearly a century.

phantom gourmet aunt carrie's
A lobster roll from Aunt Carrie's. (WBZ-TV)

Carrie Cooper opened the place back in 1920. Today, it's run by Elsie Foy, who's been working here since she was a teenager.

"This is where I met my husband," Foy says. "Aunt Carrie was my husband's grandmother."

phantom gourmet aunt carrie's
A fried seafood platter from Aunt Carrie's. (WBZ-TV)

And not much has changed here over the years--because Elsie prefers to keep Aunt Carrie's decidedly old-school, from the rustic dining room to the old fashioned fryers to their mid-century mixer and simple seafood shack menu.

"We don't change up a whole lot here, we don't add to our menu depending on what the local craziness is going on right away," says Foy. "I've always joked but we've never sold mozzarella sticks here, that's not something we've done."

phantom gourmet aunt carrie's
Chowder from Aunt Carrie's. (WBZ-TV)

But what you will find are steamed lobsters and overstuffed rolls, homemade chowders and legendary clam cakes, broiled scallops and fried seafood platters.

"This is not a place where, it's real low calorie food," says Foy. "This is everyone's summer indulgence."

phantom gourmet aunt carrie's
Clam Cakes from Aunt Carrie's. (WBZ-TV)

And for almost one hundred summers, customers have taken comfort knowing that same great food will always be here.

"We're serving the same kind of foods and menus that they did back in the 1920s and 30s so people know they're going to come back and have the same thing, and hopefully it's giving them a really good fuzzy memory and they want to come back and celebrate that again," said Foy.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

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