DEAR DAME EVELYN , I was searching on sfbg.com, and I saw "Planning a beach clambake? Consult with Dame Evelyn." While I'm not planning a clambake, I am interested in learning if there are any traditional New England clambakes held in the San Francisco Bay Area that I could attend with my family. Any ideas?

Shell-raiser

Dearest, It is Dame Evelyn's experience that most clambakes are DIY affairs, whether here or in New England. All you really need is a fire laid in a pit on one of our (or their) splendid beaches – and clams, of course, along with a smattering of seasonings. Dame Evelyn is not familiar with the laws of New England, but Golden Gate National Recreation Area regulations do permit such fires, with restrictions; since you seem to have good Internet skills, you might want to check the following address for all the details: www.nps.gov/goga/pdf/pub_mtg012004.pdf.

If all that seems like a bit too much trouble – sand in one's shoes and undergarments, summertime fog and wind, the aggravating tedium of trying to light a fire in a damp pit as daylight wanes; Dame Evelyn can't speak for you, but she finds the prospect of all that rather off-putting – you might be more pleased with an order of clams in a good seafood restaurant. These are legion, but Dame Evelyn has always had a soft spot for Yabbie's Coastal Kitchen. And there is a new place, Café Maritime, on the Lombard Street corridor, that is said to be New England-ish, which could of course cut either way (New England being famed for its boiled potatoes, among other gastronomic glories) – but one is inclined to be hopeful. Lombard, being choked with speeding traffic, is a bit short on the romance of the sea and rather long on establishments that cater to tourists, but every now and then a pretty flower does bloom there.

Clammily,
E.G.-S.

Are potatoes actually bad for you? Dame Evelyn has some lowdown on spuds:
Contact Evelyn Grosvenor-Smythe at dame.evelyn@comcast.net.