I wasn't going to start a holy war in this thread but I think you're correct. The best chowder I've ever had was at Eisenberg's in Manhattan. It's a Friday only special and I ate it every week for years. New England chowder is good maybe once or twice a year for me. It's just too heavy. I've had better cream-based oyster/seafood stews on the Cape but they were far lighter than the normal chowder you come across.