I like getting chowder in a fresh bread bowl from the streetside vendors across from Boudin's, then eating outside in the brisk weather.

If you're a foodie, avoid A. Sabella's and nearly every other restaurant in the FW area. A. Sabella's has a nice view, and they do a few dishes/desserts right, but they get more wrong! Too much vinegar for example.

There's an Ivar's (Seattle) outpost in a popular mall in San Jose. They won the restaurant category at the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk Clam Chowder Cookoff few year's back:
http://www.beachboardwalk.com/clam_chowder.html