The Early Word on Gowanus Clam Shack Littleneck

Littleneck, a new New England style clam shack in Gowanus, opened up to the public about a month ago, and by the looks of it, the newcomer is already a hit in the neighborhood. Early feedback on chef Alan Harding's food runs positive, with complaints popping up here and there from those who want to nitpick the prices, the service, and the imported from Bushwick crowd. Quick, now, to the early word:

The Good News: The Voice's Robert Sietsema stops in to try Littleneck's take on choucroute, an Alsatian dish of meat and sauerkraut. Here it's a dish of bluefish and sauerkraut, and "you won't miss the meat. A large hunk sits upon a bed of sliced potatoes and, yes, sauerkraut, and a white sauce suffuses all. On top of the fish are browned bread crumbs, qualifying the dish as au gratin, only the crust is laced with dill, sending it spinning in an almost Russian direction." He writes that they've reinvented the dish "in spectacular fashion." [FitR]

The Great News: Yelp has nothing but raves for the place. Says one review, "ok, i've been here twice since it opened last week. the food has been amazing each time, but the service def improved as of last night. The first time i was there was opening night and i think they didn't have enough servers but last night they had more servers and a host. My personal favorites so far are the whole belly clam roll and the chowder. My friend had the mussels last night and we were both surprised how good they were. Although all the staff was really busy they were all extremely nice and made sure everything was ok. i'm really glad that this place is good because i live in the neighborhood. fun place, great food. will def be back!" [Yelp]

The Bad News: One Menupages user is not impressed: "As expensive as Aquagrill in Manhattan, and nowhere as good. Embarrassingly mediocre "Lobster roll" @ $18 had pieces of lobster almost as small as the prolific chopped celery! Try Sheepshead Bay if you crave lobster, or Oyster Bar or Aquagrill if you are jonesing for oysters." [Menupages]

The Mostly Good News: Eater commenters love the food but have some quibbles. Says one, "Went on opening night and was blown away. Hands down best lobster roll around. My boyfriend had the steamers and they were equally as good. Service was a little slow but I'm not sure they were expecting the crowd." And another, "Great food. Horrible clientele, do they arrange a shuttle bus from Bushwick to this place?" [Eater Comments]

More Good News: The Foursquare tips are all positive, with some recommending the oysters, others the clams, and one making a strong case for the burger. [Foursquare]

The Get In While You Can News: Like the Foursquare tips, the Twitter buzz is mostly positive. Here's one representative tweet: "Being taken out to dinner at a DELICIOUS restaurant in Gowanus, now in 4th week of existence: Littleneck. Go now, will be packed forever." [Twtiter]

[Krieger]