Call me impatient, call me a dreamer. But at this time of year when the weather is yanking us between balmy and brrrr, with frequent urgency I get to hankering for fish and chips. My kingdom for a summertime clam shack.

No such luck yet, of course. Waterside picnic tables were still snow-covered until recently. But I’d been wanting to check out the New England Fish Factory, so my craving during a recent cold snap made this a good time to do so. Their outside patio tables remained as lonely as Coney Island in February, but inside it was warm and cozy.

There’s even a fireplace in the dining room, which has light walls and a bright, crisp atmosphere, as sunshine, however steely, pours in from high casement windows. On the hardwood tables next to the malt vinegar there were little tumbles of baby’s breath and pink asters the afternoon we came. Above that gas fireplace is a model sailboat along with fishing creels and lobster-pot floats.

Actually, the fast food take-out clam shack model was more what proprietors Greg and Ellen Murphy had in mind when they opened 19 months ago. They had such a place on Cape Cod for five years and figured that an eatery with quick counter service was what this busy stretch of Pawtucket could use. But Greg Murphy says customers made clear right away that they wanted to sit at tables and take their time. So the Murphys complied.

Items passing by certainly looked appetizing. A big tangle of onion strings, while pricey at $4.99, looked far less greasy than onion rings tend to get. And I could see that the fried fish wasn’t blanketed with the thick, grease-sucking batter that brightens the smiles of cardiologists.

Starters include fried calamari " R.I. style " and one served with a roasted red pepper dipping sauce. Of course, clam cakes are an option, but if the Sam Adams beer on tap nudges you into bar snack mode, there’s always what they’re calling a nacho casserole ($5.99), although I didn’t see any guacamole in the description.

We thought we’d begin with the Buffalo shrimp ($6.99), six fat suckers, lightly floured and fried, were dripping with a sauce too hot for wusses. Since I don’t mind spicy hot that cauterizes, Hoosier Johnnie is my Middle-American thermometer for such, and she left me one from her share. (Note, though, that she did gobble up a second one, so we’re talking tantalizingly tangy.) Much easier on the palate was a soup of the day, fish chowder ($3.50/$4.50), available with lobster bisque on that visit as well as the regular menu New England clam chowder. Creamy and yellow with butter, there was scrod in every bite, so I expect that the bivalve version is also yummy.

Johnnie upgraded the fish & chips to fried sole ($11.99) for a more delicate treat than the default cod or pollock version ($7.50) would provide. You can also choose haddock, shrimp, or scallops for $12.99. As I had glimpsed, the fish was very lightly coated, so canola oil was not the main ingredient. The French fries were standard issue, but the coleslaw was superb — creamy and with a hint of, we guessed, tarragon. We also ordered broiled swordfish ($14.99). It was perfectly cooked, moist and flavorful, garlic and olive oil on top, although the advertised herb component was merely chopped parsley, a lost opportunity. An optional preparation involves Cajun seasoning and that roasted red pepper dipping sauce — a tasty pink mayo that, upon request, we were brought along with the tartar sauce. The Italian bread, by the way, is better than what many fancy restaurants serve, crusty and chewy, from a favorite Hyannis, Massachusetts, bakery of the Murphys.

We’d been given something titled the Lenten menu, a somewhat pared-down weekend list of offerings so as to not overwhelm the kitchen. After Easter the regular menu will let you be tempted by the Fish Factory’s linguine — with clam sauces, marinara, fra diavolo, or jambalaya. Salads range from Caesar to Cobb. Sirloin and chicken are available, too, as are sandwiches and burgers.

For dessert, the marker board of specials listed chocolate chip pie and apple crisp, both $4.50, and since the latter was kitchen-made, we chose that. Johnnie loved it — and she’s finicky about this treat — since the thick Granny Smith slices were a tart complement to the sweetness and not cooked to mush. I, however, wanted some crumbs to hold up and stay crisp, per promise, instead of reducing to a sugary sauce.

The New England Fish Factory is a pleasant oasis in the heart of strip mall Pawtucket. And if clam shack nostalgia strikes in the pit of your stomach, know that they can fry up a mean fish filet.

Bill Rodriguez can be reached at billrod@ reporters.net