liamsaunt

I enjoyed it. Like you said, it was very buttery inside the crispy coating. I think overall I would prefer to just eat it as is, but it was interesting to try. Yesterday morning we had to be out of the house for a couple of hours so the cleaning crew could come in for a mid stay refresh. We decided to go to breakfast. There's a high end restaurant in town known for its seven course tasting menus (my husband and I have a reservation there later this week, once everyone else in our group has returned home). The owner started running a coffee house in the mornings a couple of years ago, and we had never tried it, so it seemed like the day to head over. Everything is baked there, so what's available depends on what is coming out of the oven when you arrive. My nephew chose a huge piece of coffee cake Husband's brother and I got a slice of grandma pizza with runny egg baked into it and my husband chose a mezzaluna filled with speck Everything was really tasty. We went for a long walk on the beach afterwards. Later in the afternoon we went for another long walk at the house. The scary steps to the beach But at least there are steps. We walked down to one of the National Park beaches, White Crest, and observed these folks struggling to get everything they brought down the dune back up again. I've gone up and down this dune many times, but I only bring myself, not the entire kitchen sink like these folks My sister joined us again that evening, after driving up from dropping my niece at college in NYC. She was hungry and wanted a drink, so we headed to Winslow's Tavern. Drinks: nephew's old fashioned, my club soda, sister's G+T, husband's division bell, and HB's vodka basil lemonade for appetizers, my sister, HB< and husband shared the lobster croquetas, which they reported as being very good and the clams and calamari that we had enjoyed so much earlier in the summer. This evening, it needed salt My nephew ordered the lamb meatballs, which he devoured and I chose the tomato tart, which sounded delicious and looked lovely. Unfortunately, the puff pastry was almost raw. I was able to nibble the edges, which were cooked, and ate the topping off it. My husband had a nicoise salad for dinner. He said it was only OK. Nephew got a corn and prosciutto pasta. He thought it was terrific. HB and I both got a monkfish special, which came with braised fennel (it came out basically raw--you could not even cut into it), roasted cherry tomatoes, tomato puree and warm tartare sauce. The fish itself was fine, but the portion was really skimpy--probably 3 ounces at most. It might have been even smaller. It was completely smothered in a huge pool of sauce, maybe to make it look bigger? I have a small appetite but HB was not happy. My sister had the roasted cod with eggplant, which she said was delicious

Yesterday my husband and I went into town to go to the grocery store, which led to a stop at our favorite treat spot. We got a cup of their newest flavor, biscoff. I have liked all of the flavors I have tried over the years, but this one is probably in the top five. Later, we had to drive back to Eastham to pick up our CSA box (and, as it turns out our nephew, who had car trouble on the way out). Nephew wanted to go to Casa del Cabo, one of the few restaurants around here that does not fry crustaceans, therefore allowing my nephew to eat their fried food. The menu and drink menu My nephew and husband's brother both opted for a happy hour special drink of a watermelon mezcal margarita, and my husband chose a passion fruit margarita. I had a mocktail with jalepenos and pineapple in it. We shared some happy hour oysters and we got two orders of calamari--one for my nephew, one for everybody else to share. My husband and his brother both opted for the swordfish. I've had this here before and it's good. I like the spice rub they put on it My nephew and I both got tacos. Pork for my nephew and fried avocado for me After dinner, we drove over to the first beach we ever stayed on--Thumpertown in Eastham. It has incredible sunsets, where the sun drops directly into the water. Unfortunately, we were too late for the sunset, but the afterglow was really pretty.

Yesterday was sunny but extremely windy, with rough surf and rip current warnings. There were exactly zero surfers out there yesterday. Every time I went out on the deck, I got blown back inside. Here's a picture of the surf We were not sure what to do for dinner. I offered to go down to the market and get some fish and cook dinner, but the guys wanted to go out. My husband ended up snagging a cancellation at Front Street, so we jumped in the car and drive to Provincetown. It was pretty quiet. There are only four car chargers in town that are not located in a pay parking lot, and two have been out of order for months. We lucked out and got one of the remaining two working chargers, the first time that has happened all summer. Our hybrid is pretty old, and when we first got it, we always found a space at one of the charging stations. These days, it's a constant competition haha. Drinks for the guys. My nephew is joining us for the weekend starting today, which means no shrimp for the next few days. Given that, we decided to share two shrimp appetizers--scampi style and diablo style. Both had tasty sauces. I gave a slight edge to the scampi one. I ordered eggplant parmesan for dinner, and it did not make for an attractive photo, so you will have to imagine it. It was delicious, though too large. HB finished it off for me. The guys both got Sicilian style calamari pasta For dessert, we decided to share a slice of the bruleed key lime pie. I liked the crispy top on the sweet-tart pie, and the smaller size was perfect to split three ways after a filling dinner--two bites each. Quiet evening in Provincetown Moonrise from the deck of our house

Yesterday was another poor weather day, mostly spent lazing around the house with our books. It cleared up enough for my husband and I to go down to the harbor for a walk in the afternoon. Fishing boats We decided to have dinner at the Bookstore, another place my sister does not like. We had not been there in a bit so I took pictures of the menu. Appetizers and salads Main dishes Drinks. Husband had a lemon and ginger martini. I don't remember what HB ordered. My husband really wanted to try the fish stick appetizer. I was more skeptical, and chose a second appetizer for us to share too. Here's the fish stick appetizer. It turned out to be the thinner tail pieces of the cod filets they use in their main dishes, coated in a very crunchy coating similar to a commercial fish stick. I ate a bite, but it was not really up my alley. The guys liked it though! I chose the steamed mussels as the second appetizer to share. Very tasty! Husband had a swordfish sandwich. He said the fish was very fresh and the fries were good too HB chose the Mexican cod. He enjoyed it. I had the steamed littlenecks over pasta. I don't usually order pasta with clams while dining out, because I like my home cooked version so much, but this one was very good. The clams were nice and tender. None of us wanted dessert. We left the restaurant in time to catch the tail end of the sunset The weather is supposed to be very nice for the next few days, so I hope to have some good sunsets to share, as well as more tasty food.

And indeed, the poor weather rolled in yesterday with lots of fog and rain. Today is also not nice, with heavier fog and intense humidity. The handrails in the house are soaking wet from the humidity. There are also strong currents and heavy surf starting today though tomorrow night while Hurricane Franklin begins its pass far to our east. The weather kept us housebound with our books yesterday. Husband's breakfast photo. I broke one of the yolks, but managed to mostly salvage it. The fog was really thick last night, so we decided to try a close by restaurant, Van Rensselaer's. It's been around forever--I think around 40 years--so I can't really say why we have never gone there before. It's always very crowded when we drive by. Since it was a new-to-us place I took pictures of the menu for @rotuts Appetizers etc. Mains Drinks. I forget what HB had, and husband had a fig martini We shared some clams casino. They were fine Husband and his brother also shared the lobster cakes. I didn't think they looked very appealing, but they liked them. Husband's brother got the mixed seafood pasta. Husband had the baked swordfish with New England style lobster stuffing. I chose the cajun shrimp with mashed potatoes and asparagus They had dessert, but none of us were in the mood. Overall, we enjoyed our food, and we'd probably go back sometime.

Yesterday we trekked down the 96 steps from the house to the beach for a walk. Here's the house from the beach It's a quick walk over to Newcomb Hollow Beach, which is the residents only (for parking purposes--anyone can walk or ride bikes in) beach in the summer. There's good surfing here when the conditions are right. We let my husband's brother pick our dinner location last night, and he chose the Pearl, because he knows my sister doesn't really like to eat there. Drinks: Cape Cod margarita, watermelon margarita, and water We shared some fried calamari (just OK) and the banging shrimp (a tad too salty) HB got the fish tacos, which he enjoyed. Husband had the shrimp and scallop scampi. I had the grilled swordfish. No dessert. We went over to Duck Harbor after dinner to go for a walk. The sunset went behind the clouds, but the sky was beautiful anyway. You can see a pod of seals swimming by in this one. I could not decide which photo I liked better, so here's a second shot of the sky.

Yes it does, and I suppose it could be a health hazard, but I will confess I did not think anything about it at the time. Yesterday we went to Provincetown to celebrate my niece's birthday (it was not actually her birthday but she will be back at college when it is). She wanted to go back to Pepe's, and it was her pick so off we went. We ordered some appetizers to share. Oysters Rockefeller Mushroom flatbread Grilled asparagus and broccolini with burrata (this one was my niece's and she only shared the asparagus haha) Halibut for my sister (my husband ordered this too). You can see my niece's steak frites in the background. She was too far away for me to get a picture of her dish. Salmon for my husband's brother My pesto pasta with colossal shrimp. I gave one to my husband and one to my husband's brother because they were so large. Birthday desserts. Cranberry bread pudding for my niece Coconut cake for the rest of us to share My sister and niece are leaving this afternoon to get ready to bring my niece back to college, so it will just be my husband and his brother with me for the next couple of days. My nephew might be joining us Thursday for the weekend, depending on how tired he is after his first week in his new teaching job. My sister will be back on Saturday, after bringing my niece to NYC. The weather has not been great, and it's supposed to be decidedly lousy for a couple of days starting tomorrow, so I think some home cooking might make an appearance on the menu this week.

We are back in Wellfleet for two weeks, staying at the same beach house we have rented at this time of year for the past few years. This will likely be our last stay at this house, as the owner is putting the house on the market after the season ends. I think the house might get as much as 10 more years before it goes over the dune, so someone will probably snap it up, but I doubt it will be back on the rental market after the sale. Our traditional first dinner is always at Mac's Shack Non alcoholic drinks for my niece and me Cocktails for my sister, husband, and husband's brother I didn't get pictures of everything, but here are a few things. You've seen them all before if you have read previous reports. Jalepeno yellowtail sashimi Halibut turadito Sashimi dinner, no octopus at my request Thai curried scallops with rice and bok choy

Yes, that is definitely a problem there. TJ's is actually cheaper than many of the other grocery stores around where I live. Its always really crowded though, and with the stock always changing, it's impossible to go in and shop from a list. Then you end up buying all these things you did not know you "needed" instead, and still have to go to another grocery store after 🤣 Last night, corn risotto with tomatoes and giant seared scallops.

Caprese salad in the front for my sister, husband, and me. Fresh mozzarella and pepper salad in the back for my niece and nephew to share. Nephew took some of the cypress too. Turns out he developed a taste for tomato salad while living in Montana. Served with fried chicken

Spice rubbed grilled chicken on a salad with tahini dressing.

Proscuitto, pesto, fresh mozzarella, tomato, arugula sandwich on focaccia.

Broiled sole with lemon sauce, spinach and crispy risotto cake

Mutter paneer, chicken curry, maharajah rice, naan

Salad with yogurt marinated grilled chicken and tzatziki sauce, flatbread

It was crazy. I think the trip was supposed to be 9 hours door to door, but absolutely everything went wrong. Crazy weather, mechanical malfunctions, etc. I remember crying at the ferry dock when we finally got to St. John and saying we were never coming back. Then we stayed for three weeks and had a fabulous time. That was in 2006 😂 Yes, it was on the permanent cocktail menu. I did not see that particular menu because they only brought one for the table to share, and since I don't drink alcohol anymore, it never made its way to me. But he definitely ordered from the menu. I can say that I did not notice anyone else in the restaurant drinking it, and can also say with confidence that he would never, ever order it again 😂

I am coming back with just my husband in November, so I will get to do whatever I want then. 😀 It was per taco, but that's a pretty typical price for down here. Everything is pretty expensive. The most common advice to new tourists considering a visit is "bring half the clothes and twice the money you were planning." We are home now. We had some very island time delays getting back. First, the plane had too much fuel to take off from St. Thomas, so we had to sit on the jetway and burn off enough to be able to clear the mountain at the end of the runway. Then, they burned off too much fuel, so we had to refuel. Then we had to wait for a crew change in San Juan, where we had to stop to refuel again (because you cannot put enough fuel in the plane in St. Thomas to fly direct to Boston, because of the whole mountain thing). It took 14 hours door to door, which was definitely not our record (26 hours). We stopped by Irie Pops one last time, to try the orange cone None of us picked it as our favorite, but it was still good. We spent the day at Trunk Bay, and then went to town for another dinner at La Tapa. Menu for Friday night Drinks. Husband had a martini, I had a very exciting club soda, sister had a gimlet, and my nephew got some strange drink with pepper vodka and coffee. He was not a huge fan, but it's his fault for ordering a drink with pepper vodka and coffee in it. La Tapa oil and bread Sister and husband shared a special appetizer of scallops in a lobster broth Tuna tartare for the table Nephew had the lamb meatballs, but the picture came out blurry. I chose the salad of grilled eggplant, roasted beets, arugula, mozzarella, and pine nuts. This was delicious. I am going to try and replicate it for dinner one night this week. My sister, niece and I all ordered the mahi mahi with green curry sauce. It was delicious Husband got the tuna again. He said it was even better than the last time he ordered it. and nephew got the veal schnitzel special, which he very much enjoyed We ordered some desserts this time. Niece chose the bread pudding with raspberries and saffron ice cream. She loved this Husband and I shared the flan. Everyone else stole some of it, but I got three bites and it was delicious Nephew chose the apple tarte tatin, which he devoured And that's it until next time. Here's the obligatory photo of the parting view of downtown from the ferry back to St. Thomas. See you on the dinner! thread.

The ice cream is a chocolate and vanilla soft serve twist. Everything that Irie Pops makes is vegan. I believe the ice cream is a coconut base, but I can ask when I go back there today. The cone is a blue corn flavor. My niece and nephew thought it was a little salty. I thought it was very good with the ice cream, but they prefer the pink cone, which is a vanilla flavor. There's also an orange cone which we have not tried yet (but I am getting one today). Yesterday we spent the day at tranquil Francis Bay. For lunch/dinner, I wanted to go to Coral Bay to try out a BBQ place and then go to the Windmill Bar for drinks and pictures, and then to town for ice cream, but I was overruled (again, a theme of this trip) in favor of just eating at the Windmill Bar and then possibly going to town for ice cream. I was skeptical about this choice, but majority rules. As I expected, the view from the bar was stunning. Those white roofs you see are part of the ruins of the Caneel Bay resort. Beyond it, Henley Cay, then the big one is Lovongo Cay, with Congo Cay behind it. Then, right to left, Grass, Mingo, and Thatch Cays. All but Lovongo are uninhabited, and Thatch Cay is currently for sale, for, I think, $15 million if you want to own your own private island 😂 The bar. It's called the windmill bar because it is on the grounds of an old sugar plantation, and the ruins of the windmill and sugaring house are still there. The food is not really the draw here, it is all about the view. Buffalo dip ordered by my nephew Fish tacos (cheese, sigh) burger Chocolate sea salt Irie Pop from the stash behind the bar, purchased when it became obvious that we were not gong to town for ice cream after all. My niece had a pina colada one, which she enjoyed. and one more of the view

So we did get to the floating taco bar yesterday. We went around 3 so we could make it our main meal of the day, and that turned out to be a good idea. Normally it is packed out there, but we almost had the place to ourselves. The fact that it's August also has something to do with that. The island is really starting to empty of tourists. You have to charter a boat to take you out to the bar and then swim in for lunch. There are a couple of shuttle companies also, but since we had five people, it was only a few dollars more to just charter a boat, which is more convenient because you can then leave all your stuff on the boat. If you take the shuttle you have to bring everything with you to Lime Out. Lime Out floating taco bar The menu. Between us we tried the seveche, the tuna, the cauliflower, the rum rib, and the short rib. I only got a picture of my plate, so no pictures of the meaty ones. We each ordered three tacos. My nephew commented that he thought he should have ordered seven, and my niece thought five would have been a more appropriate serving size. I thought they were just being silly, but when we got back to the house, they grilled more food. 😂 After Lime Out, we stopped by Trunk Bay for a swim. I love going at the end of the day when the beach is basically empty. Dusty sunset

So despite the prediction of bad weather for yesterday, it turned out to be a pretty nice day. The storms were around, but they all passed to the side and went over to neighboring St. Thomas. We spent the day at Hawsknest beach Dinner that night was at Morgan's Mango The restaurant. We were in the first seating, and I took this picture as soon as we got to our table. The whole place was full about five minutes after I took this. You need to call about six weeks in advance for a reservation on their lobster nights. Menus. Drinks Appetizers Mains Drinks. One is a gimlet, and the other is the no way jose We ordered some appetizers to share. Tuna tostones Snapper seveche, with tuna tartare in the back ground Nephew wanted a house salad. He declared it "the best salad he had ever eaten in his life." I do not know if that was actually true or if he was just starving For entrees, my sister, nephew and I all got the same thing, the catch of the day (wahoo) served voodoo style with island salsa. Nephew had to pass on the salsa since it has pineapple in it and he has a sensitivity to that, but he just dipped his fish in the bean sauce and enjoyed it that way My niece got the pork tenderloin and husband had the lobster Desserts We shared a piece of their famous key lime pie (unfortunately the picture came out blurry), and a piece of the pineapple caramel bread pudding Today is our rescheduled visit to the floating taco bar, if the weather holds. It's pretty windy right now, so we will see what the day brings.

Not too many pictures from yesterday. We drove all the way out to the east end of the island to hit up one of my favorite snorkeling spots. It has a very healthy reef, and we've seen all kinds of great stuff here, like spotted eagle rays, octopus, sharks, and turtles. We knew there was a chance that we might not be able to get in because of sargassum. Luckily, most of the island is not affected by sargassum, but there are a few places that face in the right direction to be impacted, and this is one of them. We hiked in and..... Booo!!! It's OK. I am coming back in November and the sargassum will be gone by then. Plus, there was lots of wildlife around on the shore and I got four new birds for my life list 😀 We went to the south facing side of the same bay to find crystal clear waters. The snorkeling here is not as good as the north side, but we did see some decent stuff. Time for "lunch" I got overruled on my scenic bar visit in favor of coming back to the house for pool time. I've been promised we will go later this week. We'll see... Dinner was the most basic at the house. Nephew and husband had burgers and hot dogs, niece, sister and I had chicken sausages with peppers, plus a salad. My nephew's plate Today was supposed to be a wash out weather wise, but it's looking pretty sunny out there so we might get to the beach after all. In any event, we have a fancy dinner out reserved for this evening.

Bugs, no bathroom, and sleeping on the ground in a sleeping bag sum up the terrors of camping to him. One of the St. John cays is now offering glamping in the on season, and he is considering my request to try that out. The "tents" have real beds, ac, wifi, and indoor bathrooms! It's like a hotel, but up in a tree. Sounds pretty great to me. Lovongo Cay Sure. We've been in here for over a week, so sorry for anything messy or out of place. This is the great room leading to the kitchen. We hang out in here at night Here's a fun feature of the primary bedroom. The shower is outdoors. You have a great view of the bay while getting cleaned up. I think the other bedrooms have indoor showers, but I have not really looked. This is the lower covered terrace area. The path to the beach is off here. There are kayaks and SUPs behind this area. The upper pool deck area. My husband and I sit in those green chairs to look at the stars every night The outdoor dining area And my favorite outdoor spot, the gazebo where I read every morning while waiting for everyone else to wake up. Here are some more garden photos too. The view from the front door heading towards the driveway, which is out of sight Heading into the gardens. There are fruit trees back here. Yesterday morning we went in to town looking for caffeine. Two stops, St. John Scoops Caffeination Station for drinks and Downtown Sips for baked goods. I forgot to take pictures of everything. We spent the day at Maho beach We did snorkel and saw some turtles, rays, and various fish, but overall visibility was not great because we have been having rain showers, which is stirring things up. It was still nice to get out there. Nobody wanted anything fancy for dinner so we just went to the Beach Bar (logo: home of some of the greatest times you'll never remember) View from our picnic table on the beach. The sunset is obscured not by clouds, but by Sahara dust. Bad for asthma, good because it suppresses development of tropical weather. This is the dustiest I have ever seen it here. Margaritas for the drinkers Conch fritters! Blackened tuna with wasabi sauce tuna down now (wrapped in nori and flash fried with soy dipping sauce) My niece wanted these pasta balls. They are cheese stuffed mac and cheese deep fried. I did not know that anything like this existed. If I never try it again, that will be ok with me. Sister's second drink was the local IPA Goodbye sun And, of course, ice cream for dessert. Nephew's two scoops (guava and strawberry) in a waffle cone Today, more snorkeling, hopefully a trip to a bar I have wanted to visit for a while, (not for the drinks, for the views. If we get there, you will see), and another home cooked dinner.

it is beautiful. It is also a National Park beach, and it offers camping, everything from bare sites to newly refurbished cottages. I think it’s pretty great, but camping of any kind is a hard no for my husband.

The red sauce is a local hot sauce that I love mixed with sriracha that I brought from home. The white sauce is just yogurt mixed with a little mayonnaise, vinegar, and sugar, all purchased at the grocery here. Here’s the local hot sauce. It’s mildly spicy with curry in it. Delicious. Not traditional for shawarma, but you use what you have 😀

That's an interesting perspective. The island is trying to bury the power lines in areas that are deemed to be at very high risk during storms, such as right next to the shore, but it is a very slow moving process, and the island's power system is really unstable for other reasons that underground lines won't help with. I won't get into that here. We spent the day at Cinnamon beach It was really windy, so we could not snorkel, but it was fine for swimming. I stopped for the obligatory scenic overlook picture of Trunk Bay and then we headed back to the house, because we were planning on just hanging out and cooking dinner there. I like the way the house is almost hidden down a lush path short after we arrived to the pool, it started raining again. We did get a rainbow Cooking dinner was a bit of a challenge. The kitchen is really under equipped for such an upscale house. I'll be leaving some feedback for sure, since we are already booked to come back here. Nephew grilled some chicken we had marinated in advance, I struggled to make flatbread in the only large skillet available on one of the two working burners on the stove, and my sister made a salad from delicious local greens. Viola, chicken shawarma of sorts.