liamsaunt

Slow roasted halibut with cherry tomatoes and garlic with spinach and fregola

It's a recipe from an old fish cookbook called Great Fish, Quick by Leslie Revsin. Basically, you sauté a lot of shallots in butter until they are very soft, then stir in a mixture of lemon juice, dried mustard powder, hot sauce, and red pepper flakes. Despite the ingredients, it's not really spicy at all. The stuff on top of the tuna is the cooked shallots.

Seared tuna with deviled shallot butter, mashed potatoes, green beans with almonds

The decorative lab ware things have been on the tables since we started dining here (10 years ago, maybe?) As far as the beaker "glasses" for the iced teas, it did not really bother me. I did prefer drinking from the stemmed glasses when those were offered, just because they are easier to hold and feel nicer. I guess if the wine was served in a beaker, that could be quite problematic, but they were always presented in proper stemware.

Last day of Wellfleet dining for this visit. I lost Thursday to a terrible migraine. I only get them rarely (the last one was almost two years ago) but when I do, they are completely debilitating. I thought I had kicked it before dinner, but it came back with a vegenance after the first course, and we had to leave. Luckily, the restaurant kindly allowed us to come back last night (they book up well in advance), and squeezed a table in to the corner for us. It was so nice of them. After 14 hours of sleep, and a reset, we returned for the Ceraldi menu for Friday evening They offer a wine pairing or a soft beverage pairing with the meal (or just water of course). My husband did the wine and I did the soft pairing. I thought the soft pairing was by far the best I have ever had at any restaurant. Sometimes they are too sweet, or just too odd, but this one worked perfectly. There was a lavender lemonade to start that I forgot to take a picture of. First course, oyster three ways, paired with a lemon spritz The second course was a salad, and I honestly think it was my favorite of the evening. The candied walnuts were amazing. This was paired with a hibiscus iced tea. They left the speck off my salad, since I don't really eat meat. Husband's salad, with speck Cucumber gazpacho with local lobster Paired with a lemon tonic The next course was eggplant and it was completely delicious--incredibly creamy. Paired with another chilled tea The fifth course was halibut, with a romesco sauce and a leek pudding. Incredible, and just the right portion size. This was paired with a green tea. At this point, I was full. Two courses left. If we were not going home this morning, I would have had them packed to go. The risotto was a wild mushroom topped with parmesan foam. It was pretty dark at this point, so the picture did not come out, but I did get a picture of the pairing, which was a tonic made with balsamic vinegar and maple syrup. It sounded really weird, but worked well to cut the richness of the risotto (what I could eat of it). Dessert was a small cannoli stuffed with chocolate mousse. Again, too dark for food photos. Restaurant interior: And that's it, until we come back for Oysterfest weekend next month. I am always grateful for the peaceful times we are able to spend in this beautiful, fragile place.

Yesterday we went to PB Boulangerie and Bistro in Wellfleet for dinner. We go to the bakery all the time but had not been back to the bistro for many years--definitely not since the pandemic. A few years ago they switched to a three course prix fixe menu, and I often find prix fixe setups to be way too much food. The menu had a lot of options. They started us off with an amuse bouche of a seafood sausage made from scallops, monkfish and cod with a tomato sauce. They also brought out a large bread basket with a sampling of breads from the bakery, with a plate of olive oil, butter, and salt. It looked delicious, but since I have already had all of their breads, I tried to avoid that to save room for the meal. For first course, I chose a U10 scallop with spinach salad and pomegranate seeds. Husband had oysters gratineed with spinach. Based on the menu desciption, I thought the dish was going to be one large-dish scallop with a small salad. Nope... It was really delicious, but this is as much food as I would eat for an entire dinner! This is always what happens to me at prix fixe meals, sigh... Meanwhile, my husband's oyster serving was very large too, but he knew that it would be. He said they were perhaps a bit overstuffed with spinach, but very good. For mains I chose the sole, which was very delicious, but again, too large! It turned out to be OK though, because I ended up sharing with my husband. He ordered the lobster pasta, which was really not that good. The pasta was badly undercooked, and the lobster was overcooked and chewy. Too bad, because it looked pretty. He ate a little bit of it and then we shared my main course. There was a snafu with desserts. You order your whole meal at the beginning, and I chose the crepes suzette, while husband chose the floating island. Something was going on with my crepes, but I don't know what the issue was. It took 45 minutes to get our desserts. Finally, they bought out my husband's dessert, along with a free, second dessert for me while we continued to wait for the crepes. I wish they had said something first, because I was so full I would have been fine with skipping dessert entirely. Husband's floating island (he said it was delicious) Free chocolate mousse (we both tasted it, but then had them pack the rest up to go) And finally, the long awaited crepes Suzette. They were very nice, but I was too full to eat them. My husband asked for them to be packed to go for his breakfast 🙂

Yesterday was gorgeous weather. My efforts to go for a walk in front of the house were thwarted by the tide. That temporary moat at the bottom of the stairs was waist deep (I saw someone else walking though it) and the water is way too cold for me to submerge myself that far! After my husband finished his work day, we drove to Provincetown to have dinner at Mews. Menu We had looked at the menu the night before and knew that we wanted to share the crab terrine for an appetizer. However, they also had a special of tuna tartare. What to do...order both of course! Crab Tuna (with seaweed salad, mango salsa, and wasabi aioli) They were both very good, but I gave the slight edge to the crab, and my husband preferred the tuna. My husband opted for the catch of the day, which was halibut with a balsamic, wild mushroom, and onion reduction. i had the miso cod. and for dessert, we shared a mocha pannacotta Everything was lovely. I do think Mews is one of the better restaurants out here. After dinner we went to Herring Cove to catch the very tail end of the sunset and go for a long walk to help digest dinner. Another beautiful day on Cape Cod comes to a close

There was nothing to spread it on, it was just in the middle of the dish, and it had been seared on both sides. That was my husband's dish, and he mentioned that he was not really sure why they put it in there. It tasted good, but the dish would have been perfectly fine without it. My sister and nephew went home yesterday, so it was just three of us for dinner. We decided to just stop by the fish market and pick up something easy to make for dinner on our deck. I got some lobster meat for the guys, and a few scallops for me. Warm lobster rolls for the guys Seared scallop roll for me Last night's sunset was good. We drove a few minutes up the road to Truro so we could watch the sun drop directly in to the water. Goodbye sun. The little light in the right of this photo is the Pilgrim Monument tower in Provincetown.

Last night we went to Mac's Shack again, at my nephew's request, since he had not been there yet this year. I was surprised that that's where he wanted to go, since there are only about two things on the menu that he can eat. But, he said it is traditional for us to eat there, so off we went. Drinks. The guys all got a a mescalito and my sister had a gin spin Oysters I wanted to try their Thai fish cakes. They had a nice amount of heat to them. Husband got a special appetizer of toro hand roll. It had Mexican flavors, which sounded odd, but he said it was really good Nephew's burger Seared tuna with soba noodles and wasabi sauce Salmon with chopped salad, tzatziki sauce, and curried cauliflower puree fried clams a special of seared scallops with cauliflower puree and a duck pate. We had a mixup on our bill which delayed us getting to the sunset. Here is the very tail end of it

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 😂