liamsaunt

Tuesday, grilled scallops and zucchini with Smitten Kitchen's farro with tomatoes Last night, striped bass reubens

Last meal for the trip. There are thunderstorms in the area so we decided to stay close and go to Mac’s Shack. Blueberry lemonade cocktail. I normally dislike sweet drinks but this was ok. Halibut turadito tuna tostada seared halibut over over lobster mashed potatoes with lobster sauce grilled swordfish with roasted fingerlings, Swiss chard and tomatillo sauce And that is it for now. Tourist season is over. Friends of the owner came up on our beach boardwalk today looking for him to go with them to Reggae on the Bay and were disappointed to find out that the renters were firmly installed until tomorrow morning 🙂 But no worries, we will be back in this same house next month to attend Oysterfest and I will be sure to share photos here. Beach house rental last bit of sunset back to work Wednesday.

Yes, it is a red-tailed hawk. This type of hawk used to sit on the ledge of my office window to hunt rats and pigeons in the parking lot adjacent to my building. I have some cool pictures of them. Eventually a building was put in there and now they sit on that building instead. They also have a nest in the iconic CITGO sign that you can see from Fenway Park, so I still get to see them flying around as that is also part of my office window view. Yesterday my sister requested that we return to Winslow's Tavern. Drinks: summer in a glass, spicy G+T, and crush and blush Same roasted oysters as last time Tuna confit with saffron aioli Lobster sandwich Proscuitto sandwich Crab burger Cacio e pepe Triple chocolate mousse Sunset Crescent moon Today is our last day of the trip. We leave for home at 10AM tomorrow. My sister and niece have already left, and I think my brother and brother in law are leaving soon too (only my husband and I took tomorrow off from work). I'm not sure what we are doing for food yet. It is supposed to rain later, so we won't be venturing far.

Yesterday we had a terrific whale watch. We saw 15 humpback whales and two fin whales. Here are a couple of photos. The pier that the boats leave from looking back towards town Humpback doing a chin breach. This one actually did a full body breach but I was not fast enough with the camera. Mother whale with her calf Hello people Afterwards, per tradition, we had dinner at Mac's Fish House. Drinks Shrimp and grits Oysters (and it was happy hour so they were indeed $1 each!) Salmon hand roll Sushi (note the dreaded cream cheese again, yes this was my niece's plate) Roasted cod with a clams casino crust and crispy kale Broiled striped bass with mashed potatoes and vegetables Grilled striped bass with smoked mussels and mussel veloute Swordfish curry Niece had fried plantains with ice cream for dessert Back at the house we tried to go for a beach walk but were thwarted by the presence of this fellow on our deck. He's been hanging around here a lot and dive bombed my brother the other day so the nest must be close

Yesterday we were able to get parking at the Beachcomber. Fried clams Mozzarella sticks (for the niece) Steamers Caesar salad with shrimp Fish and chips Oyster po boy Heading out for a whale watch

We ate at home again last night (grilled halibut topped with butter poached lobster, sweet corn, tomato salad). I don't have any pictures of dinner, but here are our cocktails from Wednesday and Thursday: crush and blush and porch swing This next part is only interesting if you like oysters 🙂 Yesterday we toured the largest oyster farm in Wellfleet. The tours are run by SPAT, which is a non-profit organization that promotes Wellfleet oysters and supports the aquaculture industry in town. They run the somewhat famous annual Wellfleet Oysterfest in October (which we will be attending this year after taking last year off). Here are some photos from the tour. The oysters are grown on "hats" that are coated with a calcium and concrete sludge that the oysters like to adhere to. Here are the spats, you can see how tiny they are: Lots of spats They grow like this for a year, and then are removed from the hats and moved to bags, where they grow for another year. Bags After that, they are dumped right on to the harbor floor, where they grow in the muck for another year. This is Jake Puffer, the son of the original owner of this oyster farm. He now works with his Dad to raise the oysters The Puffer family also farms clams. The clam seed is buried in the muck, and left to grow for three years before being harvested. These are the clam beds. They are covered with plastic mesh to keep the birds and crabs from preying on them In this photo you can see Irwin Puffer and his helper Linda working on cleaning the oysters for sale. They cut off any barnacles and trim off any other growths such as sponges. Then the oysters are bagged and returned to the water for 24 hours before being hauled out and transferred to the wholesaler. I learned that this farm processes 15-20,000 oysters a week for sale, and the famers work 335 days a year. Oysters sell for about 70 cents a piece to the wholesaler. Of course then we turn around and pay $3.50 a piece in restaurants! They are worth it. My breakfast of local tomatoes and bacon from the Wellfleet farmer's market And our path to the beach at somewhat low tide

Haha yup, that was my niece’s roll. I do not like cream cheese in sushi either. We cooked at the house last night due to bad weather (swordfish pasta) and I think we are cooking at home tonight too, but this afternoon we are touring an oyster farm so I might have some photos from that to share later.

Yesterday we went to Provincetown to stock up on more books to read, and at my niece's insistence we went to lunch at Mac's Fish House. I figured she was a decent sport about the Pearl yesterday so indulged her. Drinks Tuna mango martini Jalepeno yellowtail Salmon poke Assorted sushi My brother does not eat sushi so he had a lobster roll.

I had a sizable (for an oyster) rock in one of the oysters I ate this week. Not from Mac's. Luckily I did not bite into it. My husband actually broke a crown on a steamer clam from our fish share a few years ago. Eat with caution! 🙂 Today we tried to go to the Beachcomber but the lot was full, so we ended up at the Pearl, much to my niece's chagrin. She has a grudge against this restaurant for reasons unknown to me. The rest of the group likes it and majority rules. Drinks Steamers Fried "calamari" I put calamari in quotes because we ordered fried calamari but there were also some random fried clams on the plate. We did not mind. Baked brie for niece. She said it was "fine." Ah, teenagers 🙂 Spicy cod wrap Oyster tacos Shrimp tacos Fish and chips Sister and niece went to free Shakespeare in the Park this evening (they are both theater geeks). The rest of us went to the sunset.

Last night we went to dinner at Mac’s Shack. We did our usual strategy of showing up before the start of service and having a drink in the outdoor bar to be sure to make the first seating. Unfortunately, a LOT of other people had the same idea. This place had a write up in the New York Times a few weeks ago and the secret is out! Here are a few of the things we ate: drinks oysters Hamachi aguachile Ritz cracker crusted bluefish Coconut curry sea scallops

Yes, they were definitely oversauced with avocado crema. Both siblings opted for the knife and fork approach.

Yesterday we had lunch at Winslow's Tavern to kill time while waiting to get in to our Wellfleet rental house. Drinks: crush and blush, te amo tequila, and summer in a glass We got two kinds of roasted oysters, our usual tabasco-lime butter ones and one from the specials list that had blue cheese butter and bacon jam some people got their usual, such as my niece's prosciutto-fig jam-gruyere panino with herb fries and my husband's lobster-prosciutto-saffron aioli sandwich Sister and brother opted for a fish taco special brother in law opted for a kale salad with shrimp and I had the summer ravioli special only niece had room for dessert, her usual triple chocolate mousse Everyone ended up getting hungry again later, and I had brought my pizza stone and peel with me, so I made pizzas for dinner using fish I picked up in town. Clam Fresh mozzarella and bacon Lobster Today's food is unplanned. Brother in law wants to go to the Beachcomber but parking there on a weekend can be challenging to say the least.

Have you ever seen the house he lived in? The window that he used to look out to get inspiration for the light of his seascapes is now boarded over to block the view of a monster house that was built illegally nearby. I am not sure what the current status of that property is, I know it was in court for a while because Truro wanted it torn down. Fun fact, one of the first houses we used to rent often in Wellfleet is in a Hopper painting. The second one from the left in this image: https://iartprints.com/buy/edward_hopper_cottages_at_wellfleet_art_print-35726.html?ds=11x8&gclid=Cj0KCQjwwIPrBRCJARIsAFlVT8_vSq590aN5toFo6k4B1JFX86jnR-wTK8C4a5LPEDjmuBnV8TQM07EaAlN3EALw_wcB The guy who owns it is a direct descendant of Walt Whitman. Unfortunately, he dramatically raised the rental rate and t's out of our price range now. Our last meal in Chatham was at the Squire. Drinks: dark and stormy, Sancerre and salty dog Oysters Fried sole Fishwich Fried shrimp And now this morning we pack up for our move to Wellfleet, where we will be through Labor Day.

Yesterday we had a late lunch in town at the Blue Coral. Drink--two kinds of margarita and a glass of Whispering Angel rose A goat cheese and ricotta dip with mushrooms and pistachios Tuna poke Tuna melt Crab cake burger Lobster and beef burger Tonkatsu ramen with pork belly Despite eating all the poke and ramen my niece was still hungry after lunch so we took her to Brick House where she selected this cappuccino chip ice cream And here are some scenic pictures from last evening’s sunset walk. A panorama of the dunes and Light House Beach Chatham Light

Yesterday we went out to breakfast at the Captain's Table. Right now the group consists of only my husband, my niece and myself. My brother is joining us later today, and my sister and my husband's brother are returning on Friday. Husband had the Portuguese egg sandwich I chose the smoked salmon and roasted pepper eggs benedict and niece had the blueberry breakfast bread pudding Later that that day we walked in to town and went to Buffy’s Ice Cream Shop. For dinner we had planned to try a new to us restaurant but it was closed for some reason. We are going to try again tonight. We ended up back at the Impudent Oyster. Drinks—a rosemary gin fizz and a lemon drop. They brought us an entire loaf of bread to share. We ate about a third of it. Husband and I shared a striped bass seveche. Niece ate the avocado and some of the chips. This was really good. We also shared some raw oysters topped with a roasted tomato and shrimp mignonette. Delicious again Niece had had a sesame crusted tuna with rice and a wasabi cream sauce. There were two huge pieces of tuna, and she ate them both Husband had a striped bass and lobster dish and I had seafood puttanesca The lady sitting beside us also ordered this dish. She told the server she did not like lobster or olives but she was going to order it anyway as she thought the other pasta dish (fra diavolo) sounded bland. We left before her plate arrived so I did not get to see if she ended up liking it. We were too full for dessert

The only meats I eat are chicken, turkey, and bacon. I was a vegetarian for many years and have not been able to overcome my aversion to anything else. The only seafood I do not eat is octopus, because they are so smart and I enjoy snorkeling with them. I also do not eat tofu anymore on the advice of my oncologist, which is too bad because I really like it. It was one of only three foods she recommended I stop eating so I live with it.

Tonight we went to Bluefins Sushi and Sake Bar in downtown Chatham. My niece loves sushi. Adult drinks. I know my husband's was a saketini. Mine was a gin, elderflower, cucumber drink My nephew with the crustacean allergy left with his Mom today before this meal to get ready to go back to college, so we ordered crispy Thai flavored shrimp. Overbreaded in my opinion Deconstructed lobster rangoon. An interesting idea for my next Super Bowl party, if I can host one (I am not a football fan and only host when my home team--the New England Patriots--are in it) Pork belly lettuce cups. Niece approved Tiger eye roll (salmon, jalapeño, cream cheese, unagi sauce) chosen by niece. Tuna crunch roll (with avocado tempura crumbs and thai chili sauce), another niece selection. Chatham sunset: raw scallop with spicy crumbs, tobiko and mango. Negi toro, with wasabi and mango sauce (again, chosen by niece). Bluefin (spicy tuna and cucumber w/tuna sashimi, mango, tempura crumbs and mustard soy. And lobster steamed, with spicy mayo, and cucumber and tobiko Niece's dessert, a lemon ginger cheesecake

Good luck with your last hospital related activities. Get out of there safely and back to your usual food adventures! 🙂

I hope you are able to leave the hospital soon. The food looks horrible. I have had the misfortune to eat hospital food in three different hospitals in the Boston area. Two were as pathetic as the meals you are being subjected to. Luckily in each case I only had to eat once before being released. The third place was actually quite good and they fed my husband the same meal too. I am glad your friends and family are able to bring you something decent to eat.

Sunday night we cooked at the house. I took inspiration from the Mantoulin blog on the Food Traditions and Culture page and made a clipper ship cocktail for everyone. It was tasty. For dinner we had grilled swordfish and grilled mackerel, a loaf of bread from a local bakery and a caprese salad made with arugula, tomatoes and burrata purchased at the Cape Abilities farm store. Cape Abilities is a pretty cool operation, you can check it out here: https://www.capeabilities.org Last night we went back to Bistro on Main for dinner. Menu photos: Drinks Toro poke Clams balboa Cod and sweet potato fries Lobster roll Mussels in a white wine sauce Short ribs Pasta bolognese Tiramisu Creme brulee Sun setting on the beach by our rental house

Minor update. Snacks at Bistro on Main this afternoon after attending the Chatham Festival of the Arts. Raw bar. Oysters and littlenecks smoked fish dip

My husband said he is going to pick them up the next time we are in Provincetown, just for the cover art. I had already picked out six other books and I am the package sherpa when we shop, so did not want to carry anything else 🙂 We are now in the Chatham rental house. My husband did not show me any pictures before booking it and now I know why. The kitchen is vintage! It has wall to wall carpeting, eek. The stove is a "Magic Chef." I think there are going to be more restaurant meals this week than I had planned for. The house does have a small grill and a swimming pool and is walking distance to downtown and the beach so it is all good. We had linner in town yesterday while waiting to get in to the house. We chose the Impudent Oyster. It has a huge menu so there is something for everyone. Take a look: Blueberry lemonade Fried calamari, artichokes and banana peppers Broiled cod tacos Fried local cod with wasabi cream and Asian slaw Scallop roll. This was my brother in law's. I pointed out the burned part of the bun but he opted to just pick that art off and eat the rest rather than sending it back. No pictures of my nephew's Beyond Burger (verdict: he likes the Impossible Burger better) or my sister's fish burger, which came out burned and had to be replaced. They comped the replacement and a drink so no complaints. The restaurant--the whole town really--was so jammed and busy. Desserts for the teens: sticky toffee pudding strawberry rhubarb pie

Because we are in a hotel, we had to eat all of our meals out yesterday (we are moving to our first rental house this afternoon). We went to my nephew's favorite for breakfast yesterday, the Fairway. Nephew had his usual pancakes (they look flatter because they have to cook them in a special pan rather than on the griddle as they cook crab cakes on the griddle) Niece went for cranberry pancakes Husband had a garden benedict on foccacia I had a Nova benedict We entertained ourselves by playing hangman while waiting for the food We went to Provincetown for the day. It is Carnival week, which draws up to 100,000 people to a town with only 3,000 residents, so we were expecting a crowd. It really was not too bad, maybe everyone was sleeping in expectation of the evening festivities. A cruise ship was docked in the harbor, a very unusual sight The town was festively decorated for Carnival My niece and nephew know that I am sharing my food photos here, so they insisted I take a picture of their smoothies, purchased at Cafe Maria on the harbor. Espresso and blueberry-banana smoothie We went shopping for books to read on this trip, and got quite a haul. I know this might be a little political, but I have to include this picture of books we found for sale. My niece thought it was hysterical that people write political fan fiction. She is more accustomed to the Harry Potter variety 🙂 We stopped in to Mac's Fish House for a small snack. Drinks for the husband and myself. The one on the left is a strawberry-tequila fizz, and the right is a spicy margarita Oysters Toro poke Toro crudo with a guajillo chile sauce and crispy kale We had dinner at Karoo. It was very dark by the time we ate so I had to switch to my phone for pictures, and I did not get pictures of everything. Vegetable samosa Peanut soup Cape Malay stew Falafel Milktarte

I am back on the Cape through Labor Day. There will be lots of eating out, lots of home cooking, and some interesting stuff like a whale watch and a tour of an oyster farm to share with you. We came out last night to beat the weekend traffic and are staying in a hotel for two nights before moving to a home in Chatham for a week, and the rest of the time will be spent at our favorite rental house in Wellfleet, which I have mentioned here before. We made it out in time for dinner at Brine. This place is great for us because there is no shrimp, crab or lobster on the menu, so my nephew can have whatever he wants. The restaurant was pretty empty and I overheard a waitress telling another table that while weekends have been busy, this whole summer season has been pretty slow compared to other years. People are blaming the increased frequency of great white shark sightings close to shore. I blame the new short term rental tax that was instituted this year. Anyway, on to the food! Drinks Baked oysters with black garlic panko crumbs A pork belly with sambal chile glaze special that my niece and nephew split. They both said it was very good Steak tacos for my niece Shellfish scampi for my husband Pesto gnocchi for my nephew Scallops in a corn nage with bacon, turnips, and sugar snap peas for me Only my nephew could manage dessert. Chocolate mousse

Not Portland. Dockside Grill, Cumberland Foreside. It was very close to the house we rented. We ended up driving in to Portland for our other meals and had a much more enjoyable experience.