Provincetown, the "Outer Cape," and Wellfleet Too

**MaryIsobel** · August 28

5 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

Monday we decided to go to Van Rensselaer's. We have not been there yet this year, and enjoyed a dinner there last summer. Menu

It turned out that my nephew could not have anything from the fryer, so he asked to get a plate of clams casino to share. They were OK-- the ones at the Bookstore were better.

He ordered the short ribs for dinner, minus the fried onion strings. He said they were fine, but the ones I make are better (smart nephew!)

Husband ordered the swordfish New England style with lobster stuffing. He said the stuffing was a bit bland, and his swordfish was overcooked.

Husband's brother ordered the fish and chips, and he was very pleased with those

I had the Cajun swordfish with mashed potatoes and asparagus. I would have liked more vegetable--they only gave me three spears of asparagus.

We passed on dessert.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day, so beaching was in order. As you can see from the sign, the water is a "warm" 60 degrees. I will stay on the shore, thanks.

Guards guarding. There's no cell phone service out this far, so it's best not to get in trouble while swimming as it can be difficult to get timely emergency services.

The lovely beach. We saw many seals. Another reason to stay on the shore...

We decided to stay in for dinner tonight. The guys all wanted tuna, and the seafood market had local bluefin, so we got that, and a piece of swordfish for me. My nephew grilled the fish up. Here's my husband's plate of tuna with deviled shallot butter, with the corn and tomatoes from my CSA that I brought out with me, and some grilled garlic bread. You can see that my husband poached a big bite of my swordfish before I took the picture too.

I am surprised (in a good way at the prices on the menu - they seem quite reasonable for a tourist destination. As always, I am traveling vicariously - thanks for taking me along!

JeanneCake · August 29

I'm curious about what a "bug pie" is (dessert menu, last line on the left), if I'm reading it correctly

liamsaunt · August 29

13 hours ago, JeanneCake said:

I'm curious about what a "bug pie" is (dessert menu, last line on the left), if I'm reading it correctly

We were curious about that too, so asked. It's a frozen grasshopper pie. I like mint desserts a lot, but was too full to order one.

Yesterday was a pretty mellow day. Nephew just wanted to relax at the house. My husband, his brother and I went out to try and go swimming at one of the kettle ponds, but they were all just too crowded with little kids for our mood, so we decided to go for a walk at the beach instead. The crowd level at the beach was much more to our liking...

The only crowds we experienced were these guys...

Nephew wanted to stay home for dinner, and asked me to make linguini with clams. I took a few pictures of the fish market. This is the smallest market that Mac runs by far--he has others in Chatham, Provincetown, and Eastham that are at least twice as large, but this tiny one in Wellfleet is well stocked for its size.

There's also a prepared food counter, which is mostly side dishes, and a small fridge with milk, butter, and eggs. 50 littleneck clams, a package of french butter, a loaf of bread, and a bottle of clam juice was $40. Much cheaper than going out to dinner!

rotuts · August 29

@liamsaunt

fine food

fine fish market.

my friend hs a place in Woods Hole

documented here :

https://forums.egullet.org/topic/164538-cooking-with-a-pellet-grill/#comment-2364331

I was able to visit him recently , and we went to a small , but spectacular Fish Market

in Falmouth : ousters , many many , and scallops

very nice.

liamsaunt · August 30

Yesterday was my nephew's last day with us on this visit, so we let him pick the itinerary. He wanted to go to Provincetown. We visited both National Seashore beaches, Race Point

and Herring Cove

He opted for dinner at Ciro and Sal's. We passed the iconic Lobster Pot on the way. Nephew has a policy of never eating at any restaurant with the world "lobster" in the title, so we just admired the neon sign and then kept walking.

No menu pictures from Ciro and Sal's as it was so dark inside. Here are the guys' drinks. Black manhattan for my nephew, a spicy tequila thing for my husband's brother, and a dirty martini for my husband

Nephew wanted to try both the fried and the baked oysters. He actually ended up preferring the baked ones. Fried with lemon aioli

Baked with pesto

Glasses of wine for my nephew and husband

and then we all ordered the same thing for dinner, calamari puttanesca. It was seriously spicy!

We shared a tiramisu for dessert

My nephew leaves this morning to go home and play in a golf tournament. If it were me, I would forget the golf and stay at the beach, but we all have different priorities 🙂 I am not sure what is on tap for dinner tonight. My sister rejoins us tomorrow.

KennethT · August 30

On 8/26/2024 at 10:59 AM, liamsaunt said:

My problem with most mocktails is that they are just too sweet. I don't like sweet drinks. I save all my sugar for desserts!

I have the same issue but I'm finding that things are going in the right direction. As many Gen Z'ers are looking to reduce alcohol consumption (typically replaced with cannabis), there's been a big renaissance with non-alcoholic "spirits". I've had both a non-alcoholic whiskey and gin that were quite nice and in my neighborhood there's at least one fully non-alcoholic cocktail bar which I havent tried yet but am curious about. Who knows, maybe sometime soon, even "normal" restaurants will start to feature well made, interesting non-alcoholic cocktails that aren't fruit based.

Edited August 30 by KennethT (log)

liamsaunt · August 31

On 8/30/2024 at 10:04 AM, KennethT said:

Who knows, maybe sometime soon, even "normal" restaurants will start to feature well made, interesting non-alcoholic cocktails that aren't fruit based.

I do hope this is the case. There are only a few places I have been where I've found a really delicious, non-sweet mocktail. I think the market for it is definitely growing for lots of reasons.

Yesterday we spent the entire day walking various beaches in town. It was a big step day on my fitbit for sure. When the tide goes out you can find some interesting things. Pretty shells, sea glass, occasionally a buoy that has washed up, or sometimes even a boat that floats without water

We decided to go to the Pearl, since it is one of the restaurants that is easily walkable from the house we are renting. Menu

Drinks for my husband and his brother

Bang bang shrimp appetizer

Wasabi crusted tuna sashimi appetizer

I got seared cod

Husband's brother had grilled swordfish

and husband had fried scallops

We barely made the sunset. View from the parking lot

And from the top of the dune that I had to full out sprint to the top of to get there in time

Sister returns this evening, so I am betting that we will end up back at Mac's Shack. It's her favorite.

**curls** · August 31

Nice to see your meals and the menus. I love your photos of the ocean, sunsets, and out of the water boat. 🙂

liamsaunt · September 2

Saturday morning my husband and I walked down to Ceraldi to check out his breakfast cafe pop up.

I chose a jam filled tart

and husband had a croissant stuffed with spinach bechamel

After that filling breakfast we once again did a long beach walk, though I forgot to take pictures. Next, we decided to try and go to one of the town ponds again, since it was later in the afternoon. We hoped the little kids might be back home doing nap time or dinner. Success. The pond was quiet, and my husband got a nice swim in

My sister arrived that evening, and we did try to go to Mac's Shack for dinner, but they don't take reservations and there was a 2.5 hour wait for a table (!), so instead we snagged a last minute reservation for the Wicked Oyster. This restaurant was reopened recently with new management and all new front and back of the house staff. One of the new owners is Mac's brother, so we were willing to give it a try. Our last few meals at the old version of the Wicked Oyster were decidedly mediocre, so I am glad someone else has taken it over.

The menu is quite small and generally focuses on local seafood. Unfortunately, the restaurant was incredibly dark, so no menu pictures. You can tell how dark from this cocktail picture.

We shared some starters. Oysters

house made focaccia

Salt cod croquettes with golden raisin honey and almonds

and clam strips (the one miss of the starters--we all thought they were bland and chewy, and I am opposed to clam strips on principle anyway)

Husband's brother got the lobster gnocchi with walnuts

Sister and I had the sole with Carolina rice and lemon caper beurre blanc

and husband had pan roasted skate with pepper sauce

All of the desserts sounded very strange, so we decided to share just one to say we tried it. This is sesame ice cream with blueberry jam and cornflake crunches. That's not lime zest on top, it is seaweed. I thought it was interesting, sister hated it, husband's brother was neutral, and husband really liked it.

Overall, it's a vast improvement on the old Wicked Oyster, and I would go back again.

Yesterday, the weather was rather bad, so we just stayed at the house reading books and relaxing. We headed back to Mac's Shack again for dinner attempt #2. We went right at 5PM and this time there was only a 40 minute wait, so we stuck around. Cocktails for all but me

A rather mediocre tuna mango martini (the chips were overfried and there was mostly tomato in the dip--very little tuna)

Halibut turadito

Yellowtail jalapeño sashimi

Fried clams for sister

Green curry scallops for me (husband's brother got this too)

Seared halibut with lobster mashed potatoes for husband

Today's our last full day. The house owner offered to let us extend our rental a few days, and my husband has his equipment here to work remotely, but I think I am ready to go home tomorrow. We are heading up to Provincetown to spend the day walking on the beaches and then have dinner at my sister's choice of restaurant.

**TdeV** · September 2

@liamsaunt, your photos are lovely. Can you tell me more about "Salt cod croquettes with golden raisin honey and almonds?"

It sounds lovely. Some day I might like to try making that!

liamsaunt · September 3

17 hours ago, TdeV said:

@liamsaunt, your photos are lovely. Can you tell me more about "Salt cod croquettes with golden raisin honey and almonds?"

It sounds lovely. Some day I might like to try making that!

I am not really sure what went in to the croquette. They were extremely light and tender, almost like a fluid mashed potato inside. It was so dark I could not get a good look at the make up of them unfortunately. They were definitely one of the best croquettes I have ever had--I often find them too stodgy. The sauce was sweet but it worked really well with the salt cod flavor. Sorry I can not be more specific than that!

Yesterday we spent the day walking around Provincetown, talking about whether we should move out this way (not all the way to Provincetown though). Herring Cove was like glass

While Race Point had some waves

Unsurprisingly, my sister chose Pepe's on the Wharf for dinner. She's predictable 🙂 Drinks

Oysters Rockefeller

Fried calamari

Husband and I both got the jumbo shrimp

and sister had halibut with roasted red pepper sauce

We shared a slice of their famous coconut cake for dessert

And that wraps up this visit. I think we will come back at least one more time before it gets too cold, if the weather cooperates. Here's a contemplative Provincetown scene taken last night from the pier in town to end this report.

Okanagancook · September 3

Always interesting to see the food on offer and the beautiful scenery. Thank you for sharing with us.

Senior Sea Kayaker · September 3

@liamsaunt

Great photos, as usual, and all those seafood dishes give me ideas to try. One question. what was the side dish served with the jumbo shrimp in the last post? Potato or something else.

**Shelby** · September 3

Thank you!! I'm always jealous of all of the delicious food. I'll go ahead an book a flight and take those extra days you don't want LOL

liamsaunt · September 5

On 9/3/2024 at 1:53 PM, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@liamsaunt

Great photos, as usual, and all those seafood dishes give me ideas to try. One question. what was the side dish served with the jumbo shrimp in the last post? Potato or something else.

They were potatoes. I am fairly certain they are the same ones I can buy in my grocery store, which is Lamb Weston brand. This shape is called potato dippers, I think. It's not a shape that is too popular in my house, so I very rarely buy them. Their fries are good for a packaged product though. I usually have their house cut and shoestring fries in my freezer.

Senior Sea Kayaker · September 6

Thanks. That's a product I have not seen or knew about.

I initially thought it could be onion or fennel (which would be an interesting side).

rotuts · September 6

thank you for sharing another fine trip.

and for those Menu's

liamsaunt · September 14

My husband, sister and I are back on the Cape for the weekend, this time staying in Chatham. It was a last minute decision to come out (the weather is beautiful this weekend). Here is the sun setting over the house as we arrived last night.

Most restaurants are already booked for the weekend, but we were able to get a table at the Impudent Oyster for dinner. The menu is vast

cocktails for my sister and husband

disappointing fried calamari

and odd Cajun oysters that my husband added

My sister had the sole with crab stuffing

I had scallops and shrimp with udon noodles

and my husband had swordfish piccata

we shared a slice of key lime cheesecake for dessert. We all agreed this was the best part of the meal.

Our house is close to the Occupy Chatham art installation. I will walk over and get some close ups of it later today

Some scenic photos of the dunes in front of the house

**TdeV** · September 14

@liamsaunt, thanks for such great photos. I was entranced by the menu and wondered how on earth I would ever choose what to eat (I had several picked out). The dishes you, sister, and husband chose looked fabulous. Imagine my surprise when dessert was the most prized dish of the meal! 🙁

liamsaunt · September 15

Yesterday we did some more exploring on the beach in front of the house. Here’s the Occupy Chatham shack up close.

The background on this shack is that 10 years ago the frame floated across the channel from one of the outer islands during a winter storm. It was reinforced and added to by locals over the years. So far it has survived ten years of nor’easters. There is some dispute over who manages this stretch of beach— the town of Chatham or the National Seashore, and the shack is a gentle protest by locals against the Seashore’s encroachment on what is considered by many to be town land.

Some scenic shots from our walk:

All that walking made us hungry, so we went to town for a treat. Buffy’s Ice Cream

Heath bar and mocha chip. These were smalls— they were huge!

After ice cream we did more walking and caught the sunset at Harding’s Beach

Dinner was at Viera on Main. Menu

Cocktails. They actually had a decent mocktail menu, so I was able to order a phony Negroni (center). Husband had a martini and I don’t know what my sister ordered.

We shared the fritto misto— a vast improvement over the prior day’s over fried calamari

we also shared the clams balboa

I had the dukkah spiced tuna

sister chose the fettuccine with clams

and husband had the butter poached lobster.

given our earlier ice cream, we skipped dessert.

KennethT · September 15

How was the phony negroni? Was it close to a real negroni?

gfweb · September 16

That first calimari looked nasty. Today's is much better.

I suspect seltzer and perhaps corn meal were involved in #2?

liamsaunt · September 17

On 9/15/2024 at 2:47 PM, KennethT said:

How was the phony negroni? Was it close to a real negroni?

I thought it was as close as I could hope for. The menu description gave no indication of which na spirits it used. I think it just said something like “juniper, herbs, roots.” It was a non sweet mocktail, so I was happy.

On 9/15/2024 at 8:34 PM, gfweb said:

That first calimari looked nasty. Today's is much better.

I suspect seltzer and perhaps corn meal were involved in #2?

Perhaps. The batter was definitely light and the food was piping hot.

We spent Sunday walking on the beach in front of the house. You’ve already seen those views. For dinner, we decided to go to Bluefins in town for sushi, since none of us were in the mood for a big, rich meal.

Cocktails. As you can see I was back to my club soda with lime.

Toro tasting spoon (we did not realize this was the presentation, but my sister and I just shared one)

tuna tower

Three rolls to share: tuna, salmon, yellowtail, jalepeno. Toro jalepeno. And a tuna special roll which was everyone’s favorite.

Chatham Squire at night

Husband and I did one last beach walk before heading home this morning, this time at Claflin Landing. Most of this beach is owned by Chatham Bars Inn, but strolling is generally (though not always) allowed on private beaches in MA (you just cannot stop and set up on them).

Beach