Provincetown, the "Outer Cape," and Wellfleet Too

liamsaunt · July 12, 2023

On 7/11/2023 at 10:59 AM, heidih said:

I really need the clams & calamari. Your husband's G&T looks so pretty. Are there bits of something green in there or is it just reflection?

It has cucumber and cilantro, if I remember correctly. It used to be my drink of choice back when I still imbibed.

We came home yesterday morning, taking the scenic route down 6A. We stopped at Nauset Lobster Pool in Orleans to pick up some tuna for last night's dinner (posted over in the dinner! thread) and then had breakfast at Grumpy's in Dennis. My sister had left much earlier in the morning, driving directly to her office, so it was just my husband, niece and me.

Husband got an egg sandwich

I had avocado and tomato benedict

and mt niece got the best looking plate: banana nut french toast

One more stop in Yarmouthport to check out a bookstore

And then home. We will be back for two weeks next month, but won't be eating out nearly as much. it will just be my husband and I most of the time, and he will also be working most of the time, so I might get out and explore some stuff on my own.

No sunsets this trip, except for the one I posted earlier, so here's a scenic shot I took a few years ago in Chatham to end this installment.

gfweb · July 12, 2023

How could a tuna kofte not be overcooked?

Duvel · July 12, 2023

1 hour ago, gfweb said:

How could a tuna kofte not be overcooked?

Larger diameter, cold starting material, very high heat ?

gfweb · July 12, 2023

48 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Larger diameter, cold starting material, very high heat ?

Nah

😉

heidih · July 12, 2023

2 hours ago, gfweb said:

How could a tuna kofte not be overcooked?

This Flay recipe esp with the glaze sounds like not a dried out situation. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/bobby-flay/tuna-kofte-with-pomegranate-molasses-mint-glaze-with-crushed-spicy-hummus-recipe-2015025 Kinda just a fish cake in a football often shape.

dans · July 14, 2023

I love reading about your adventures on the Cape. The photos really make we hungry.

I was over on the UK forum and noticed you had posted a similar thread about a trip to London. It looks like you've got your travelog down pat. Keep it up.

liamsaunt · July 14, 2023

On 7/12/2023 at 4:01 PM, gfweb said:

How could a tuna kofte not be overcooked?

It was not rare, but it was not dry either. The tuna was ground and highly seasoned with cumin, coriander, and lemon. I only had a bite of it as we were sharing. I thought it was interesting, but would not jump to order it again.

weinoo · August 15, 2023

This was on Eater a few days ago; I just caught up with it...https://www.eater.com/23824392/best-cape-cod-fish-sandwich-filet-o-fish-provincetown

The owners didn't even know the article existed!

Quote

Finally, I always seem to end up in Provincetown just when lunch rolls around, which means I head straight down Commercial Street to Pop + Dutch. This is a sandwich shop that truly grasps that making a sandwich is as much an art as a skill, and as a pescatarian, I appreciate the balance and breadth of its vegetarian varieties. One of my favorites is the Oh You Fancy, Huh, which is smashed avocado and chile flakes on multigrain bread. The shop also doubles as a small grocery store — you can find salads and baked goods here, but also lube, dog treats, sunscreen, and vintage cookbooks, making it a perfect one-stop shop for almost any conceivable need you might have during a day in Ptown.

But as my niece texted when I sent this to them:

I did not see this yet, thank you! What a bizarre thing to be mentioned for. 😅🤷🏻‍♀️

liamsaunt · August 27, 2023

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

rotuts · August 27, 2023

@liamsaunt

looking forward to you chronicling your visit.

the above looks sooooooo good.

lindag · August 27, 2023

1 hour ago, liamsaunt said:

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

Does that blue platter not have several chips around the rim?

If I'm not mistaken, that is a health hazard, no?

Nevertheless, the food looks quite remarkable.

liamsaunt · August 28, 2023

23 hours ago, lindag said:

Does that blue platter not have several chips around the rim?

If I'm not mistaken, that is a health hazard, no?

Nevertheless, the food looks quite remarkable.

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.

liamsaunt · August 29, 2023

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.

Senior Sea Kayaker · August 29, 2023

@liamsaunt

Those mare's tails (cirrus intortus to be precise) in the first photo do not bode well for upcoming weather.

Time to batten down the hatches.

liamsaunt · August 30, 2023

19 hours ago, Senior Sea Kayaker said:

@liamsaunt

Those mare's tails (cirrus intortus to be precise) in the first photo do not bode well for upcoming weather.

Time to batten down the hatches.

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.

Okanagancook · August 30, 2023

I am enjoying your travel and dining reports. Thanks for taking the time to capture the moments.

liamsaunt · August 31, 2023

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.

liamsaunt · September 1, 2023

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

liamsaunt · September 2, 2023

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.

heidih · September 2, 2023

I was into those Biscoff cookies for a while so I'm sure I'd enjoy that ice cream. The calamari looks wonderful - perfect crispness and not heavy breaded.

**MaryIsobel** · September 2, 2023

4 hours ago, liamsaunt said:

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.

How was the fried avacado? I've only had "cooked" avacado once and it was totally unexpected but I really enoyed it, very buttery.

liamsaunt · September 3, 2023

19 hours ago, MaryIsobel said:

How was the fried avacado? I've only had "cooked" avacado once and it was totally unexpected but I really enoyed it, very buttery.

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

Edited September 3, 2023 by liamsaunt (log)

liamsaunt · September 4, 2023

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

heidih · September 4, 2023

Scallops + duck pate. What did they serve to sprad the pate on? As to Mexican flavors in the toro roll - MX did have a period of Japanese WW2 immigration, and we see Japanese influence in Central & South America as well. That said it might seem odd at first glance. As always - great photos. I sometimes find our ocean sunset view too strong - like sky on fire and enjoy the subtle end of the cycle out the kitchen window. Of course ours are intensified by pollution...

liamsaunt · September 5, 2023

19 hours ago, heidih said:

Scallops + duck pate. What did they serve to sprad the pate on?

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