Cape Cod Restaurants

[LoriZig]

We were in Hyannis last weekend and had some delicious treats!

First, we went to the Naked Oyster

We were starving and had not eaten all day... so we gorged on incredibly fresh and sweet oysters on the half shell, oysters on the half shell with sour cream and caviar, Oysters Rockefeller, Barbecued Bleu Oysters (blue cheese, carmelized onions, bbq sauce and bacon, and still, the oyster shined through!), and Oysters Bienville (chopped mushrooms, onions, shrimp and topped with bacon)

The oysters were all incredible, but the "naked" ones were the best. Huge, super-fresh Wellfleet oysters- the perfect combination of really sweet and the taste of the ocean. I could've eaten my weight in them had I been given the chance (or the wallet).

The restaurant itself is very pretty- dark wood and wrought iron fixtures, with beautiful hand-crafted hanging lamps over the bar, designed to look like abstract seashells. I was worried when we stepped in, wearing khakis and cotton tops, but as posh as the surroundings were, the service was totally down to earth and friendly, and we were followed in by patrons in everything from beach wraps and jeans to dressier button down shirts.

We also had great drinks made by the restaurant's manager, Christian. He was an absolute peach and kept us laughing while we chatted and downed our oysters at the bar. He's been there for years and really made the experience for us.

Later that evening, we also had some great drinks made by a swell bartender at the Black Cat cafe on Ocean Street.

The next day, we went here: Collucci Brothers Diner

This is the place that they did the meatloaf "throwdown" on the Bobby Flay Food Network show. After dining on said meatloaf, mashed potatoes, wonderful gravy and fresh, perfectly cooked zucchini, I can honestly say that Flay never had a chance. It was by far the best meatloaf I have ever had.

And I might as well come clean... in addition to the meatloaf, we also had to try their other house specialty: Italian home fries made with sweet Italian sausage, roasted red peppers, onions and cheese.

The potatoes were super crisp on the outside (not at all burned) and perfect on the inside, and sprinkled with cheddar cheese and piled high with really sweet red peppers and onions, with some sausage hiding here and there. Heart attack on a plate, but man it was good!

The diner is smaller than it looks on tv, the staff was really friendly and obviously proud of their fame and food (and Red Sox!).

There are so many other places I wanted to try! We'll just have to go back!

Edited July 18, 2007 by LoriZig (log)

[mod*betty]

Hello fellow EG'ers-

I have read most all of the Cape threads here and they seem to be concentrated on the mid/lower Cape. I will be heading home to Mass next week and spending some time with the folks in Falmouth, and was wondeirng if anyone had any great recommendations for that area? I've bookmarked the Roo Bar based on what I've read, and am more than happy to stay home and eat corn and tomatoes, steamers and bluefish (dad) of course but didn't want to miss out on anyplace of note in the immediate vicinity.

We're always up for lobsters and "fried" of course, so any recommendations for those would be appreciated too. Any whole belly clams is better than no whole belly clams! yum.

Can't wait!

:-)

M*B

[Timh]

The Raw Bar in New Seabury, Blu in Mashpee Commons. and I think the ex long time chef from the Regatta in Cotuit may have just opened a little spot down from the commons up near the Roche Bros. Market on N28. In Osterville, there's 5 Bays, and Wimpy's for local whole bellyclams, fried cod, etc.

[sara]

We're heading to the Cape for the holidays. Any feedback on the food at the Cape Codder (Hearth & Kettle, Grand Cru Wine Bar) and any idea if Naked Oyster is open in the off-season? Thanks!

[Liamsmom]

I can report the Naked Oyster is open -- had a great scallop dinner there a couple of weeks ago. Flirtinis are great too!

[Cleo]

I'm trying to plan a week on Cape Cod for late August and I'm strongly considering staying at the Ocean Edge resort in Brewster.

It was recommended to me since we have 2 small kids, and apparently it's very family-friendly, and there's a lot to do.

Does anyone have any experience with this place?

Thanks!

[Liamsmom]

Trip Advisor

I'm trying to plan a week on Cape Cod for late August and I'm strongly considering staying at the Ocean Edge resort in Brewster.

It was recommended to me since we have 2 small kids, and apparently it's very family-friendly, and there's a lot to do.

Does anyone have any experience with this place?

Thanks!

←

Ocean Edge changed ownership recently and I understand it's going through some changes. It's a in a beautiful location on 6A in Brewster. We've had a winter membership to pool in the past. My brother and his family go there for tennis lessons when they're visiting. It's certainly much more affordable than Chatham Bars Inn. It has received mixed reviews at Trip Advisor. If you do a little research, you'll find plenty of things to do on the cape with kids. It's all dependent on the weather, of course.

I hope you have a great time!

[bavila]

Looking for places to eat/see in Cape Cod in September. I'm going for an informal writers' retreat at a friend's house. We fly into Providence on Friday morning and will drive to the Cape, returning late Sunday evening.

I've never been to Cape Cod, so of course I'm excited. Tell me what to eat!

[Kim WB]

Hello,

I am headed to Provincetown after labor Day. I will be doing some reserch based on the info in these posts for some casual places..specifically to see if these palces are still round, lol.

BUT, I am looking for a fine dining option or two... $$$ not an issue, cuisine can be flexible but would not prefer asian, a good wine list is important.

We are staying at the Crowne Point, but will gladly travel to Truro, Wellfleet and environs. if anyoen can point me in a direction ,I would appreciate it.

[stealw]

One of my friends use to work at the Ocean House. Seems very good, both food and ambiance. Looks over the water I believe. Never been myself though.

http://www.oceanhouserestaurant.com/

Jim

[Steve R.]

Hello,

I am headed to Provincetown after labor Day. I will be doing some reserch based on the info in these posts for some casual places..specifically to see if these palces are still round, lol. 

BUT, I  am looking for a fine dining option or two... $$$ not an issue, cuisine can be flexible but would not prefer asian,  a good wine list is important. 

We are staying at the Crowne Point, but will gladly travel to Truro, Wellfleet and environs.  if anyoen can point me in a direction ,I would appreciate it.

←

We'll be in Orleans 9/8-16, probably around the same time as you're in P'town. Not that we're the masters of fine dining, spending most of our NYC dining out at moderately priced (Hearth, not Bouley) or lower (sometimes waaaay lower) places, but the Cape has just never been exceptional upscale dining experiences for us so we tend toward the pleasant moderately priced places with decent wine lists. That being said, I know it's a little far (ok, a lot far) for you, but we'll no doubt be eating at Red Pheasant once or twice, as we've always found it one of the Cape's most welcoming. Havent been in a couple of years, but it's been a steady go to place over the past 15 years for us. Just sayin'.

Let me know if you strike gold. We'll be driving to P'town for a day or so... hopefully the Portuguese bakery is still there.

[annarborfoodie]

We were on the Cape over Labor Day weekend. We hoped to dine at the Brewster Fish House on Monday but got there and discovered they were closed (duh for not calling ahead and checking). We ended up at Sesuit Harbor Cafe. I had a lobster roll - it was good and very generously sized, but had a bit too much mayo. My husband had fried scallops, which he enjoyed. It is BYO and it seemed like everyone but us had a cooler filled with beer and wine. One group brought their own tablecloth, a selection of wines, and real glass wne glasses.

The location is lovely - right on the harbor as the name implies, with outdoor seating.

[Verjuice]

Just spent a month in Orleans. Abba is always great.

Chef/Owner Eric Pinhas is a Yemenite Jew who grew up in Israel and studied in Thailand. All of that-- and the amazing fresh seafood of the area-- is reflected in his food.

[Merseymike]

Just come back from a holiday in Boston and the Cape. Boston restaurants - the ones we tried - were all excellent.

What for Cape Cod? I'll start with the three nights in Provincetown.

The Mews is excellent - it has an upstairs and downstairs dining area, the latter much quieter. The food is slightly Asian-American fusion inspired. although neither of the dishes I opted for were that style - although my partner's starter was and was very tasty. Good, bold flavours, decent sized portions, friendly service.

We went Tourist Trap the next day, with a visit to the Lobster Pot. My partner pointed out that a trip to Cape Cod really should include a lobster clambake, and this one was reliable enough. Very fresh, lobster straight out of the tank which had clearly been recently replenished. Heretic that I am, I prefer my lobster cold with mayonnaise and salad, but there were no complaints...

The final evening was spent at Devon's. Small and cosy, with a varied menu and very well cooked. The bouillabaisse (New England style) was excellent as is the lemon drizzle cake ( to give its English name!)

Martha's Vineyard was rather more interesting. We chose a B&B where the owner decided to throw a fundraising party and ended up giving us the money to buy breakfast. If that wasn't strange enough, the Sweet Life cafe was off the radar. On the evening we went, which was early September, they had chosen to serve all meals in the outside garden (no choice of sitting inside was offered) and this was OK although as I hate those upright garden heaters, asked to be sat near the one which wasn't lit. That was fine - except when then they decided to light it as someone else who had arrived later than us - and wearing a skimpy t-shirt and shorts - was cold. They did move it but it still made the temperature far too hot.

The food. Hmmmm. My partner had oysters, which were good, and fresh, but my starter of a ceviche of sea bass just wasn't ( a ceviche, that is). The marinating liquid was more like a sweet soup and as a result it hadn't had the necessary effect on the fish. It was OK, just not really a ceviche...

The main courses, however, were poor. Very poor. I ordered chicken. This was served overcooked and dry, with a curry-ish sauce which tasted like Curry Before We Knew How. Vesta style is the best comparison. That was served with a very small salad with a couple of slices of mango - but utterly contradictorily, alongside a lake of cauliflower puree and a large piece of burnt broccoli, which was burnt on the outside, raw in the middle, and largely inedible. My partner had halibut - utterly devoid of moisture, with a pea-soup style risotto which tasted rather like frozen pea-and-rice soup. it was grim.

To add to this, we asked for a wine on the list but were then told that they had a problem with the white wines as the fridge had broken down and only the wines by the glass were available in white, but that we could hav e a red - which we didn't want. We did have our chosen wine which they did manage to cool down with a bucket of ice...

The combination of the heating situation and the poor food meant that we expressed our dissatisfaction to the maitre'd who said it wasn't his restaurant and that they can't please everyone but that we can talk to the chef. Which we did. I have honestly never met anyone any more defensive! he refused to accept that his food was anything other than wonderful and wasn't interested in any remark which didn't coincide with his opinion of his own food.

Bad food, poor service, a chef not interested in your observations. Sweet Life it ain't.!

[Prometheus]

Two some-odd years later I just wanted to thank Bernie for a great recommendation. On a recent trip back home to the Cape and Islands, my wife, mother, and I took a day trip to Nantucket. Being unfamiliar with the food scene I read what my fellow food nerds (a good thing I assure you, I'm one after all) had to say. After reading Bernie's reco of the Brant Point Grill I decided that would be our lunch stop and what a pay off! It's directly opposite the Steamship Authority's pier. (if you come in on the Eagle, just look to starboard for the canopy) It's inside a luxury hotel (what one on Nantucket isn't?) but they were kind enough to seat us for lunch despite my casual attire. With a great view of the harbor, we had what was easily the best meal in a while. I'm a born, bred, and proud Cape Codder and I still have to say they boast the best clam chowder I've ever tasted. It was so buttery, rich, and filled with fat clams I almost needed a moment alone. Equally good was their lobster roll with a few leaves of arugula, whose slight bitterness complimented the sweetness of the lobster perfectly. By far though, the dish that takes the cake was Skillet Roasted Clambake. It comes in a small cast iron pot and has local clams, mussels, corn, and chorizo. The shellfish broth it was steamed in was so utterly, mind-numbingly good I wasn't sure whether to keep slurping it up after everything else was gone or to roll around in it naked! If you're in Nantucket, do yourself a favor. Check out the Brant Point Grill

Edited August 4, 2009 by Prometheus (log)