cape year rounder's Profile
ISO veal breast -Plymouth and south
you might be able to get fresh pasta sheets from the Guaranteed Fresh retail store on Rte 28 in Hyannis, across from the airport (near Radisson hotel).
Cape Cod Best Restaurant?
easy to get to, and easy pick -- Pain d'Avignon in Hyannis, near the airport. We like it for dinner, but will admit that the vibe may work better for people at lunch (the space is in a corner of their enormous bakery; it is nicely finished as a bistro, but it's still an industrial neighborhood). They stay plenty busy in the off season. Their food is easily as good as, and probably better than any of the places you mentioned.
Top 5 of the Cape
As regards the service at la civetta -- I've always found the "disconnects" between the staff and the clientele to be reminiscent of some actual experiences in Italy. There may some elements of amateurishness or language barriers in their service problems, but I also wonder if there is just a difference in priorities. At any rate, it is uncanny how the vibe of the service -- not just the food -- transports us back to Italy when we are in there.
Need Recommendation - Falafel on Cape Cod
We have a Lebanese exchange student visiting us and he is homesick for falafel. Does anybody have any recommendations in mid- to upper cape area? Is Ardeo any good? I have heard that their middle eastern dishes are the best things they offer. I can't think of anyplace else around here.
Need Recommendation - Falafel on Cape Cod
We have a Lebanese exchange student visiting us and he is homesick for falafel. Does anybody have any recommendations in mid- to upper cape area? Is Ardeo any good? I have heard that their middle eastern dishes are the best things they offer. I can't think of anyplace else around here.
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Ardeo
Providence Station, Providence, RI 02903
New for 2011 on Cape Cod?
Anejo is excellent -- have been twice. Chefs are American, but they have obviously spent time in Mexico and are ambitious, knowledgeable, and thoughtful in their menu. This is NOT Acapulco's or Sam Diego's. It's worthy of a label as an "Ethnic" restaurant, something we really need more of on the cape.
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Sam Diego's
51 Main St, Plymouth, MA 02360
Cape Cod Breakfast Mid to Lower Cape
1. Chatham is mid cape??
2. OK, then so is Marstons Mills -- a very high quality, modest breakfast-and-lunch place is the Mills, on Rte 149, about 1/4 mile north of Rte 28. Some creative selections, and some surprising things are still made from scratch (I'm thinking of the corned beef hash.
Phusion Woods Hole
"Lobster" is a red flag in a restaurant -- it's gonna cost you. That said, it sounds like you actually got good value in 2 ways: that dish had some pricey ingredients, and the chef delivered a tasty dish. It is a shame that the restaurant botched the mentioning of the price .C'mon, it's a burger and you're charging $32? If a restaurant is going to be that nervy they should go all out and brag about it. You can't have been the only annoyed customer.
Paolios Pizza in Hyannis
Try the pizza that is topped with arugula salad -- best of all worlds. I wouldn't call their crust thin in the league of Sweet Tomatoes -- Palio's is thicker, but I agree it is the best we've had in Hyannis.
I also noticed their wines -- maybe 10 choices, all inexpensive, but a thoughtful selection. Nice surprise for a basic pizzeria.
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Sweet Tomatoes
421 E Falmouth Hwy, East Falmouth, MA 02536
Cape Cod in Winter discussion....Anything?
We ate at the Glass Onion last night. It's as fancy or as casual as, say, Bleu or Abba. I didn't have a jacket, but no one wore jeans.
Fancy/not fancy in other ways? No reservations (but no wait at 7:45 on a friday). White tablecloths. Server knowledgeable about many details of each dish. Kitchen sent a little plates of amuses bouche with the bread basket. waiter supported by a back waiter or busser and a food runner, both silently going about their jobs, professional and unobtrusive.
BTW it was an excellent meal for all four of us. I am told the winter flounder was superb, but no one would share a bite with me. Short rib and accompanying vegs were perfect; sauce was a natural reduction, excellent. Salads nicely composed, interesting ingredients, thoughtfully balanced mixes of textures and flavors. Chocolate dessert had a crumble of english toffee that was a memorable contrast. Lemon dessert was rich, not too sweet, sophisticated. We have had very good meals there before, but last night was a standout.
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Bleu
11 Market St, Mashpee, MA 02649
The Glass Onion
37 North Main Street, Falmouth, MA 02540
Mashpee or Falmouth Thur. night (tomorrow)
Siena's Bolognese is really the best we've had on the cape -- cooked way, way down, it sits on top of the pasta, it's very rich, and it's not tomato-ey. Best comparison in the area would be at No. 9 Park in Boston.
I don't know if they make their own pasta. It is consistently served al dente, and I bet they salt their pasta water -- so many places around here serve pasta with a blech taste from unsalted water.
Mashpee or Falmouth Thur. night (tomorrow)
OK I'll add to the debate -- If you're going to reminisce about Bologna, then honestly the very best, most authentic Bolognese around here is at Siena. I've had it more times than I can count. CCguy - they've been around a long time, have you tried them lately? My experience just doesn't match with yours. The Bolognese would be a good place to start.
I will say that La Civetta is like stepping across the ocean into a restaurant in Italy. Everything about the menu is authentic - courses, portions. Can you pay in Euros? Service not always consistent -- hey, that's just like Italy too.
Cape Cod in Winter discussion....Anything?
Osteria la Civetta is not only good, it is unique among Italian restaurants on the Cape -- If you have travelled in Italy many details about a meal at la Civetta will bring back memories, good, bad, and quirky: How the menu and courses are organized and presented, the prices, the portions, what gets pasta and what doesn't, warm but strangely indifferent service! Like travelling to Italy, it is worth the effort.
Lay it on me, hounds--best dining on Outer Cape
This is another chowhound who would like to hear some more comments about Pearl -- It has a look and an atmosphere that we find perfect for its setting -- but 2 times we have been underwhelmed by the food. Are we just ordering wrong? We'd like to love this place.
I think PB Boulangerie will still be closed in Feb.
Cape Cod Special Occasion open on a Tue.
CC Guy, I'd go the opposite way! Ate at Abba last Friday. It was very good but not great. seemed cramped. Getting tired of the menu. Pain d'Avignon indoors, in winter, is charming. It is not industrial there at all -- the interior is comfortable -- painted wood, no white table cloths, small bar you could dine at, 1 table is very large. I would say the vibe is similar to the Glass Onion in Falmouth. Get a cheese board for dessert .. order some more wine ... the evening could go on an on. It is a french bistro-style menu, perhaps a bit larger and more interesting than the menu at Bleu (will admit I'm getting tired of that too)
Or -- how about Lyric, formerly Abicci, Rte 6a in Yarmouthport
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Bleu
11 Market St, Mashpee, MA 02649
The Glass Onion
37 North Main Street, Falmouth, MA 02540
Cape Cod Special Occasion open on a Tue.
Regatta is a different place today, with a new chef-owner, but that's a pick for another time if you need a Tuesday date.
Siena probably a bit too much of a basic neighborhood place for your occasion, but keep them in mind if you like good wine. Someone there finds/picks good bottles, and the prices are absolutely the best I've seen on the cape
What about pain d'Avignon? Good wine, good bread, good menu. If you haven't been, you might be skeptical (yes it's a very good soup/sandwich cafe for lunch, but dinner has a much different ambience and a real dinner menu). For us, it has become a favorite choice to take friends and visitors for dinner.
curious about the bias/ volume of certain posts.. [moved from Southern New England]
1. Re: the seeming paucity of discussion at the high end: If a place is really good, and it's been suitably picked apart on the boards, how much more can you say? Also, you can find plenty of instances of long, nuanced, unending debates about fine food, especially if there is some reason to doubt whether it's all that fine.
2. I agree with nsxtasy but I'd go even further -- it's not just that Chow has all kinds of discussions about all levels and kinds of food -- part of its strength is in the passionate, informed discussion of otherwise unreviewed parts of the culinary world
Worst of the Cape?
Biggest disappointment this year has been the Chart Room in Cataumet. 1970s menu preserved in amber (a glass of the house chablis, anyone?) would be OK if they did a good job of being a throwback. They served stuffed quahogs in pressed cardboard clamshells. This is a waterfront restaurant on Cape Cod, and they aren't even trying to appear to be good.
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Chart Room
1 Shipyard Ln, Buzzards Bay, MA 02532
Margaret's in Fairhaven
Their two restaurants are at opposite ends of the same building ... it looks like they might have 1 kitchen between them, but I'm not sure. They seem to be referred to as "margaret's and elizabeth's" never just one or the other -- they are 2 separate places, but friends from that area refer to them like they are siamese twins.
Excellent calamari, with linguica mixed in.
Pain D'Avignon is terrific!
We had an excellent dinner there last Friday. Each of three courses was on a par with the best meals we've had on Cape Cod -- ranking with or above the new Regatta, or Glass Onion, for example.
This restaurant is a worthy pick for dinner, even if it is not an obvious choice from its location and inital appearance. You should not dismiss it out-of-hand.
There is no question the atmosphere is an odd match for the kitchen and the menu, but I would argue there is some honest logic behind how the place became what it is: It started as the retail counter for their enormous bakery, so the building looks like -- an enormous bakery, on an industrial side street. Tables and chairs are patio furniture, more suited to lunch than dinner. They have a much more widely-known good reputation for lunch -- sandwiches, salads, soups. Apparently some employees wanted to do dinner too, and they're doing a good job at it.
On our Friday night, there were 5 tables occupied. I don't think they'll ever have a line out the door for dinner, but it was a worthy choice, and it it felt like a special "find" because of the quirkiness. There was quiet live music (2 jazz players), and the TV was playing a very French-looking B&W old movie, no sound. Lights were dimmed. Overall, ambience was quiet, relaxing, felt like vacation. Service was professional. Every table leaves with a free baguette.
Kind of reminded me of breakfast/lunch restaurants that change menus / chefs at dinnertime because a chef is looking for a place to practice his craft -- like cafe edwidge / edwidge at night in Provincetown.
Best Pizza on Cape Cod?
OK here's a very very hidden gem, happens to be near big daddy's in cotuit -- The Cotuit General Store on Main St. -- good place to pick up a pizza if you are in the neighborhood for a Kettleers game. Crust not as thin as sweet tomatoes; it has a nice char. Sauce is good, lots of herbs. Toppings lean towards the sophisticated.
Along Rte 28, I'd probably pick pizza wave (marstons Mills) or pizza prima (mashpee, next to polar cave) ahead of big daddy's, and that one ahead of pizza 1 subs 2 (osterville). all of those are very basic neighborhood pizzerias. Big Daddy's, when it was called Pepper's Pantry, was famous for sandwiches at lunch time -- jammed with landscaper trucks -- not sure if that's still true.
Top 5 Mid-Cape Italian
I have observed the same split and have wondered about it -- Foleyd7's post points to why we have always liked Siena -- we first went there with kids, but with the idea that the adults at the table wanted a real night out. Everyone liked it, and the staff wasn't fazed by having a kid's menu and a bottle of wine at the same table. We now go there pretty regularly without kids, and sit in the bar or on the patio -- best patio in Mashpee Commons.
We have had great meals there -- there are certain dishes that they frankly do better than other places on the Cape. The salads come to mind - any of them. The pizza, if you like a thin crust. The Cioppino. Roast Chicken. Veal Saltimbocca. Our daughter now craves the crab cakes. Hmmmm - lots of basic dishes, quality ingredients, good job with the seasonings. That probably defines their sweet spot.
What's the deal with BYOB in new england?
I don't think you'd ever get a chorus of "everybody does it" in Mass. In this state a relatively rigid and extreme set of rules around serving booze has settled in as the norm, rarely aver getting questioned. Most towns pride themselves on taking a hard line even for what seem like technical infractions.
Foodiejim, consider that is possible you are making the staff uneasy when you bring your own bottle. They are professionals in the hospitality business, so they try to accommodate you. I'll bet sometimes if you need glasses or a corkscrew they are provided by managers -- the staff knows the risks, and they know licensing boards are pleased when a licensee apologizes for some violation and notes that the offending bartender/waiter has already been fired.
Cape Cod breakfast recs.....Sagamore bridge to ~Dennis?? - moved from Boston board
Just under 20 minutes from bridge: go to exit 5, turn right onto Rte 149 south. Go a few miles and you'll come to a shopping center with a gas station on right. Under striped awning you will find The Mills Restaurant. Bkfst/lunch only. Excellent quality. Real maple available.
Closer to bridge: On rte 6a sandwich, on left after gas station as you head away from bridge through sandwich, is the Marshland Restaurant.
Both of these places are the types that can have lines of people waiting for tables on Sunday a.m. even in the off season.
What's the deal with BYOB in new england?
At least in Massachusetts in 2009, I would cautiously dispute your assertion that BYOB can be good business. Town and state regulators are inflexible, humorless, and aggressive when they find even the slightest violation of liquor laws, so even trivial violations are perilous. Example: One local restaurant on the Cape was penalized last year when employees were seen with two open beers on the bar while they were cleaning up after closing.
The state's position on BYOB is 8 words long, and they don't see it as subject to interpretation. This still can seem like a Puritanical state.
Visiting Folks in Hyannis Port
"keepers" in the crosby yacht yard in osterville has been purchased by the chef who also owns the island merchant in hyannis. I recommend the island merchant, and would also recommend whatever they now call keepers based on the cooking and that great setting among the boats.
colombos has inattentive service that gets annoying (too many mistakes on too many orders), and the kitchen is inconsistent. Too bad, it's a nice looking place.
Soprano's vs Siena in Mashpee MA
Just curious - have you been to siena recently? we have there a lot over the years - we live nearby, and we always at least liked the place - and it's gone from good to great, and not sure why. There have been no big changes in the menu, but the food has stepped up a notch. To be specific: Osso Buco, more tender, and meatier - consistently. Beet Salad: seems like more beets, and more of those candied walnuts. Bread and olive oil: both seem higher quality than before -- we're asking for a 2d basket.
Re: maggiano's -- seems to do best in places where there are no local italian places. Could never imagine such a place in Providence, for example.
Cape Cod, party for 20 in a private room/tent
You are likely to find that the set of requirements you have just can't be met. Especially -- on the water, Friday night. Places that can handle private events get booked up, far in advance, and for much more money, especially on the water. If any place is available, I'd almost tell you to avoid them -- must be a problem. CC Guy said $100 pp if catered, I'd guess at least $40 at bare minimum and more realistically $50-60 and up for a private party at a restaurant. Also, you're really going to have a tough time if the $20 budget included drinks.
One thing that might work is to try and book an unconventional spot, at a time outside their peak hours. Think of any local place that fills up early, and that might fit your group in at, say, 8:45. Palio pizza? Olde Barnstable Fairgrounds Golf Course Clubhouse?
If you could figure out a way to work with platters of food delivered someplace, consider Chef Ralph's Mad Platter in Mashpee. This will be food along the lines of a Super Bowl Party.
