With the kitchen being renovated this year, we planned not to take any vacations to save money. After all, there wasn't any extra money lying around to spend. But when my sister mentioned that she had rented a house on Cape Cod. Three bedrooms. Two that the family would take, but one empty that we could have.
I never expected us to go. The renovation was planned to run through to September. I didn't want to leave the cats locked up for a week while we were on the Cape. But when my GC said, maybe we'll have a functional kitchen in early August, we leaped at the opportunity.
At the recommendation of a co-worker who until recently lived in Boston, we flew into Providence and drove to the Cape. Flying into Boston would have been about the same drivetime, but perhaps we would save on traffic.
We flew in on a Saturday evening and planned to eat before we got to the Cape. We planned to stop in Hyannis and, since I was driving, I put J in charge of finding a place for dinner.
He settled on Spanky's Clam Shack which had a great rating online. It was packed. We lucked into a parking spot in their small lot. The wait was about 45 minutes, so long that someone running was about to ask about our table.
I had the fried whole belly clams with fries and coleslaw. When I ordered, our server told me that the clams were smaller than usual. I was so excited to get whole belly clams that I said, no problem. As it turns out, I do like them bigger, for sure. They were good -- having had a dry spell for so long.
J got the fried platter which had fried fish, scallops, shrimp, and whole belly clams. Everything was cooked really well. I've only had fried scallops a couple times, and like these, they were really delicious. I would never think to fry scallops -- maybe because it would be so much work just for scallops -- but they are really delicious.
I think the reviews said the onion rings were really good. I'm very wary of onion rings actually because I never really like them. I want to like them, but always find them disappointing. These needed more salt. Otherwise, they were fried well.
It was after 11 when we arrived, but everyone in the house was still up! The house was in Orleans, where my sister prefers to stay. I think it's on the bay side. At low tide as pictured, the view is gorgeous.
We grabbed breakfast at a small market called Nauset Farms. This breakfast sammich was nothing special, but we did stop here for sundries several times.
First day out, so we went beach hopping! We started off with Nauset Beach, which was the closest to us. Typical of a Cape Cod beach, there was soft sand, very cold water, and lots of crowds.
We go to Rosemary Beach off the Gulf where you really want to keep your space even though it's so beautiful with its luxurious white sand and warm water. But now maybe I think you want space because all the other people around are assholes. Especially since I just like to sit in my chair and read.
In Cape Cod, it is stupid crowded. Beach oases are set up nearly on top of one another and yet it all works. Parents watch their kids, and, if the kids go out of bounds, a parent is there to pounce on them to apologize or move over or whatever is actually appropriate.
We have cousins who live just outside Boston and they were able to drive up to hang out with us on Sunday. They brought us some pork from a whole pig roast they had gone to by their place in New Hampshire, which was very tasty.
After lunch at the house (of the aforementioned pork and other goodies), we went to Skaket Beach. Skaket Beach has less soft sand. Much of it is hard-packed. We set up right on the edge so that the umbrella would actually go into the sand.
The beach itself goes on seemingly forever. Everyone went out to try to swim but never seemed to find the point where the water dropped to a swim-able depth. And then the bugs came out at dusk. Brutal.
The flatlands of Skaket are apparently good for oysters! We saw several oyster farm setups which we, and other tourists, were checking out.
The oysters were of a collection of different sizes.
We decided to cook at the house to keep things easy. We went to the Nauset Fish Market & Lobster Pool. What a great little market. We bought some soft-shell clams, which incidentally are what we fry into whole belly clams.
Susu put these in a pot with ... I have no idea what besides some water and wine. We boiled/steamed them until they opened. Oh my god. These were so good. We swiped them through the clammy juices and ate them with our fingers.
I knew these were good, but I didn't realize how amazing until we continued eating on this trip. Perhaps it really is worth cooking at home every night even in Cape Cod...
We picked up two fish from the fish market: local striped bass and cod. There was also local bluefish, but we thought would be too fishy for the family.
Susu prepared this by first sauteing the garlic in olive oil until it browned. Then she put the fish into aluminum foil, added salt and pepper (I presume), and added the garlic and scallions. Then she closed it up and cooked them on the grill.
What a revelation! I love fish en papillote but find the parchment paper to be a real pain. The foil was nice and easy. And sauteing the garlic was nice, too. And no wine because of the kids! The fish made a nice juice all on its own as it cooks.
The fish up there is really wonderful. So fresh and delicious.
Oh yeah, we also had some broccoli.
On Monday, we had made a reservation to go whale watching on a charter boat at the high recommendation from a friend. The boat set off from Provincetown, and luckily the reservation moved to the afternoon, so we headed up just after breakfast and had lunch.
Susu had recommended The Lobster Pot so we arrived shortly after they opened and grabbed a table. And wow, they packed up really fast!
We started off with some local littleneck raw clams because I love raw clams. They were very tasty.
Then, the sea clam cake, which was heralded on the menu as a local favorite. J buys more into on-menu labeling than I do, but this was pretty tasty and tender.
We also got some steamers, which paled in comparison to the ones we had had the night before. This made me appreciate those even more.
To finish, lobster rolls. In the great debate between warm (butter) and cold (mayo) lobster rolls, I believe I had only ever had the cold ones. We had recently read David Lebovitz's summary of his Cape Cod vacation, and it was a great reference. He loves the buttery warm lobster rolls, so of course, we had to try both.
But here, we went with cold. I think that was the only option. Not bad.
After lunch, we set off to find out whale watching boat. We had booked through Sea Salt Charters. It was us two, a scientist, and two others. That's it. I highly recommend booking through Captain Chad Avellar if you want to go whale watching.
What an amazing afternoon. I think we were out for four hours. We saw several mommas and their calves. We saw some water slapping (if that is what you call it) as pictured above. We got to see a full breach, which we all were lucky enough to be able to see, but none could catch on camera.
The day was gorgeous. The waters calm and the sky clear.
For dinner, we headed out to Arnold's, which is supposed to be one of the main tourist destinations. True enough, they have a solid system set up, even though it's a bit weird. I actually wanted to buy a t-shirt but it was so hard to get anyone's attention since the shirts were off on their own...
The main line that is streaming out the main doors is for the cooked stuff. Everyone just gets in this line and waits. There was a lady taking advance orders down the line, but she stopped just before us. In the end, I think this worked out for us, though.
We placed the order together at the register, and J hovered to get the food. Meanwhile, we learned that the raw bar was around the corner, and the alcohol line was separate even from that.
The raw bar shucks to order so I stood there for quite some time. The longer I waited, the bigger my order became. Ultimately, I got a dozen Welfleet oysters and half a dozen Welfleet top neck clams.
As for the rest, a warm lobster roll, fried whole belly clams, clam chowder, and a pile of onion rings.
The raw clams and oysters were delicious. The whole belly clams were definitely the best we had had so far. The onion rings well, I am not sure I thought they were anything special, but they were fried really well.
I guess warm lobster rolls arrive naked with the melted butter on the side. I opted to pour the butter over the top. Like a salad dressed with dressing served on the side at the table, this means that that butter was not well distributed. And was leaky. Anyway, this is where I decided that even flavorwise, I prefer the cold mayo-laden version.
I also got the clam chowder. I had asked the cashier if the chowder or the lobster bisque was better. She didn't like lobster so of course she said the chowder. Their chowder was pretty decent.
So many chowders served in the south are overly burdened with bacon. I prefer these true New England styles that do not.
On the way home, we stopped off at Sundae School which we heard had great ice cream. I got the black raspberry. And yep, it was tasty.
On Tuesday, we went off to Mac's Shack in Welfleet, which came highly recommended. We actually stopped in the Mac's Seafood Market when we were heading up, thinking that we could eat there. While we were in the market, I saw a gorgeous toro that I would have loved to brought home and served as sashimi, but I didn't think my sister would be too into it.
Happily, we got a dozen beautiful Welfleet clams. They were so briny and delicious. I ate mine with a couple drops of lemon juice and some horseradish.
When in Welfleet, how could you not get Welfleet oysters? Here were a beautiful dozen. Gorgeous, again, with just some lemon juice. (Avoid this mignonette.)
A friend had highly recommended their clam chowder and the "sausages", which we interpreted as the charcuterie plate. I was skeptical as she is really a pescetarian with some pork tendencies... but J ordered it anyway.
The pork rillettes were not bad, but lacked any real flavor besides fatty pork. It was good with the whole grain mustard though. The duck prosciutto was the real disappointed as our friend Mike makes a superb version. This had overdried and was desiccated a bit. And was cut WAAAY too thickly. Very sad.
Remember that gorgeous toro I mentioned we had seen at the seafood market? They only had tuna and salmon for sashimi here, but I asked about the toro and they had some!
Well, it was sliced very oddly, but it was very good. Very fatty.
Then we got another dozen clams. Because we pretty much never get raw clams. Excellent.
And to finish, the clam chowder. What a great version. Really the best one we had while we were out there.
On the way home, we stopped by PB Boulangerie which David Lebovitz had spoken about very highly. It was late in the day and the line moved very slowly, but we parted happily with four croissants (two regular and two chocolate), two madeleines, and a baguette.
All were wonderful except the baguette, which we had high hopes for based on what Lebovitz had written. I thought it was okay.
For dinner, we hit up the Nauset Seafood Market & Lobster Pool again, opting just to buy a nice big piece of cod. My sister took care of all the sides, roasting grape tomatoes and cauliflower and prepping a salad.
For the cod, I did it a la Susu, sauteing the garlic and wrapping it in foil. Instead of the grill, I put it into the oven at 400. I added lemon. After, my sister and I discussed that we would probably add some ginger into the saute as well as the scallions.
The lemons didn't really cook at all. Perhaps thinner slices next time, or even under the fish. I'll have to play with that. But the fish itself was superb.
For our last full day, we decided to head to the Chatham Pier for lunch.
We took the kids to look at the fishing boats unloading and the seals that were circling the area. They are cute! We actually saw a lot of seals at the beaches. But where there are seals, there are sharks...
Cold lobster roll for me! Not bad, but not the wonderful lobster roll we were expecting. My sister was surprised to see how the quality had dropped.
I also got some lobster bisque which was super rich and ... I think had a lot of ... sherry? Whatever it had, it was still good. I only ate half. And drank the other half on the drive back to Providence, tipping back the container like a cup.
I really wanted to have lobster before we left town so we went to the Nauset Seafood Market again and pick up a couple pound-and-half girls. The kids were pretty scared of them, which is probably appropriate.
The guys at the shop were clear that you should steam -- not boil -- the lobsters. 15 min, they said. So I did that. Wow, without any metal tongs (they only had some really crappy wood paddle ones) and without silicon mitts, I burned the crap out of my hand.
The lobster and cod (same prep) turned out so well. My niece had her first taste of lobster meat, tomalley, and roe. She loved the meat -- which I was picking from the bodies, having given up the claws and tails to the rest of the family. She loved it so much! I can't blame her. It was delicious. She initially thought she liked the tomalley but then decided she didn't. And the roe... well, she totally loved it. I think she ate it all. We have a lobster lover, for sure!
We also made corn and zucchini like my mom used to make. Pretty damn tasty.
So we had a really great trip. I love the beach, and have loved the Florida beaches and the seafood we have had there. But this was another level. Wow, I can't wait to go back.
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