Cape Cod Restaurant Review
with Malcolm A. Wilson
International Restaurant Critic
Malcolm Wilson's Ratings
Inexpensive
|
I
|
Below $15
|
Medium
|
M
|
$15 - $25
|
Expensive
|
E
|
$25 - $50
|
Very Expensive
|
VE
|
Over $50
|
The Bridge Restaurant
21 Cranberry Highway (at the base of the Sagamore Bridge), Sagamore
508-888-8144
The Prete family's Bridge Restaurant is neither posh nor pretentious, but
it has its own sense of importance and place. The wine list is simply chosen and
fairly priced. Homemade chowder was rousingly herbed and a real treat and the Tortellini Casagrande was excellent. Helen's Pot Roast is a MUST-ORDER dish, mainstay on the menu for years. I liked the eggplant parmesan, the platter of penne pasta that accompanied it was
dressed with a garlic sauce. Grapenut custard pudding couldn't have been better.
Menu entrees: I to M
Penguin's SeaGrill
331 Main Street, Hyannis
508-775-2023
Penguins SeaGrill deserves kudos for its consistently fine food and warm ambiance.
Chef Bobby Gold is eclectic in his mix of starters. Thai Jumping Squid took the fresh
sea taste of crunchy small squid to new heights. Minestrone was appealing if a little
too subtle for the hearty peasant soup and the Smoked Salmon paired with potato latkes
different and complex. The Mushrooms and Brie Filo Pillow made for a memorable culinary
experience. The house breads are outstanding; the salads, sparkling. Among some first-rate entrees were a wood-grilled fresh Cornish hen and braised haddock with cherrystones.
Bistecca ala Romano was another entree of pronounced flavor. The strawberry shortcake,
served on a ricotta cheese biscuit, was primo.
Menu entrees: M
Whitman House Restaurant
County Road, North Truro
508-487-1740
Chef-Owner Robert Rice's two-story Colonial-style, white clapboard restaurant has
both the charming atmosphere and good food to make it among the best places to eat
on the Cape. Recommendations include: Portuguese Kale Soup, New England Clam Chowder
and grilled Loin Lamb Chops.
Menu entrees: M to E
Starbuck' s
645 Route 132, Hyannis
508-778-6767
Starbuck' s is a busy family-oriented place that has something for everyone. Five-Alarm Chili needs more of a jolt than it has to rate five-alarms. Onion Starburst served with a nippy horseradish and sour cream dip was big enough to be shared. Snake Bites, deep-fried jalapeno peppers stuffed with cheddar cheese were delicious. Sizzling New York Sirloin, a terrific piece of beef sided with garlic-mashed potatoes was superb. Another good choice was Scallops Nantucket.
Menu entrees: I to M
Regatta of Falmouth
217 Scranton Avenue, Falmouth
508-548-5400
A spectacular view of Falmouth's Inner Harbor and Vineyard Sound from the window-wrapped front room is more than matched by the spectacularly creative ethnic and
American cuisine. There are dishes to tempt even the most jaded of appetites: Thai lobster,
spicy lacquered duck with Oriental greens, crabcakes, lobster, onion and corn fritters as well as grilled swordfish and sauteed salmon, Chesapeake Bay soft-shelled crab with roasted red peppers and pancetta. The restaurant is elegant with crisp contemporary decor in pinks, mauves and white. Not to be missed but come well-heeled.
Menu entrees: E
Popponesset Inn Restaurant
Wall Way, New Seabury
508-477-1100
People who know it well call it Poppy but a rose by either of its names spells success. A fabulous location overlooking the beauty of Nantucket Sound, it's up to the minute, the food's great and the staff is very attentive. If your idea of the Cape is gray shingles and white picket fences, this is your place. Appetizers show imagination. For instance the Fried Brie Cheese with pureed raspberry coulis and an apricot cranberry relish; Lobster and Wild Mushroom Napoleon with herbed cream cheese in a swirl of beurre blanc. Salads are super and entrees engaging dishes using Gulf shrimp and wild mushrooms, sea scallops over Chinese cabbage with ginger soy butter and basmati rice. Desserts are elegant confections.
Menu entrees: M to E
Bally's Restaurant
145 Falmouth Woods Road, East Falmouth
508-457-0100
Ballymeade Country Club, Bill Zammer's club and resort complex off Route 151, has
Bally's on its second floor. The entrance to the main building is massive, modern and marbled. The restaurant, reached by elevator is a classic set for the dining room of the rich and famous. But greetings are warm, the service is attentive and friendly by a staff that puts diners at ease. Good appetizers include the mushrooms stuffed with crabmeat and the New England Clam Chowder, but the Onion Soup was a standout. Among entrees, the native scrod was broiled with rosemary and served with a mix of summer squashes. Chicken Palmer-style was stuffed with spinach, basil, mozzarella and prosciutto which had been first grilled then roasted. The strawberry shortcake is good.
Menu entrees: M to E
Cape Cod Brew House
720 Main Street, Hyannis
508-775-4110
Although the Cape Cod Brew House does serve excellent draft beer and ale; some of
its brewed directly on the premises, its well-cooked and reasonably priced food is
the real draw. Brewer's Chili has beer in the recipe. It's meaty, has red beans,
tomatoes and hot chilies thrown in as well as a topping of jack cheese. It's a MUST ORDER dish. Other recommendations are the Crab Cakes, the beer-battered Fish and
Chips and the barbecued mixed grill. The desserts aren't bad either.
Menu entrees: I
Chatham Bars Inn
Shore Road, Chatham
508-945-0096
The Chatham Bars Inn is one of the last of the grand seaside resort hotels in
this area, its curving window serenely facing the sea. Always a benchmark for high
quality, service and elegance it still maintains very high standards. At the height of the season it manages to retain the cool that's lost in other equally busy places on the Cape. Among appetizers, the salmon seviche and the grilled eggplant terrine are excellent. Other recommendations include the grilled breast of duck served over Eastham turnips and the swordfish. Desserts include the old-fashioned creme brulee with its thick crackling top of carmelized sugar. Check out the wine list.
Menu entrees: E
Off the Bay Cafe
28 Main Street, Orleans
508-255-5505
Off the Bay Cafe's unprepossessing store front belies what's in back and becomes just an afterthought once you've entered into the interior with its antique stamped
tin ceilings,dark-wood tongue and groove siding and brass wall sconces. It's an attractive place and owner Steve Hickok knows his kitchen and his clients. Appetizers are exceptional, including the clam cakes and the quite unique chowder which contained lobster, clams, scallops and corn. Among the entrees were excellent blackened sea scallops and a grilled venison that was as tender and as savory as prime beef. Pig out on the splendid lemon icebox pie with a divoon chocolate crust.
Menu entrees: M to E
Betsy's Diner
457 Main Street, Falmouth
508-540-4446
This is a visitation back to the glory days of diners, when they were the focal points for both young and old in most American towns and cities. Their Beef Barley
soup rates a cheer, but the mousse-like chowder was light in clams. Homefries are
nicely crisp and brown, and the roast beef hash is not to be missed and entrees are big enough for even the hungriest of diners. Meat Loaf was served with high school
cafeteria overcooked green beans and a hill of good, gravy-covered mashed potatoes that stick to your fork and your ribs. Try the fried clams, they're properly cooked and sweet-tasting things. The Blueberry Pie and the Boston Cream Pie are both excellent.
Menu entrees: I
Coonamessett Inn
Jones Road, Falmouth
508-548-2300
One of the great, classic New England hostelries, the 1796-built place, whose name means "the place of the large fish," is an old homestead that has become over the years an elegant place in which to dine. Bricks for the fireplaces were brought
over from Europe as ballast in the holds of ships and much of the inside panelling is
original. The bar and lounge area is an ultra fashionable place to meet. In the dining room fish and shellfish specialties abound with focus on local lobster, scrod,
swordfish and other ocean delicacies. Try the lobster pie and the Coonamessett Scrod.
Menu entrees: M to E
The Boat House
88 Scranton Avenue, Falmouth
508-548-7800
On Falmouth's Inner Harbor and one very busy place. The one-story, elongated building is almost smack dab on the water. The wine list offers California labels
by the glass or the bottle. The menu is short and features the usual hamburgers and tuna salad roll for nibblers and for bigger appetites the tried-and-true entrees
of baked scallops, New York Sirloin, prime rib, baked stuffed shrimp and shrimp
scampi. There are also specials. Recommendations are the fried calamari, Boat House chili and the Caesar salad.
Menu entrees: M
Bobby Byrne's Pub
Route 28, Harwichport
508-430-1100
Bobby Byrne's pub network, dedicated to eating, drinking and jawing has places
strategically located on the Cape. This one, considerably lighter in decor and in
general mien than the others is just as relaxed and laid back as its brother and
sister pubs. The clam chowder is good, the stuffed quahog rich and satisfying. Tender
and tasty, the broiled chicken almondine comes with oversized french fries, zealously garlicked french bread and savory coleslaw. Check out the burgers, chicken filet sandwiches and the beef gyros. Desserts aren't bad, either.
Menu entrees: I
Roadhouse Cafe
488 South Street, Hyannis
508-775-2386
Dave Colombo's restaurant consistently turns out some of the best food on the Cape or anywhere else for that matter. Both New England-style and Italian in preparation with excellent fish chowder, salads and entrees that range from the
freshest of fish and shellfish to beef as good as there is, there is never any lack of quality or care in preparation and presentation. The bar and lounge area where you can sit in a booth or at the bar and order house specialties or the regular menu is a
relatively new addition as well as is the gourmet pizza section where other lighter fare is available for those wanting just that.
Menu entrees: M to E
Chart Room
Off Shipyard Lane in the Cataumet Marina, Cataumet
508-563-5350
As part of the marina complex the well-patronized Chart Room is right on
the water amid a jumble of warehouses looking out over tall-masted sailboats and
sleek power craft in the harbor. The informal interior has port and starboard lights,
thick plank floors, heavy Captain's chairs and geodetic map-covered tables. Stuffed
quahog has a spicy authority and an impeccably fresh quality and is one of the best
recipes on the Cape. The house dressings are excellent, the salads crisp and fresh.
Fish and shellfish (after all it's right there almost in the water) are as fresh as
can be had, next to catching them yourself. There's an excellent selection of light, snacky foods which ,of course, includes hot dogs and burgers. All the pies are good.
Menu entrees: I to M
Campari's, Inn of the Dolphin
352 Main Street, Chatham
508-945-9123
Bob and Lisa Chiapetta's intimate little restaurant is as charming a place
as you'll find on the Cape. Good touches are the complimentary spring water
and snap-crisp bread sticks niftily backstopped by a zesty Gorgonzola
cheese spread. This place goes with wine and has a good wine list. Recommended entrees include Raviolis d'Abbruzzi, a southern Adriatic recipe
of pizza-shaped pasta envelopes artfully stuffed with olives, scallions,
tomato and fresh spinach, finished with garlic and olive oil and an almost
profligate strewing of wild mushrooms; the house Melanzane alla Parmigiana
- fresh eggplant cutlets plumped with ricotta and spinach, baked with
mozzarella and romano cheese and served on a bed of thin pasta nubbled with
broccoli florets in an earthy marinara sauce. Campari's desserts are
excellent.
Menu entrees: M
Captain Scott's
40 North Main Street, Falmouth
508-495-1600
Captain Scott's, nicely ensconced in the Ramada Inn on Main Street Square,
offers top quality food at the same wonderfully low prices found in his hugely successful, family-oriented restaurant on the other side of the Cape on the Bay in Sandwich. Fish and clam chowders are big here (the seafood stew is a MUST ORDER dish) and the Greek Salad will be your idea of ideal Greek greens, you know the one with the perfect tart, acidic back-of-the-tongue bite of vinegar and crumbly feta cheese. Captain Scott's onion rings ring a bell as well. The general menu features fish, something they have always managed with a certain elegant panache, in addition to good quality steaks, chicken and pork dishes to satisfy the savage hunger for meat streak in your past ancestry. Don't miss the Fried Oyster Louisiana, another high-flavor dish, or the Broiled Swordfish, brightly sharpened with lemon and dill and thoroughly flavorsome.
Menu entrees: I
Dan'l Webster Inn
149 Main Street, Sandwich
508-888-3622
The Dan'l Webster Inn is not just one of those drop in for a snack places
although the greeting you get is as warm as if you had reserved a banquet
room. There's a five-star wine list plus a chef, Robert Catania, whose
appetizers are appetite-whetters and entrees right up there with the wine
list. There is a changing Regional and Continental menu emphasizing
seafood. No such thing as fillers in his lobster cakes: two tender rounds
of sea-fresh lobster meat topped with a crown of bearnaise sauce. Good
beyond measure is his Creamed Tomato Soup. Scallops Webster, one of the
inn's signature entrees are plump, briny sea scallops, cooked with sweet
bell pepper slices, mushrooms and onions in a sauce suffused with garlic
and butter. Try the Cornish Game Hen, roasted with a pear and hazelnut
stuffing and finished sweetly with plump figs and maple syrup.
Menu entrees: M
Land Ho!
Route 6A, Orleans
508-255-5265
A comfortable, noisy, crowded, sometimes hectic and very entertaining
gathering place. John Murphy's kitchen turns out some filling, tasty food
for people on the run and for people who like to take their time. Clam
chowder is the sea-salty, old-fashioned kind. Entrees are large and larger.
Kale Soup, the Portuguese meal in a bowl, is as good as found anywhere, the
burgers are larger, sandwiches so big they can't be finished and there's
the some good pub food...chicken wings, fish 'n chips and onion rings,
solid with flavor. If you still have room, try the fried oysters or the
crab cakes and if you're still hungry, Land Ho's apple pie rates with the
best.
Menu entrees: M
Old Jailhouse Tavern
28 West Road, Orleans
508-255-5245
Bill and Leslie Hirst's busy place is marvelously elegant in decor with a
wide range of menu items served in a delightful atmosphere. Clam Pie, an
excellent starter, is an almost custardy-smooth dish and don't miss the
super onion soup. Entrees are large and larger, the Prime Rib au jus is
carefully cooked and a superior piece of beef. Stuffed Flounder-Cape Cod
are fillets of white, flaky fish wrapped around a savory mix of spinach, mushrooms and crabmeat along with a side of good rice pilaf. For dessert the tavern has a great bread pudding plumped up with fat raisins.
Menu entrees: M
Captain Linnell House
Skaket Road, Orleans
508-255-3400
The Captain Linnell House is a very special place--an authentic period
house built in the neo-classic style in 1840 with elegant furnishings from
Europe and with food and service to match. Decor is sedate, with
watercolors, English chintz and an abundance of fresh flowers. The lounge,
a handsome place, used to be the original carriage house. The wine list is
extensive, selective and appropriately priced. Appetizers include a regal
bourbon lobster bisque, an excellent clam chowder and Maine Crab Cakes that
can't be beat. Swordfish is served with a tomato, red onion and basil
relish, and the roast duckling as a raspberry, clove and marmalade
demi-glaze, Desserts are all made in the restaurant's kitchen and include
Esther's Chocolate Cake, a black-beauty layer cake with a hefty dollop of
rich whipped cream.
Menu entrees: M to E
Captain's Table Restaurant
14 Gallo Road, Sandwich
508-888-8440
This restaurant on the Cape Cod Canal boasts good food, a great view of
the very busy Cape Cod Canal and a desire to carry on a long restaurant
tradition.. The wine list is short and reasonably priced. The chef turns
out some choice appetizers which include cream of mushroom soup that's
creamy and studded with pale slivers of woodsy mushrooms. Enjoy the
expertly made Oysters Manhattan, a dish featuring smoky bacon, assertive
cheese, fresh oysters and spinach. The french fries are a must order
item - beautifully crisp and quite unusually herbed. Entree recommendations
include the seafood pot pie and, of course, the signature prime rib. Among
the good desserts, the Chocolate Outrage stands out as outstandingly gooey-
and good.
Menu entrees: I to M
Joseph's
825 Main Street, Osterville
508-420-1742
Joseph Murray, chef and owner, runs the open kitchen at Joseph's with
great flair, an appreciation for uncomplicated recipes which result in some
quite novel appetizers and entrees. Spinach-tortellini soup is excellent,
as was his quite traditional clam chowder and stuffed mushrooms, grilled to
perfection. Clams Casino, like little stuffed quahogs, had a delightfully
intense flavor. Among his entrees, lamb chops were fresh-tasting with a
sturdy lamb flavor. Chicken Francaise, dressed with a tart lemon sauce and
served with oven-roasted potatoes, sparkled with flavor. Don't miss his
lemon meringue pie, a masterpiece of citrusy flavor with a towering
meringue so frosty and light it seemed a shame to put a fork to it.
Menu entrees: M
Fearrington's
at King's Way, Route 6A, Yarmouthport
508-362-1499
The elegance of the clubhouse at King's Way is a beautifully appointed
building set amid the lush plantings of the King's Way Golf Club. The main
room has botanicals and Italianate harbor and seascape lithos for wall
decor and flower displays to complement the antique green trim. Gazpacho,
the standard Spanish cold soup of Andalusia, a nicely seasoned and
supremely flavorful recipe, had mostly chopped veggies rather the almost
pureed version found in most restaurants. Another good starter was the
fried squid served on a Gase of tomato concasse. Among the entrees, Baked
Chicken Fearrington, the steak tips and Eggplant Parmesan were all
excellent.
Menu entrees: I to M
Nauset Beach Club
Main Street, East Orleans
508-255-8547
One of the top small restaurants on the Cape, Nauset Beach Club's three small dining rooms are pleasant and very comfortable. Among some rather pricey offerings, the wine list offers nice choices from Italian, French and
American vineyards. Sesame bread sticks, crusty rolls and thick slices of
grilled garlic bread were followed by a peasant soup, a delightful
interpretation of Italian minestra. Clams al Forno, an oven-roasted
appetizer with cheese, a wonderful breading and a tender artichoke heart
was a nice change from the usual Clams Casino. Caesar Salad rates a 10.
Swordfish Cacciatore was literally dripping with briny goodness amidst
tomato, red pepper, zucchini and summer squash. Chicken and Eggplant, a
grilled combination, was permeated with a marvelous Italian flavor. All
desserts are made in-house. Try the Tiramisu, ladyfingers soaked in
espresso, layered with marscapone cheese and whipped cream and laid in a
limpid pool of caramel-chocolate sauce.
Menu entrees: M
Mama Angie's Italian Restaurant
Route 28, West Yarmouth
508-771-6531
At Mama Angie's, a main course leaves little room for anything else. The
dining rooms have bentwood-type chairs, formica top tables, a seeming
jungle of greens and an array of paintings of Italian scenes. Mama Angie's
Minestrone Soup, almost solid with vegetables was about the best I have
ever had. Salads were large scrumptious affairs, filled with red onion, hot
peperoncini and crunchy romaine. The Baked Manicotti, chewy egg pasta
pillows filled with fresh ricotta was baked in a smooth, earthy-tasting
tomato sauce. Chicken Marsala was irresistible, with toothsome white meat,
nuggets of mushrooms and a rich gravy sweet with Marsala wine. Steak
Pizzaiola is a dish for gladiators set for the arena. Expansive eaters
should try the tureen-sized offering of Mussels Marinara. Desserts, although inviting are no match for the main courses.
Menu entrees: I to M
Cape Sea Grille
31 Sea Street, Harwichport
508-432-4745
The name implies a fast-crowd impression but the place is sedate and
classically elegant. A two-story Colonial structure with sober black
blinds, a softening of pretty plantings, carefully clipped lawns, it has a
glassed-in front porch and a seriea of additions spread out to the rear.
Inside the whole effect is inviting and music is pleasant and subdued. Cape
Sea Grille's starters are super. Roasted Corn and Codfish Chowder is a real
America quality dish with chewy corn and solid hunks of succulent white cod
in a creamy fish broth. Another starter, Mozzarella, Onion and Tomato Slices was one of those summer grace notes of marveluusly FRESH vegetables, its apparance eliciting oohs and aahs. Maine Crab Cake are a delight and entrees maintain the same high level. Baked Scrod brought the flavor of the sea to table and Grilled Shrimp, jumbo shrimp paired with penne pasta and a superbly made carbonmara sauce is a MUST ORDER dish. Desserts are as good. Try the Twin Brulee, one orange and one ginger, the surfaces crackle and the contents are a delight.
Menu entrees: M
Brewster Inn and Chowder House
1993 Main Street, Brewster
508-896-7771
Quietly laid back and serving a steady local clientele, this place turns
out good home cooking, at inexpensive prices. The menu includes daily
specials, entrees and sandwiches and there is a simple wine list. The
restaurant serves one of the best clam chowders on the Cape, the
old-fashioned kind with plenty of honest sea clam in the making. Beef
Vegetable Soup with its dark, beefy broth was excellent. Stuffed Quahog has
forthright flavor with just the right amount of hots in it. Entrees are
above average, check out the Yankee Pot Roast and the broiled Chatham
Scrod. Sides of crispy, steamy french fries hit the spot. For dessert, the
apple pie flavored well with cinnamon and basting a good, flaky buttery crust can't be beat.
Menu entrees: I
Chef Urano's
50 Sea Street, Hyannis
508-771-7371
For consistency of food quality, service and pleasant surroundings, Chef
Urano's rates near the top. Inside the Mediterranean blue and brick
one-story building at the corner of South and Sea streets, there are fresh
flowers on check cloth-covered tables, black wrought iron chandeliers,
ornate statuary and the pleasant sounds of Perry Como and other Italian
tenors. The Minestrone is full of vegetables and has the true soup's earthy
flavor. The Salami and Provolone combination makes a great starter. Don't
miss Chef Urano's Haddock Pizaiola and Chicken alla Marsala. If you have
room left get the Strawberry Cream Cake, order it, it's a winner.
Menu entrees: I to M
Captain Scott's
71 Tupper Road, Sandwich
508-888-1675
From the early days of paper cups and plates, Virginia and George Gossios'
dynamic roadside restaurant has served good homecooked food with flair at
reasonable prices. One of the restaurant's showpieces, seafood stew is a
stylish brew of fish, scallops, clams and lobster bits in a rich, creamy
broth. Stuffed quahog is good and well-textured with onion, clams and
pepper bits. I recommend the fried calamari, fresh smelts, baked stuffed
haddock and swordfish. Also good are the coleslaw and don't miss out on the
fish cakes and beans...like Mother used to make. George's Grapenut Pudding
and Baklava make a good finish for your meal.
Menu entrees: I
Giardino's Family Restaurant
Route 28, West Yarmouth
508-775-0333
The Giardino's, owners for a quarter century, have assured the success of
this once all-Italian food place with the addition of Mexican fajitas,
Japanese chicken teriyaki, Southern baby back ribs and New York Sirloin. There's a roomy bar and lounge with sports T.V. and two dining rooms, decorated with style and warmth. Wine and beer are available. Among starters, stuffed quahog and the chicken noodle soup were excellent, as was a side of roasted Italian sausages. There are all kinds of pizzas and pasta dishes, the Chicken Cacciatore is a don't miss dish and the Mexican and Linguica pizzas are very tasty.
Menu entrees: I
Sagamore Inn
1131 Route 6A, Sagamore
508-888-9707
For sheer taste and quality, the Sagamore Inn rates among the Top 10
restaurants on the Cape. Adding to the delight of the place is the added attraction of staff so doting it's like being at home with your mother. Joe and Shirley Paglarani's restaurant clock-stopped in restaurant design and decor at the 1930's mark is a Cape Cod institution and a mecca for those searching for
the ultimate in home Italian food. Chicken and Rice Soup, a congenial mix
of white meat chicken, rice, onion and celery in a milky, rich broth and
the Inn's Clam Chowder cooked to a point of briny perfection and absolutely
a prize winner for taste and texture are enough to make you come back time
and again. Stuffed Quahog is superb, the Antipasto mountainous and enough
for a table not just for one or two. Spaghetti with fried butterfly shrimp
and clam sauce is a rich and satisfying dish, the heady, garlicky red clam
sauce a marvel of taste. Sole, fresh fish caught that morning, flaky fish
perfectly cooked and seasoned and served with wonderful french (almost
steak) fries that just couldn't be cooked so well at home. The desserts are
simple and simply delicious, the grapenut custard and bread custard with
much egg, sugar and cinnamon elevating an already taste bud-popping taste.
Menu entrees: I
Christian's
443 Main Street, Chatham
508-945-3362
The menu upstairs at Christian's is much the same as the one served in the
more sedate and formal first floor dining room but with the added attractions of a more laid back attitude. Portuguese Kale Soup for starters was a hearty, bursting withtaste, meat and vegetable-filled dish. An elegant Casino Royalle, little necks baked with garlic and pepper butter and topped with crisp, smoky bacon rated a star. Salads at Christian's have always been unusually good, fresh and nicely put together. Entrees are oversized and magnificent. Recommended are the Braised Lamb Shanks, a meaty shank of lamb seasoned with rosemmary and Merlot demi-glace, served over linguini; golden-fried Wellfleet oysters, a
spectacular dish not the least bit greasy, and Christian's Famous Meatloaf, a delight of a dish with some of the best mashed potatoes you'll ever enjoy.
Menu entrees: M
The Black Cat
165 Ocean Street, Hyannis
508-778-1233
Glen Ream's little gem of a place sets new standards for tasting American
fare with a difference, in an eminently attractive environment on Hyannis
Inner Harbor. The bar and lounge is a busy place with a staff that makes you feel welcome from your moment of entrance. The dining room is decorated in soft pinks and greens and has an imposing array of framed portraits of historically important cats. Appetizers include an entree-sized portion of fried calamari, a good stuffed quahog and excellent grilled shrimp. Recommended entrees are the Crab Casserole and Black Cat Chicken topped with pesto and mozzarella cheese. Desserts are very good, particularly the Praline Cheese Cake.
Menu entrees: M to E
The Paddock Restaurant
West End Rotary, Hyannis
508-775-7677
For good food and service and an inviting combination big city/art deco
atmosphere, the Paddock Restaurant, as a long-running success story, deserves
more than just one rose thrown at it. The traditional Continental-American
menu emphasizes regional New England fish specialties and the stylish wine
list (it has consistently won Wine Spectator awards) offers something for
even the most discriminating. Appetizers and entrees are elegantly presented. Garden Vegetable Soup, a hefty, herb-flavored mix packed in a fragrant tomato broth would have just been minestra in a less classy restaurant and the chilled Shrimp and Scallop Bombay made with sweet meaty scallops, crunchy shrimp and thetextures of nuts, bananas, blueberries and sprouts is an event. Baked Clams Casino are elegantly prepared, the salads exceptional. Roast Long Island Duckling and fresh Nantucket Swordfish are recommended among the many equally good entrees. Desserts are not to be missed. The Rice Pudding is my favorite.
Menu entrees: M to E
Pate's
Main Street, Chatham
508-945-9777
Pate's is a slick little restaurant whose culinary expertise belies its
country location. The main dining room, a well-put-together place of dark
paneling and heavy beams has the rich tint of burgundy and maroon everywhere. The wine list has the look of careful choices about it. A starter, Vichysoisse, was a delicious, velvety preparation of the traditional cold soup and Clams Casino, barely cooked littlenecks in pools of butter, were crusted with bread crumbs and sizzled on their ceramic platter. The Clam Chowder was rich and creamy and successful. Chatham Haddock (You're right in the middle of Chatham, right!) is super. The quality of Pate's beef is almost legendary and the top sirloin rump steak, a house specialty. For dessert hit the Key Lime Pie you won't get better any where outside of the Deep South.
Menu entrees: M to E
Gina's by the Sea
134 Taunton Avenue, Dennis
508-385-3213
Been there as long as most folks remember, an intimate little place and
serving some of the tastiest food on the Cape. Interior has exposed beams,
knotty pine walls and nicely set tables. The northern Italian menu features
superb Clams Casino and Chicken Gismonda, breast of chicken lightly breaded, sauteed in butter, and served on a bed of spinach, garnished with mushrooms sauteed in Madeira sauce. Other good bets are the pesto raviolis and the almost-tennis-size meatballs.
Menu entrees: I to M
Regatta of Cotuit
Route 28, Cotuit
508-428-5715
This 18th century landmark stagecoach inn has the original woodwork and
wide-board floors all restored to dazzle modern eyes dulled by plastic modernity. There are several tres intime dining rooms romantically lit with
brass chandeliers and wall sconces with Oriental carpeting afoot and Limoges china adding touches of pure luxury. The main cuisine is elegantly Nouveau American. Check the house-smoked salmon fillet with honey glaze and the grilled foods which are house specialties in addition to sautes and pates of rabbit, veal and venison. There is also a year-round light fare tavern menu, an outstanding group of items among which are: Smoked Salmon Plate, Grilled Chicken Breast Sandwich, Half a Grilled Lobster and sauteed Sea Scallops at prices all very much on the light side.
Menu items: I to E
Rose's
Black Flats Road, Dennis
508-385-3003
The Rosetti's, owners of the oldest family owned and operated restaurant
on the Cape, have been pleasing customers clients since 1941. What an
achievement that is by itself! The restaurant, with its series of interestingly decorated dining rooms (check out the wishing well with its fake birds in the tree branches), features Italian cuisine with veal a specialty, as in saltimbocca or veal scallops sauteed in lemon butter over fettuccine. The calamaretti alla Ronaldo (squid in a lobster-tomato sauce) and mussels in cream and wine, both served over linguini) are delicious. Wines are reasonably priced and service is helpfully attentive.
Menu items: I to M
