Cape Cod Post Mortem

Just back from a glorious week in Eastham on the Cape: 7 days of sunshine, great mother/wife moments, a gorgeous beach in walking distance from the house we rented, my youngest caught his first striper (25 inches long!), and the best friends a girl could ask for!

While it is still fresh in my mind, I share my critique of the places we visited. Hope it helps your next visit to the Cape!

Hopper Real Estate: though they have a user friendly website, their staff (polite, but not out of the way friendly) didn't seem to care when Paul told them there was a short in the outdoor light.

Moby Dick's: an exceptional seafood place in Wellfleet! Great ambiance, friendly servers from all over the world (ours were Russian and British), and a BYO policy that makes the evening affordable. Paul recommends the grilled striper and I say try the scallops!

The Wellfleet Drive-In: Very nice people. They gave my puppy a biscuit and told him to enjoy the show!

Cape Cod Potato Chip Company Factory Tour: While their chips are great, the tour is just terrible. Literally, you walk down a hall and read some signs. Don't waste your time.

Hole In One: Yum, yum, yum. I confess that I am a tad Homer Simpson-ish in my complete adoration of donuts...all donuts, even the boxed ones that Hostess makes. However, the donuts from Hole In One are simply out of this world. Each variety had just the right texture and level of cakey-ness, the jelly donuts were soft like pillows and the toasted coconut was crunchy on the outside and firm on the inside. The highest marks go to the sour cream donut and the glazed. If you are anywhere on the Cape, go here. It is worth the trip and the wait in line. The staff gets poor marks for curtness, but if I was dealing with the masses of people that they see each morning, I might get out of patience too.

Nauset Ice Cream: This placed kicked the butt of the Ben & Jerry's that is right down the street. It is really flavorful ice cream that isn't too creamy. Lots of interesting flavors to try. Paul had coconut almond, I had coffee heath, and T had a vanilla milk shake; all were exceptional. The servers, all high school or college kids, didn't show any love for slinging scoops, but they gave us generous portions so they were immediately forgiven. And they were still nicer that the snotty people working at B&J's. Oh, and the prices were reasonable; $2.85 for a small which was anything but.

Russ and Marie's: This was by far the worst restaurant experience I have had in the last 10 years (I can't remember farther back than that). The food was lousy and the service was even worse. Our waiter was rude and screwed up the order. It would have been more pleasant to light the $95 we spent on fire.

Eastham Superette: This little convenience store has been family owned for about 55 years. It has everything from a nice little deli, to produce, to spare wiffle balls. Their is an adjoining liquor store with knowledgeable staff who helped us find just the right bottle of wine for dinner. The people who work there are exceptionally nice to tourists, not only making recommendations for nice places to visit (they recommended the local winery tour which we didn't have time for) but also cracking jokes while cutting deli meat (Why did the turtle cross the road?). The building is quaint, their location is convenient. The superette gets two thumbs way up from me.

Cape Cod Beer: Located near the Cape Cod Chip Factory, this little brewery has a laid back vibe, friendly workers (we were greeted by the brewmaster and president Todd) who offered us a beer tasting just for stopping by, and a nice little gift shop. They promote shopping locally for produce and the like, of which I am a fan. And their gift shop sells an all organic soap for pets...as the brewery has a brewery dog named Buster. Paul liked their Cape Cod IPA and Pat was partial to their amber, cleverly named Red Right Return.

Red Barn: A totally ticky-tacky-shmacky tourist trap with mini-golf and a gift shop featuring everything you'd expect, the Red Barn is most known for its pizza. In fact their pizza restaurant does a booming business. Locals told us Red Barn offered the best pizza on the Cape. Every time I have pizza anywhere but the New Haven area, I am grateful that I grew up in CT and know what excellent pizza tastes like. That's all I'm saying.

All in all it was an exceptionally fun week in Eastham. While I'd like to attribute it to the glorious weather and the excellent local provisions, mostly it was due to great friends and total relaxation. Can't wait to go back.