New for 2011 on Cape Cod?

[lupaglupa]

Yes, I'm one of those people - the ones who come each year to the Cape on vacation. I'm throwing myself on the mercy of those of you who get to live on Cape Cod year round - is there anything new that's a can't miss this summer?

[winedude]

Anejo opened in downtown Falmouth for upscale Mexican--I haven't been, but it's quite popular, with good reports.

Also, ever been to Blackfish, in Truro? It's a few years old, but it's a great spot.

[CapecodKid]

From Falmouth, some recs:

Captain Kidd for the Tuna/Sahimi App and great scene. (Sit on tavern side)

Roo Bar, yes pricey, for the Kona (sp?) crusted pork dish. Amazing stuff.

Coop Da' Ville in on the vineyard (OB) for some of the best wings and local scene around.

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Captain Kidd Restaurant
77 Water St, Woods Hole, MA 02543

[Bashful3]

Yo, Capecod kid: while not chow worthy, there's nothing to sneeze at when high quality shellfish and fish are well prepared and seasoned, at a value price. I can assure you, the full house on Monday night at Yarmouth House were locals. There
were hardly any tourists in West Yarmouth before the Memorial Day weekend. The happy eaters were well dressed; they knew each other, the help knew them. We looked like the only tourists there.

If I could find the quality of the fish/shellfish in Philly that I found at Skipper and Yarmouth House I"d be eating out more often. Enjoy your bounty! And, another plus: friendly warm service at both places added to hospitality.

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Yarmouth House Restaurant
335 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673

[CapeCodGuy]

This is an excellent argument for "To each his own", but I've lived here all my 50+ years and I can tell you that most year round locals avoid both places for their substandard and uninspired fare. They do get their share of the bluehair crowd however, much like places like Captain Parkers and Clancy's.

[wyarmouth9]

Agree to disagree, then, CapeCodGuy, but Bashful3's got it right again. Yarmouth House is loved by many locals, even if you're not among us.

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Yarmouth House Restaurant
335 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673

[cape year rounder]

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

[CapeCodGuy]

On my "must try this season" list, thanks for posting.

[Bashful3]

Here's what may be new on the Cape: great food, with early bird, and other specials at quite nice places. For example: Yarmouth House, West Yarmouth has 3-6 early birds: any entre under $25 for $13.95. I chose scallops Diane, and it was fabulous. Restaurant was mobbed, completely full by 6; why not? Those folks looked like locals to us.

Tonight ate, for the second time, at Skippers, South Yarmouth: specials for $12.75 were hard to choose from. My choice, scallops, shrimp and mussels over pasta/sun dried tomatoes etc was lovely. Again, suchquality onthose scallops.

The price on small lobsters keeps dropping: was twin lobster for $20.99, but tonight the sign said twins for $19.99. I could deal with that anytime.

These are not the prices I remember from the Cape. Of course, this is not evenearly season, so maybe that explains it.

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Yarmouth House Restaurant
335 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673

[CapeCodGuy]

Special deals in the off-season are nothing new to the Cape where the current

population is only 15% of what it will be in season. There are dozens and dozens of

excellent restaurants that offer discounts beyond the typical early bird like

Ocean House's $26 prix fixe 3 course dinners, The Dolphin's $5 tapas menu or

under $15 lighter fare menu, or Colombo's $11.95 Italian nights to name just a

few.

Sorry to say, but most locals avoid Yarmouth House and The Skipper like the

plague. Yarmouth House is notorious for it's Sysco fare served up in one of the

dirtiest kitchens around and The Skipper is also mentioned on many "Worst of the Cape" lists for uninspired fare. Both are busy tourist

destinations, but not local favorites or Chowhound-worthy by any margin.

[wyarmouth9]

I have to really disagree with CapeCodGuy and go with Bashful3 as far as The Yard House goes. I'm a local and have been here many times. Food is excellent (I've had seafood, steak and pasta entrees), servers are always pleasant, and Bashful3 is right, they're always packed by 6pm (even in the off season, which is the true test of good food on Cape). My family and our neighbors eat there often and I have yet to hear of a bad or even mediocre experience. I'd definitely recommend it!

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Yarmouth House Restaurant
335 Route 28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673

[CapeCodGuy]

Yet I've never heard of any good experiences by ANY locals who I know? I can say that my own personal experience in perhaps a half dozen visits rates it right up there with Clancy's, Oliver's, and Captain Parkers, all of whom are busy by 6 pm and all of whom are quite lousy. Heck, Olive Garden is jam packed in the off-season at 6 PM, so how is that a measure of good food on the Cape?

Serch for the thread "Worst of the Cape" and you'll see it mentioned often.

[foleyd7]

CCC - - - just got back from a short weekend on the Cape and I noticed there are 3 distinct, unrelated restarutants with similar names. There is a Skippy's, The Skipper, and Skippers. Your reply above referenced THE Skipper. Bashful3 referenced Skippers in South Yarmouth. Just curious if you are mixing places. Here is what I wrote about Skippers last July on a lobster-roll thread: : I just got back from the Cape earlier this month and discovered a great Lobster Roll at Skippers in Yarmouth. (Not Skippy's on 28). Skippers is on South Shore Drive overlooking the beach. We walked there for lunch from the beach and sat upstairs on the deck. They offer a regular roll (4 oz Lobster on hot dog bun) and then a larger version (8 oz on a grinder/hoagie roll). I had both on separate visits. I hate lobster that is heavily buttered or mayo'd and that doesn't have large, distinguisable pieces of lobster. I'm not a Lobster Roll afficianodo, but I thought the one at Skippers was very good - - - especially when sitting on the deck looking over the beach with a summer ale draft. I wouldn't call Skippers fine dining for dinner, but for a good beach lunch it was just right.

[CapeCodGuy]

foleyd, I think you are mistaken. I'm pretty sure there are 2, not 3 restaurants with similar names. They do often get confused though. The Skipper, of which you speak, is on South Shore Drive in Bass River across the street from the beach. It's a nice place to sit during the day outside on the second floor deck. My experience with the food there, however, is it's typical tourist fare and not especially good at that. The other place is Skippy's Pier 1 which is just off Rte 28 near Pirate's Cove Mini Golf overlooking a small marina. It's been a few years since I've sampled food there, but it was always pretty horrible and even here you don't read any accolades.

Let me clarify my opinion here as I know many disagree when I say a place is dreadful as they may have legitimately experienced something completely different. To me, it doesn't take a skilled hand to put out a tasty lobster roll/ steamed lobster/ scallop dish or piece of broiled or fried fish, as long as the ingredients are of good quality and very fresh. Unfortunately, the same places that sometime pull that off with a cupbard full of Sysco products and a disinterested or unskilled "chef" in the kitchen, just as often put out food that is completely dreadful. After your review last season, I decided to take the wife to The Skipper for lunch. Let's just say our experience did not mirror yours and therefore I put it in my 'places to avoid' memory. There are just too many places that have skill in the kitchen and put out interesting, inspired, and consistant food for me to frequent, much less recommend, those places that do not.

[foleyd7]

I love fine dining and I'm a snob for real, simple Italian (not AmerItalian) food. But at the same time, I'm willing to recommend places for what they are: pizza joints, pubs, diners, fried platters, etc.
I guess I willingly compartmentalize some recommendations to specific dishes or experiences, without giving a blanket recommendation to the entire establishment. I'll highly recommend Red Cottage for pumpkin pancakes and real maple syrup. I'll highly recommend Keltic Kitchen for omelets. But if you want to stray from that, then buyer beware.
Same goes for Skippers for me. Dinner? No. Fine dining? Not nearly. Fried fish and chicken fingers and lobster rolls overlooking the beach with flip flops and summer ale? Yup.
Where else can you get up off your beach towel, walk across the street covered in sand, and order decent pub food (and lobster rolls) while sitting on an open air deck overlooking the beach you just walked off of?
Ironically - - - this open-air over the water concept was my perception of all food on the Cape before I actually visited 10+ years ago. Unfortunately, I haven’t actually found much like that anywhere on the Cape.
So if I compartmentalize my recommendation to sandy-legged-flip-flop-open-air-dining with not-overly-mayo'd lobster rolls, then this is the place for me. If you want to stray from that, then buyer beware.

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Keltic Kitchen
415 Rte 28, West Yarmouth, MA 02673

Red Cottage Restaurant
36 Old Bass River Rd, South Dennis, MA 02660

[CapeCodGuy]

Agreed wholeheartedly with one caveat. When one can't be sure if that simple chicken fingers/onion rings/lobster roll with chunks of lobster and not too much mayo is actually going to be consistant from visit to visit, and experience proves that it's not, it's no longer buyer beware but avoid at all costs.

That said, some experiences are worth the risk which I think is your point. The Beachcomber for me gives the experience you enjoy at the Skipper, with a more consistant result.

[lupaglupa]

Thanks for the suggestions so far. We stay in Sandwich but usually wander around - especially if a good meal is in the direction we're headed! We come early in the season each year so things that opened up last summer may also be new to us.

[manhattankaren]

Have family on the cape year round. Last summer we loved the Chatham Pier Fish Market (new owners revamped the old Nickerson's) for takeout fried seafood, lobster rolls, and fish market. Beautiful waterfront setting with picnic tables. It just opened for the season a few weeks ago. Brewster Fish House more upscale, not new but still great except no res policy and long lines.

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Brewster Fish House
2208 Main, Brewster, MA 02631

[CapeCodGuy]

Actually, a small bump-out renovation at Brwester Fish House has added about 4 tables, so that's new!!

[BostonZest]

Ten tables in Provincetown and Chef Wil Gilson is going to be doing a summer long pop up restaurant at Adrian's in Touro.

Penny
http://www.bostonzest.com/

[ciclista]

Most places that are new have just opened and are still "working the bugs out" so not sure if they'll be a can't miss"! Let's hope so.

Fin, Dennis, site of the old Gracie's Table with the former chef from Brewster Fish House

Summer Stock, on the grounds of the Cape Playhouse in Dennis

[The700Level]

Has anyone here tried either Summer Stock or Fin? The menus look nice.

[CapeCodGuy]

I tried Summer Stock for lunch and although it was a small sampling, there was certainly room for improvement. Being so new though, I'm willing to cut them some slack and try again.

Here's my report:
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/783283

[nfc]

Have been to both Fin and Summer Stock. Thought Fin was as good as or better than Brewster Fish House when the chef/owner of Fin was chef at Brewster Fish--which is to say:very very good. Even better, Fin takes reservations. Al in all I'd rate it as one of the best on Cape.
Summer Stock is not in the same category as Fin but I found the menu interesting and varied with good price points. My husband and I both liked what we ordered. Both are welcome additions to the Dennis and midCape dining scene We'll be going back to both often.

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Brewster Fish House
2208 Main, Brewster, MA 02631

[CapecodKid]

Which town(s) will you be staying or visiting??