I eat out A LOT. From the time I was younger, I was used to eating in restaurants at least once or twice a week. In fact, I used to cry that I didn’t want to go out because I just wanted to stay home reading!
Now, I obviously appreciate and LOVE restaurants. But there are still times when I need a break – some good home cooked meals or simple things thrown together to detox from restaurant’s not-so-healthy preparation techniques and serving sizes.
And sometimes it’s nice to just dance around a kitchen and eat in your shorts and t-shirt and immediately flop on the couch after eating.
Oh, and save some money.
So – for all of the above reasons, I was so excited for our trip to Cape Cod this summer where we looked forward to a big grocery shopping trip in a suburban Stop & Shop and a long weekend full of fresh meals prepared in a giant kitchen!
Here’s what we ate (and drank) on the Cape!
Road-Trip
Gotan
None of us were about to eat truck-stop food for dinner – McHellNo!
Before leaving the city, I stopped at my all-time favorite spot Gotan, to load up! At this point, I’ve tried almost everything on the menu. I ordered the Beet, Sauteed Greens & Grains salad for the first time and was BLOWN AWAY. I think it’s definitely my favorite! Just look at it, and you’ll see why – beautiful!
Filled with freekeh, grapes, cilantro citrus yogurt, herb vinaigrette and pistachio dust. I felt like a queen eating this in the back of the car. And for dessert?
PB&J with homemade jam and banana dust, duhhhh.
Breakfasts
Lemon Ricotta Pancakes With Berries
Not only did we make lemon ricotta pancakes, they were topped with whipped (and heavily sugared) Ricotta – no syrup necessary when your pancakes are smothered in this deliciousness!
Veggies, Eggs and Fruit
The other mornings we had a smorgasbord of fresh fruit and eggs scrambled with delicious veggies like spinach, peppers and onions. One morning we made a sweet potato hash too!
Snacks
Most days our “lunch” consisted of snacking on the beach. Veggies and hummus, apples, popcorn and Terra chips – we were perfectly content.
Appetizers
Caprese
Kayla, Queen of Caprese. She whipped this up like it was no big thang.
Clams On the Halfshell
I was so excited to witness Kayla try her first raw clam! We headed out for a low-key happy hour at a local restaurant that advertised “Fresh Music, Live Seafood.” I was equally excited that they had my absolute favorite beer – Long Trail Brewery’s Limbo IPA.
Drinks
Other than our happy hour out, we stuck to making our own drinks using New Amsterdam Mango Vodka. 5 FOR YOUR NEW AMSTERDAM MANGO VODKA, YOU GO MANGO VODKA! Despite drinking a fairly significant quantity each day, we had ZERO hangover and most importantly, every drink tasted like a tropical island in our mouths.
Frose (Frozen Rose)
This has been the “it” drink this summer and isn’t it obvious why? Frozen rose ice cubes + fresh watermelon + mango vodka (many shots more than the recipe called for) = a phenomenal summer beverage. After taking a picture of your frose, you should definitely let any fruit garnishes soak up the alcohol before eating it when you finish your drink.
Frozen Mango Lemonade
If you ever find yourself on Cape Cod, you should go to the little beach snack bar we found and you should most definitely ask for a “small cup’s worth of frozen lemonade in a medium cup” and you should most definitely pour New Amsterdam Frozen Vodka into it. It sounds #basic, but it might just well have been the most enjoyable drink I ever did drank.
Dinners
Fish Tacos
Our first day on the Cape we made delicious fish tacos that went undocumented due to many glasses of the aforementioned Frose cocktails. It was accompanied by corn on the cob! We discussed the genetic implications of how you eat your corn (in a circle, in rows or like Kayla – completely haphazardly).
Seared Scallops with Pesto Zoodles
We took a trip to the fish market in town and while we were getting fish for the tacos, decided to go rogue and get some scallops too.
Though I had never cooked scallops before, my dad coached me through it, and I must say – these came out realllllll pretty.
Scallops are up there on my list of favorite seafood. They are just so sweet, tender and rich! The zoodles with pesto helped keep things light.
Desserts
Forget Ben & Jerry. It’s all about Tate’s & Talenti. All night, every night.
Homeward Bound
Red 36
We decided to break up our car ride home with a stop in Mystic, Connecticut for a beautiful lunch on the water. I did lots of research during the first half of the trip, looking for the perfect spot. We ended up at Red 36 and couldn’t stop squealing about how beautiful it was.
This was definitely a game-changing move and felt like we got to take a little mini-vacation on the way home from vacation!
We started with the summer flatbread special that was deeeelish and loaded with roasted veggies.
I ordered the Ahi-Tuna Kokuho Stick Rice Salad which came with avocado, grapefruit (my favorite combo), Thai vegetables and Nuoc Cham (a sauce made with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, garlic and chilies). It was a stunner, and full of flavor.
Jess and Kayla split one of the salads and these beautiful Crab Cakes just bursting with crab meat! They were even topped with a lobster chive sauce.
We also got a side of French fries with a special request for the truffle cream that was listed with the seared scallop appetizer. We are so needy. But it was such a good call, even as someone who isn’t a big truffle fan.
Not only was the food delicious, but it was a dining experience made even better by a wonderful server and an incredible view!
