You know your body is in for a roller coaster when you go on vacation to a place where most meals come out looking like this...
.... and most of the menus look something like this....
MMMMM.... fried seafood....
Jamie and I just got back from a week on Cape Cod, the magical tip of Massachusetts where mini-golf is competitive and biking never seems to get tiring. We stayed at the most beautiful little house, complete with cable TV and a grill! What could be better? Every morning, we woke up and sat outside drinking coffee and reading the New York Times (Jamie: front section/business, Zoe: Dining In/ crossword), and then Jamie would fry up some french toast with my homemade raisin challah. Sometimes, he'd even throw a slice of American cheese on top just to take advantage of vacation-justified gluttony. mmmmm... to be young, in love, and fat in the summer!
Eating on Cape Cod is its own little adventure. My mom theorizes that the cape re-defined our family's eating traditions, creating our own "New England Kosher Style". Still no pork- but shell-fish in the summer on the cape: allowed!
I obviously arrived with very important eating check-list in hand. Jamie can attest that the very notion of missing even one seafood item was utterly intolerable. So, to make sure we covered it all, Jamie succumbed to my mania and we only ate in once the whole week. [Don't worry! We made good use of the grill during Celtics Game 7-- sob-- eating huge half pound Ju(i)cy Lucys!]
Fried Scallops were my first requirement. These succulent little poppers are like candy in your mouth. If cooked correctly, the tenderness of the meat coupled with the crunchy outside shell makes these rich devils such a treat. Of course, a whole plate of fried scallops and french fries can also cause a severe stomach ache so I highly recommend a good helping of cole slaw and a fruity beer to balance out the friedness. Oh man, fried scallops, what did I do to deserve thee?
Jamie most looked forward to the clam chowder. He believes that the Cape has the freshest clam chowder in the world, and he searches for little grains of sand at the bottom of his bowl just to prove himself right. We bought this cup at a roadside stand in Ptown, poured in a whole pack of oyster crackers, and two minutes later, this soup lay warmly in our bellies...
Despite his love of clams, though, Jamie can't really stomach the idea of oysters. Since I intellectually believe that loving oysters is a prerequisite for all foodies, I orderded myself a plate anyway. Since this isn't an "R" month, though, I limited myself to only four. Eating them without the cocktail sauce like a true Francophile, of course, these slipperies slid right down my throat and oozed that salty, Wellfleet sea water happily down into my tummy. Worth the ten bucks for sure.
Here come more clams for Jamie! Fried. Fried. Fried. Look at that plate! Good thing we biked seventeen miles the next day or else he'd still be comatose.
Even though lobster season hasn't quite hit its peak yet, I couldn't resist the Lobster Fettucine Alfredo. I know, I know, I should send this plate into thisiswhyyourefat.com. But, cmon! It's summer time. And what goes better with the richest, most decadent, shellfish thats ever existed than some good, old fashioned cream, butter and cheese?? Sigh. Just thinking about that creamy piece of lobster claw makes me melt.
.... still thinking about that lobster?
Me too.
Ok, moving on. On our last night, my mom treated the two of us to dinner at Abba, an Israeli-Thai fusion restaurant in Orleans. Delicious! After a little scotch (Jamie) and prosecco (Zoe) introduction, we set right in: beet/fried goat cheese salad for me, and grilled scallops over eggplant puree with grapefruit sauce for Jamie. Yum yum yum. Finally some veggies for this self-indulgent couple! Yes! Next came the Thai influence: steak filet with green curry noodles for Jamie, and seafood stew in thai basil broth for me. Both of our dishes were wonderfully executed, laden with subtle flavors and good quality proteins. A few lessons, though, we should always order meat medium-rare, and it's important to clarify a dish's spiciness before you order it. No complaints though, an all around wonderful meal. And on such a cute little (bug-free!) outdoor terrace. Thanks Mom.
Sadly, all vacations must end eventually. Time for a little seafood detox and real life again. Slowly meandering our way off the cape, we stopped at a few tag sales and... FOUR SEAS ICE CREAM. Probably the best ice cream ever created [only a slight exaggeration] we got in line with all the four year olds and ordered black raspberry, fresh strawberry and mint chocolate chip. Don't ask me why the latter comes out a bright pink color, I don't know the answer but I trust Four Seas anyway.
Look at us! Such happy ice cream eaters!
Until next summer, Cape Cod. Thanks for the salty air and the shellfish.
In case you're interested:
http://www.abbarestaurant.com/
http://www.fourseasicecream.com/
http://www.arnoldsrestaurant.com/
Inside the doors of "Goat Cheese from Hazorea", which is only open on Saturdays, hides the freshest bread, jam, and goat cheese you can dream of. Hard cheeses, soft cheeses with spices, cheese spreads... everything. The bread is fluffy, thick, and soft; filled with olives, nuts or seeds. Everything tastes like it was made that morning, as though the food was made just for me to come and enjoy.
There is one woman in charge, and after letting you sample every type of cheese imaginable, she will lovingly construct you a sandwich. After selecting the bread, you can choose whichever and however many cheeses your heart desires (I went with one hard cheese made with wine and a chive filled soft cheese). Then, you can choose between pesto, olive spread, and sundried tomato spread (I chose all three). And finally, you can add grilled peppers, eggplant, tomato, cucumber or lettuce. Everything is handmade right in front of you; each ingredient carefully placed and organized in order to construct the perfect sandwich.
This sandwich is almost too good to be ruined with trying to explain it in words. Because of the care taken in its construction, each bite contains every element and your mouth never misses any part. The bread by itself is enough to rave about, but when all the ingredients come together, this sandwich becomes a sandwich unlike any other. The freshest, most wholesome, hearty meal that a little farm has to offer. And really, an experience like this could only happen on kibbutz. There is no better way for kibbutznikim to relish shabbat than to take a minute to enjoy their own labor, to appreciate the delicacies their work produces. Where else do we get the chance to slow down like this?
