a lot of eating

I don't eat on vacation like I do at home. That is to say, I am eating a lot. Nothing is off limits.

Since arriving, I've eaten at the best restaurants around. Some have maintained their favorite-status, while a couple have slipped.

So for those who care:

C-Salt, my favorite, is just so-so when I eat there on Tuesday. My burger is great, but not exceptional. The truffle fries, usually cooked to perfection, are not as crispy as usual. My friend's mussels in a coconut broth lack any flavor of coconut. But the fried calamari still reigns supreme. 

Dinner at Chez Jean (my sister's house) on Wednesday is, as always, exceptional. Tonight she makes portobello burgers with a million variety of add-ons. She effortlessly creates a last-minute dinner for seven that would take most mortals days to prepare.

A friend of mine from Boston comes down and three of us go to Osteria La Civetta on Thursday. It's a small Italian restaurant in downtown Falmouth and feels nothing like the Cape. It could as easily be located in Little Italy. The food is excellent.

Bleu, a French restaurant in Mashpee Commons, is always outstanding. I always order the duck and it never disappoints. My friend and I go there on Friday. We both get the New Zealand roasted rack of lamb with a white truffle cream sauce. Forget the beach, it's worth a trip to the Cape just for this dish. And the pistachio Creme Brulee we split for dessert is incredible.

The Cape Grill on Saturday is good, but the service is atrocious. We sit down at 7, and get our appetizers about an hour later. My mom and I split a goat cheese and beet salad, and it comes plated separately. Our split serving is larger per person than my friend's non-split salad. My mom and T order pork chops but the waiter tells us that the kitchen has only one serving left. So T orders it. But then, five minutes later, the waiter comes by to tell us that even that one remaining pork chop has been claimed. Everyone around us who has come in after us has been served before we are. My shrimp dish is very good, but the shrimp are over-salted. Then we split two desserts among the four of us. The chocolate mouse something is outstanding. Our tea for three people arrives in two teapots. We have to ask for a thrid before being told, "I'm sorry, we ran out of teapots, but if you need more hot water, just ask."

It's The Chart Room on Sunday. The restaurant is loud, boisterous, a touristy type place, and easy to dislike (my dad hated it). But the views are gorgeous, and the stuffed lobster (the claw meat is stuffed back into the lobster) is outrageously good. The lobsters are big, and no cracking is required. It's all I ever get here and it really is excellent. Five of us dine and everyone leaves sated.