Ah, 2021. Here we are, finally. And we’ve already made it through the first month and…not much seems to have changed. But that’s okay, some things are getting better and we’re still plowing through! Good food always helps with that and today we’re taking a look at Brine on Cape Cod in Eastham.
Boasting global cuisine and offerings from indoor dining to curbside pick up, Brine only just crossed our radar but they’ve been around for three years! Better late than never because this place felt like Rapscallion, Brine is really really good y’all. The menu has an interesting fusion of all different things that are married together and just work.
One thing that I thought was super clever was the menu was actually under the table. Picture it: layer of table then menu layer then glass top layer. I don’t know if this was implemented due to COVID, but I thought it was genius! It was so nice to have the menu right there at all times so you could reference it and with the pandemic the staff doesn’t have to print out paper menus or clean physical ones!
You’re here to learn about the food, BUT bear with me because I just gotta point out the awesome drinks menu! They have a ton of fun mixed drinks and my choice for the night was a delicious cranberry mojito…very Cape Cod. The mint and cranberry worked really well and definitely had a solid kick to it without knocking me out with too much alcohol.
Now to the food! To start, we couldn’t resist the clam fritters and I am so glad we went to that level. These fritters were so crunchy and crispy but biting into them they were fluffy and light. They weren’t chewy either. Lots of flavor and seasoning, definitely a star! Another star was the Brussels sprouts! With an orange balsamic reduction these bad boys were tangy and bright and super crispy as well. Very orange forward, but it was a nice change of acidity pace, since a lot of dishes usually use lemon.
When looking at a restaurant menu sometimes it can be daunting and overwhelming… you wonder if you’re choosing the right thing. Can a restaurant really produce so many entrees and have each one deliver? I don’t know if we just chose right or what, but we found three spectacular entree dishes.
Lets begin with the scallops. Seared and presented on a corn nage (basically a corn and cream purée) with turnips, bacon, and snap peas this dish was scrumptious! The scallops were cooked perfectly with a nice sear, the corn nage was very creamy and was polenta-esque. The turnips and snap peas added a great crunch. And bacon…nothing wrong with that. The only thing was it could have used a little more salt, but because bacon is already super salty, the chef may have taken it easy and dialled it back.
Entree number two: mushroom ravioli 😍 One word comes to mind – HOMEMADE. That pasta tasted super fresh and the mushrooms were not rubbery and cooked sublimely. But the sherry cream sauce was what really created a sweet union. Highly recommend adding steak!
Speaking of steak, the steak tips entree may sound like the usual cliche steak and potatoes meal, but Brine’s version was drowning in unmistakable yum. First of all the Burgundy steak sauce…I would like to bathe in it. The layer of flavors would reveal themselves and bring a new depth to each bite of steak. The steak itself was, like everything else, cooked perfectly and was juicy and sweet and…sorry just wiping the drool from the keyboard. The only underwhelming part was the potatoes, as they are listed as roasted garlic mashed potatoes but they really didn’t have any flavoring. Maybe it was an off batch, because our server said they were amazing, but either way mashed potatoes and steak go together like Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
Since I mentioned our server, he was super nice and attentive. He checked on us frequently and made our first experience really welcoming. I left thinking “gosh I want to be his friend”. As much as going out is about the food, the overall experience is what can make or break my opinion of a place. It’s hard nowadays to find a bad meal, but a bad experience…
Finally, to close out the night we had to test Brine out and order a dessert. We opted for the carrot cake and it was very very VERY yummy! I mean, look at the hunk of cream cheese frosting on top! The oats also added a nice flavor that complimented the carrot cake. Brine is definitely on our new favorites list and will be someplace we visit often. It felt comfortable, homie, and right and supporting these restaurants is still important nearly a year after COVID really began.
The Critiquing Carnivore 