Best of the North End- Boston, MA

“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s…”

Ciao seguaci! Hi followers! Welcome to this special blog post featuring what I believe to be the best spots in the North End of Boston for all the Italian things! We have multiple categories detailing my top choices for items from pizza to cannolis to grocers. Let’s jump right in!

Best Arancini: Galleria Umberto serves up lots of Italian classics, but their fried rice balls are the best. Right on Hanover Street, it’s quiet and almost secretive front makes it almost hard to spot unless you’re looking closely. You definitely don’t want to walk by this place!

Best Bar: While the restaurant is now something different, the little white awning just up the street from Paul Revere’s house is where the best little bar is, North Square Oyster Bar. The white countertop only sits a small amount of people, but the ambiance and sense of secrecy and seclusion is what makes this bar extra special.

Best Bread: While it is also a restaurant, part of the DePasquale North End moguls, the Bricco Panetteria is hands down the place to get fresh bread. Just down a tiny alley to the right of the restaurant is where you’ll find a narrow staircase, adjacent to their salumeria, down to bread heaven. Crispy and nicely golden on the outside, yet fluffy and pillowy on the inside is what makes this the best bread.

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Best Cannoli: Ah. The coveted title. This was quite possibly the hardest category to narrow down. There are several places that have been awarded the title of best cannoli over the years, but my favorite belongs to Parziale Bakery. The shell wasn’t soggy and held its crispiness and supported the sweet and delicate flavor of the filling. I bit into this cannoli and immediately shouted “this is the best filling I’ve ever had”. It’s that good.

Honorable Mentions- Caffé Paradiso, Modern Pastry, Mikes’s Pastry

Best Cappucino: Caffé Vittoria is quite possibly one of the cutest places to enjoy coffee on Hanover Street. Known as Boston’s first Italian cafe, they have an incredible menu featuring all sorts of options, but their cappucino is where it is at. Strong, bold flavors that are presented in its truest form.

Best Espresso Martini: Because this has to be its own category. You can get this martini just about at any restaurant or bar on Hanover or Salem Street, but along with their great cannoli’s and gelato Caffé Paradiso serves scrumptious espresso martini’s. The people there make this place quite possibly my favorite spot all around, their drinks the icing on the cake! Indulge in their cannoli’s, gelato, or tiramisu too because you honestly can’t go wrong with anything here.

Best Grocer: Salumeria Italiana is just off of Hanover and is the spot for all the delectable Italian cured meats, cheeses, and products. From their ghost pepper salami and cotto ham to their amazing pesto and arrangement of San Marzano tomatoes and Calabrian chiles, the Salumeria is truly the best, especially when paired with the best bread 😉

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Best Higher End Restaurant: I will admit that I have not eaten let alone stepped foot in every restaurant in the North End. But of the places I’ve been one restaurant stands out…Mamma Maria. After eating here three years ago it is still the place I have a desire to go back to. It is definitely on the higher end spectrum, but let me tell you it is worth it. You can check out more about my experience here to see what I thought of the meal, but in a nut shell it was brilliant.

Honorable Mentions- Prezza, Massimino’s

Best Pizza: Another category that spikes controversy. Pizza is practically the official language of the North End and everyone has their own personal favorite. I’ve tried a few different pizzas in the NE but I always come back to Antico Forno. The crust is chewy and thin, always cooked to perfection, the toppings are fresh, the cheese always melty and gooey. Their list of pizzas is practically endless, some of my faves are the tradizionale, al quattro formaggi, and their margherita (plus pepperoni!)

Best Produce: You may not be going to the North End for fresh produce, but if you’re looking to round out a meal with meats, cheese, and bread be sure to grab some fresh stuff at Alba Produce. A small storefront on Parmenter Street you may miss it, but it’s there and the delicious fruit and fresh veggies will have you coming here instead of the other markets!

Best Whole Bean Coffee: When I’m home in Boston that honestly means one daily thing: amazing coffee. We all have our boujee thing in life and for some people freshly ground, spectacular, robust coffee is theirs. If I’m speaking your language then there is no other place than Polcari’s Coffee to get your whole bean coffee. But that’s not all, Polcari’s carries an array of teas, spices, extracts, grains and more. The smell of coffee upon entering hugs you and then owner Bobby Eustance greets you with the best smile and biggest hello (even with a mask on!). Polcari’s is all about family down on good ol’ Salem Street and you instantly feel like part of the family as you walk out with a handful of goodies.

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That’s the list! This is totally biased and everything listed is of my own opinions, but I hope it serves as a base level of the places I love in the North End… maybe some secret nuggets you never knew about included (you’re welcome for sharing 😉) There is an endless amount of exploring to do in Boston and the North End specifically, and certainly you can’t go wrong just about anywhere. But these places aren’t just about the products they serve and produce, but about their purpose and message. What they create and share with the community is what makes each of these places my favorites…but it doesn’t hurt that they know what they’re doing, too!

Leave a comment if you’ve been to these places or which ones you hope to get to soon! What are some of your favorites that I should check out? Several of these establishments are open, just don’t forget your mask and hand sanitizer!

Pretzel Focaccia

Wow, it has been awhile! Hey hey readers, thanks for showing up to this blog post today! It’s a special one…I made bread! I’ve never worked with active dry yeast before, never baked bread before so it was all a learning curve!

This Pretzel Focaccia from Bon Appétit came out just in time for the Super Bowl earlier this month. Focaccia is a type of Italian flat bread that uses a lot of olive oil and is flavored with different herbs. If you’re a Samin Nosrat fan then you probably have heard about her focaccia recipe that involves a salt water brine that you splash on top of the bread. Highly recommend this focaccia video of Samin with my personal favorite Brad Leone from the BA Test Kitchen!

This focaccia by editor at large Amiel Stanek is everything you expect from a basic focaccia with the addition of a baking soda solution instead of salt water. This chemical reaction creates that super browned exterior and “bitter twang” that you get from a pretzel.

The dough was really easy to work with and this was a great first bread experience. It’s not overly complicated, you just bake it in one sheet and don’t have to worry about shaping the dough or anything. My first mistake was using crappy plastic wrap! When I left the dough to proof the plastic didn’t cling well so a bit of a crust formed when I started to work with it. It wasn’t awful and didn’t ruin anything, but be sure you have good plastic wrap!

The dough was fun to work with and even more fun to bake! When you add the baking soda solution, DO NOT BE ALARMED. It’ll start to bubble when first creating the solution and when you go to brush it on the bread it’ll start bubbling and hissing in the oven. Do not worry, this is part of the reaction, nothing bad is happening!

My only complaint with the final product is that I didn’t bake it enough. I did that thing where you think it’s brown on the bottom, so you take it out and then realize it isn’t done so you try to put it back in but then that doesn’t really work either. Be sure to really let the bottom brown and pry the bottom a little to check. The top will deceive you because it gets so crispy and brown from the “pretzel” part of the recipe, but don’t allow for any soggy, underdone bottoms. The time to bake from the recipe is what I baked it for, so I would go a little extra next time rather than just 10 minutes as it said!

If you’re new to bread baking and find it slightly daunting, this is a great beginners recipe! The proofing is easy, the assembly is easy, and the baking is easy. Even with the underdone bottom, this focaccia was still delicious and had plenty of air bubbles and chew to it. The pretzel aspect was fun and different too! Give it a go, you’ll have so much fun getting your hands dirty with this pretzel focaccia!

Mamaleh’s- Cambridge, MA

Happy New Year, readers!

It has been kind of a hot sec since I’ve been on here! I’ve been fairly active on the Instagram (give me a follow, @critiquingcarnivore!) especially with the start of my own little stories series “Wife Me”. I started it on my personal instagram and my friends loved it so I’m starting to transfer all the content over to the blog now! It’s a good laugh, be sure to check it out!

Back to today’s blog post…as I said it’s the new year which means I’m home with the fam in Boston and since I’m an avid Bon Appétit follower I had a new list of places I had to check out from BA highlights. One of these places is over in Cambridge with piping hot matzo ball soup and beautifully cured meats. We’re trekking out to Mamaleh’s!

I don’t know if it’s solely because it was on BA’s Top 50 Best New Restaurants of 2017 or because watching the new season of “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” had me craving Jewish classics, but either way I was really looking forward to some traditional Jewish dishes from Mamaleh’s.

When walking in, it looks like a fancier version of your neighborhood deli. They have a full bar, something a little extra, but they have a walk up counter with bagels and lox galore, and a sit down dining area all of which surrounds the kitchen located in the back. We were able to be seated right away, we went on a Friday for lunch, and while it wasn’t packed it was still popping. I could see how this would be a favorite lunch spot among Cambridge folks working in the area.

When we sat down our waiter got right to it. We maybe looked at the menu for two minutes (let’s be real, I’ve been looking at the menu for the last month) asking us for our drink orders. I didn’t even have a chance to comprehend half of the options let alone figure out what questions I had. I didn’t know what an egg cream was, or whether I wanted one of their fancy sodas. But with that aside, the team effort among the wait staff was admirable. Everyone came by checking on us, taking our food orders throughout our dining experience.

As I said I’ve been looking at this food menu for a while and pretty much a clear idea of what I wanted to try. First thing that was a must was the matzo ball soup. If you’re unfamiliar with what matzo balls are it’s a Jewish dumpling made from matzo meal. This was my first time having it and I was definitely curious about the texture, since I know some people aren’t big fans of it. I enjoyed the soup, it was essentially just a chicken soup base with the matzo balls. It was very rich in flavor and not too salty and the matzo balls had an even texture and form to them.

The next item I knew we had to get was the latkes. The traditional Hanukkah dish is just grated potatoes fried in a fat of some kind. They are a delicious crispy potato pancake and are traditionally served with applesauce and sour cream. Mamaleh’s latkes did not disappoint. They were so crispy; they weren’t overly salty and the fat they were fried in gave them a flavor kick the potatoes wanted. They were packed tightly and had a nice height to them! On top of that the presentation of everything was visually pleasing, so much so I got a plate to bring home.

This next menu item my handy dandy helper (dad) picked out. A tradition knish is a Jewish snack food that is usually a baked or fried potato filled dough. At Mamaleh’s they have both plain potato as well as a meat filled one. We opted for the meat knish which is the savory pastry filled with potatoes and onions along with their corned beef and pastrami. The knish was baked exquisitely, when you cut into it it cut clearly without the flakiness crumbling. The potato filling was so light and fluffy it was like eating clouds. It was yet another dish proving that the kitchen understands how to season just enough, the meat adding saltiness without being overpowering. It was a dish I wasn’t expecting to enjoy as much as I did. It surpassed the simple matzo ball soup in my book.

Now for the star standout entree. Pastrami and corned beef are both Jewish deli favorites and I wanted the chance to have both. Mamaleh’s well thought-out menu fulfilled my needs with the 50/50 hand sliced sandwich. Half corned beef, half pastrami served on seeded rye bread with deli mustard. Thank you deli sandwich angels. When this sandwich was placed on our table my eyes lit up. From the color of the bread, to the height of the sandwich, to the very simple and straightforward plating I couldn’t wait to get this sandwich in my stomach.

The bread was so springy and had wonderful structure to it, a nice bite and flavor. The mustard was your classic Dijon type with a nice tangy kick. The hand sliced meats melded together gracefully, the brine coming through and the hints of spices tingling your taste buds. It made for a crisp clean chew that was oh so satisfactory. And don’t forget about the height of the sandwich, layers and layers of the juicy brined meats.

While all this food left us full we had just enough space to manage a slice of chocolate babka. It shouldn’t need explaining, the pictures can speak for themselves, but the dense and thick slice was everything you wish a chocolate croissant was. Packed with chocolate, the sweet yeasted dough had lovely pockets of air that made the density less of a highlight. The bake on the outside was almost crunchy in the best bakery way possible.

Mamaleh’s made me feel like a character out of Mrs. Maisel. I just wanted to become family with the staff, learn to make all these homemade meals, and yell Yiddish to everyone. The biggest takeaway for me was just how perfectly seasoned everything was. I was secretly prepared for everything to be so salty I’d loose all taste, but they proved me wrong. It all could’ve leaned that way, with cured meats and chicken soup sodium can make itself the star ingredient, but the kitchen magicians at Mamaleh’s let everything else stand out. Everything came out super fast and the waitstaff kept things moving for us. Coffee cups were never left even the slightest bit empty.

If you’re in Boston you should make the walk (yes, walk!) to Cambridge and make a stop here. I certainly see why they ended up on BA’s Top 50 list and I’m sure you’ll end up verklempt with nachas. 😉

*please be kind at my attempt to use Yiddish words…Mamaleh’s website has a fun dictionary of words to check out!*

The Best Chocolate Chip Cookies

Hey readers! Today is a glorious day because the great Bon Appétit magazine has published and graced our kitchens with a new BA’s Best Recipe…the best chocolate chip cookies.

Chris Morocco who, if you have never watched any of Bon Appétit’s YouTube videos, is the man everyone turns to for advice and help and is the creator of this amazing recipe. When it came out, I knew I had to get in the kitchen and try them out!

I’ll start with this: chopped bittersweet chocolate versus chocolate chips. Both are great and the chips are the classic look, but the chopped up chocolate gives you chocolate in literally every bite and makes the cookie much more gooey, oozing with chocolate. Morocco is great and instructs that you can use chocolate chips, giving you all the options and measurements for both routes.

Another thing I like about this recipe is that you brown the majority of the butter, heating it in a saucepan and letting it bubble and, well, brown! Typically recipes call for room temp butter, but melting the butter gave it a really smooth texture right from the start. Along with the melted butter Chris Morocco calls for a lot of dark brown sugar compared to white sugar giving the batter a great, rich dark color. As you add the egg and egg yolks, the color softens and mellows out giving you that classic brown color.

If you are familiar with the BA Test Kitchen then you probably know that these chefs love their salt. Like the “pinch of salt” they use is like a mountain on my computer screen (even though it probably isn’t that much salt), so with that said when I saw this chocolate chip cookie recipe called for three quarters teaspoons of kosher salt (not your typical table salt folks) I was a little…😳. But y’all that salt in the end adds such a nice saltiness to the cookies that pairs perfectly with the sweetness and ratio of the chocolate. It really isn’t too much and I’m sure Chris Morocco spent time figuring out the perfect amount of salt for this recipe.

When it came to baking I usually start with the least amount of baking time to see how they do, how my oven is affecting them, etc. At the eight minute mark they were still a little too under-baked so I gave it nine minutes and thirty seconds. I think that ended up being a great time for the cookies…not over cooking them, but still giving you that gooey center. In the end I also got 27 cookies 🤷🏻‍♀️ some I made the big bakery style cookies that Morocco has been posting on his Instagram and others I did a more classic, smaller size hence the odd number. In any event, he says you get 16 cookies, but there is definitely enough batter to make much more than that! The cookies really expanded and grew out so that also helped with the size, getting bigger cookies!

This really is one of the perfect recipes (I am still biased towards the classic Hershey recipe) and this is definitely going to become a staple, go to recipe. Chris Morocco is a saint and I love Bon Appétit and all the chefs, but Morocco has my heart because of this fantastic cookie recipe. Go and try it out and enjoy the gooey goodness that Chris Morocco has graced us with.

Magnolia Table- Waco, TX

One week ago Fixer Upper fans watched the final episode of Chip and Joanna Gaines’s broadcasted projects. The Magnolia cult is not dead though, from a Fixer Upper spin-off to the Silos in Waco, TX Chip and Jo are pretty set for life. Why stop there though? Fans everywhere rejoiced when Chip changed the Elite Cafe sign to ask “Avocado Toast?” and the Gaines’s made their official announcement to open Magnolia Table.

Y’all I can’t lie, I’m a huge Fixer Upper fan and I’ve tried so hard not to fall in love with Waco (Go Frogs), but I can’t help it. Waco has grown on me and I love Chip and Joanna and everything about them and their Magnolia brand. When Magnolia Table opened I immediately opened my calendar, called my best friend Hannah Haston (she’s an amazing professional photographer who works in the DFW/Waco/Austin area, click the link!!) and we made plans for a Monday, months into the restaurant being opened. I have been waiting forever to eat, see, love, and write about Magnolia Table for so long! Two things before we dive in: this blog will contain somewhere around thirty photos (y’all IT’S SO PRETTY I LOVE YOU JO) and it 100% met my expectations from design to food. 

Going into a place that’s been so hyped up and can, let’s be honest, ride on the name to get business I was unsure if the food and service would be any good. And after seeing so many professional photos and the episode of it being fixed up (haha see what I did there?!) I wasn’t sure if it actually would be as stunning in person. I was proven wrong on all fronts. Yes, it was an hour and fifteen minute wait, but you know that going into this it’s going to be a long wait. And that’s when checking out the Take Away section and outdoor waiting area are two smart ideas on their end. The Take Away is primarily there for people to grab either chicken salad, strawberry butter, chicken salad, pimento cheese, or chicken salad (maybe they’ll expand the options soon) as well as some Magnolia merchandise like shirts, tea towels, mugs, and some food extras like coffee and honey. The outdoor waiting area is really well done with some tables and chairs, bench seating around the perimeter, and a shaded area for those hot Texas days. You can grab a coffee while you anxiously check your place in line on your phone. Sipping on a delightful lavender coffee was just the ticket to pass the time. It had just a hint of lavender that wasn’t too much or too little! (Now I bombard you with more outdoor photos 😁) 

Then you walk inside and it’s almost a whirlwind, if that’s not too dramatic to say. You want to take it all in as you’re being seated, the interior really is stunning. From structurally speaking to all the detailing it’s truly eye catching in person as much as in photos. Hannah and I were seated in the back room that had some private seating as well as their community tables and bar seating. We got lucky and got our own table with patio viewing and all of that natural light Jo loves! 

Our waitress was super cute, feeding into the lightness you’d expect from the employees working here. She loved giving us her opinions when we asked, checked on us frequently, and always had a smile. 

Okay, remember Cara (hi that’s me, I’m at the bottom of the post in those overalls) this is a food blog…SO LET US TALK ABOUT THE FOOD! Oh y’all…it is so scrumptious, delicious, met my brunch food expectations. They aren’t riding on their name, they are firing really amazing food here. 

We started with Jo’s buttermilk biscuits with fresh strawberry butter. They weren’t layers of dough, it was almost more of a British scone than a Southern style biscuit on the outside. The inside was, however, pretty classic and a lovely crumbly mess of fluffy buttery goodness. The strawberry butter was superb, with no apparent added sugar it seemed to be just butter and fresh strawberries mixed in one spreadable piece of joy.

Now those of you who know me personally know that before going to a new restaurant I do ample research on the menu and check Instagram for visual reference…Table was no different and I knew way ahead of time what I was going to order. I mean, how could I (a lover of Chip Gaines) not get Chip’s ham sandwich?! 

A plate of beauty really. Let’s start with them tots, these are not your average tater tots. They were fantastic, packed with potatoes that were so light and fluffy with a crispy exterior fried to perfection. Fresh Parmesan and chives were the perfect topping. 

The ham sandwich, consisting of sliced ham steak, scrambled eggs and cheddar cheese on a buttery croissant (I prepped my body for the carb intake by not eating that weekend) was everything and more. It was precisely what I would expect Chip to want for breakfast. The croissant was flaky and flavorful, the eggs fluffy and light, and ham cooked with obvious love with those stove-top burnt bits. Cheddar cheese melted in these layers and I was ready to take on the afternoon, grab some shiplap and start a demo day. Well done chef and Chip, you’ve won that cooking baton.

I told you I took a bunch of photos! Magnolia Table didn’t disappoint me at all, not that I was expecting it to, but it certainly could have. It fulfilled my foodie tastebuds, pleased my interior designer eye, and had my Fixer Upper heart full…and my stomach. The Gaines’s have made it quite clear: they aren’t abandoning their fans or passions, simply feeding into our lives one of the best ways possible. They’re opening their hearts and doors saying “Meet me at Magnolia Table…where everyone has a seat at the table.”

“Come and Get It

             -Chip”

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love my chocolate, as I’m sure many of you have realized by now. And peanut butter and chocolate is one of the best combinations to ever be invented. So when this recipe popped up on my Pinterest from Butter with a Side of Bread, I knew I had to try it.

The recipe is absolutely perfect and these are indeed probably one of the best peanut butter chocolate chip cookies I’ve had/made. No substitutions needed for it, I baked the cookies for 10 minutes and was very satisfied with the softness of them. However, if you like really gooey cookies lean more towards an 8 minute baking time. Super easy to make and all ingredients you can find in a common household, if you’re like me and keep peanut butter and chocolate chips on hand all the time. I highly recommend this recipe, perfect for everyone! And don’t forget the classic fork marks!

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

I don’t know about you, but I always seem to be going through bananas like crazy. Yes, because I’m eating them all, but also because they turn brown so quickly. So what should you do with ripe bananas? Make banana bread of course! And because you should always have chocolate chips in your house, why wouldn’t you make banana bread with them in it! I originally found this recipe on Pinterest and it is by far my favorite. Tina’s Chic Corner recipe is adapted perfectly, especially with the use of Greek yogurt. Other than that, every ingredient is pretty standard that most people have them in the house so if you’re looking for a nice breakfast idea for the family or just for yourself I highly recommend this! I’ve also wrapped it in aluminum foil and have been able to nibble at it for a couple days after baking it. Makes for a quick and delicious breakfast on the go! Prep is easy and baking time is perfect! Happy Baking! 

Buon Giorno Coffee- Fort Worth, TX

Coffee shops are pretty common, I mean there’s practically a Starbucks on every corner, but the newest craze has been ‘hipster coffee shops’. Micro roasteries, as some call themselves, are the biggest thing since cupcake shops. Everyone wants to get a handcrafted mocha with a cool leaf design and Instagram it with their favorite filter. Coincidentally, I fall under this category and put it to use at Buon Giorno Coffee.

Right in downtown Fort Worth, just off Henderson Street near Lancaster Ave, sits Buon Giorno Coffee. It’s tucked back a bit, you would have to had google coffee shops to be able to find it most likely. It’s a smaller little place, with little parking in front leaving street parking to be the alternative. It’s worth finding a spot though. 

When you walk in, it’s like other coffee shops in Fort Worth (Brewed, Avoca Coffee Roasters). Very hipster and quaint, delicious pastries right out front in the case, classical music quietly playing in the background, but unlike the other ones Buon Giorno, like its name, attempts to take your taste buds to Italy. Although it doesn’t necessarily feel like Italia, you’ll have to read on to see if it tastes like Italia! This being my first time, I got not only a handcrafted beverage, but a delicious looking and recommended brioche. The man at the counter was very nice and told me his favorites and the shops most noteworthy pastries, he knew his stuff so don’t be afraid to ask them what they suggest!

I ordered the Menta Mocha, or mint dark chocolate coffee. It was quite delicious, what I can remember from my trips to Italy is that the flavors are bold yet subtle. This mocha was just that, the peppermint didn’t overpower the bold mocha taste, subtle and delicious. And naturally I got myself a heart shaped design, no leaves this time.  

 
As recommended, I ordered the sausage and cheese brioche. I honestly half expected something like the savory pastries at Starbucks…I was 80% correct. The brioche itself was delicious, the pastry was well baked. The sausage was quite tasty, too. The reason for my review is more the construction and lack of cheese with which the name describes. The little cheese inside was smothered on the side and you really didn’t get much. There was a lot of empty space inside the brioche. Each individual ingredient was delicious though, I would certainly order it again. I mean, it’s hard to resist a well baked brioche!  

 
Overall, I enjoyed everything about Buon Giorno, from the guy who helped me decide to the guy who cleared my dishes. I would grab Harry Potter and make the drive out there to sit and relax any day, definitely venture and try something new, and experience a different Italian-esqe coffee, each and every time. 

Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins

I have used this recipe from Sally’s Baking Addiction a few times and it’s honestly the best. It’s such a great recipe and I love how it doesn’t use butter! What makes them “bakery-style” is more the size, fill those tins or muffin cups right up. I love the hint of cinnamon and nutmeg in the recipe as well, it’s not overpowering, but it gives it that extra little taste that makes a perfect bite. FYI, as the blogger Sally tells you, after adding the wet to the dry ingredients it will be pretty lumpy, but try not to overmix. There were not many flour pockets so don’t worry too much about that. 

So go on, I’m positive you have all the ingredients in your cabinet, and make your family and loved ones a fabulous, easy, delicious homemade breakfast!  

    
   

Cape Cod Food Trail

Today’s post takes us to the beautiful island of Cape Cod, more specifically Orleans! Home of the best beach on the Cape, Orleans is located in the “elbow” of the island just about thirty minutes past the Sagamore Bridge. The Cape in general is home to the best seafood in New England, but Orleans is home to many delectable treats. Here’s a little food trail to follow in case you ever end up in Massachusetts and can make a getaway to the Cape!

Hole in One

Located in the middle of downtown Orleans on Cranberry Hwy, off Main St sits Hole in One, a little donut shop with a lovely restaurant to go with it. Whether you’re just craving a good donut or are treating family to brunch, Hole in One is a great, casual sit down for everyone. If you do plan to have a sit down meal though, prepare for a line. More times than not though the take out line for donuts is a breeze! The donuts all look so amazing it can be a bit overwhelming trying to choose what kind. My favorites? The classic powdered is amazing as well as their classic chocolate cake donut. If you’re looking for a cool flavor the toasted coconut is spectacular, cinnamon too!  

 

Cottage Street Bakery

Alright listen up, this is important: on little Cottage Street is the best bakery in town. You can’t get a bad pastry here, it doesn’t exist. The variety of options is quite decadent, from cranberry almond poppy to the fan favorite dirt bomb. Everything is made with quality ingredients, you can just taste it! The entire town raves about the ever famous dirt bomb muffin. They refer to it as a French donut puff, but it’s more than that. It’s a muffin that has everything a breakfast should have: cinnamon, nutmeg, a little crumble, a little fluff, and a lot of yum. My other favorites include their fresh apple crunch and lemon poppy muffins, and chocolate croissants.  

 

Liam’s at Nauset Beach

UPDATE: Liam’s has sadly had to close its beachfront doors, but drive down to Kate’s to get these rings in Brewster!

Picture this: you’re sitting on the best beach of the Cape, Nauset Beach. You feel the sand between your toes and the ocean breeze in your face when you suddenly realize it’s lunch time. You’re on vacation so you’re looking to splurge, but where do you go to eat? You can’t fathom loosing your great beach spot so why not find a place right on the beach? It exists everyone, it’s called Liam’s. Also referred to as “Lord of the Rings” , Liam’s is a classic beach front shack serving everything from hotdogs to lobster rolls. But nothing beats the infamous onion rings. These rings are lightly battered, thinly cut onion strips, the grease leaving their mark in the cardboard holder they come in. It’s a beautiful site and an even better taste. They aren’t heavy and thick like most onion rings, these are well worth the splurge. Warning: don’t let the sizing deceive you. Unless you’re feeding teenage boys I wouldn’t go bigger than a medium, they pack those little containers up!  
   

Sir Cricket’s

Perhaps it’s a rainy day and you’ve been stuck inside all day, but don’t really feel like cooking. A good alternative for lunch or dinner is Sir Cricket’s. Serving up the best clam and fish chowders, this little joint in located in the same building as the fish market along Cranberry Hwy on your way to the Orleans rotary. The clam chowder is my personal favorite, filled with plenty of clams and served hot and creamy. It’s a perfect dish to share, I recommend getting the biggest size and sharing a few bowls of heaven.   
 

Rock Harbor Grill

If you’re looking for more of a meal out, I highly recommend Rock Harbor Grill along Old Colony Way. Also attached to the Nauset Fish Market, Rock Harbor Grill is serving up some interesting and delicious foods. This was my first time going and I would certainly go back. They started us out with, not breadsticks, pretzel sticks! And not the hard Snyders kind, soft warm ones with an amazing mustard seed butter. To share, we got the lobster mac and cheese, which did not disappoint. It was packed with lobster, was creamy, and the pasta was cooked perfectly. Then, as if I could eat anymore, the RHG burger made its way. This isn’t any burger though. This burger was made out of chuck, short rib, and (wait for it) brisket. We all know how I feel about brisket and let me tell you if I could I would put brisket in every burger, it was one of the best burgers I’ve ever had. So juicy, well seasoned (perhaps a tad more salt would have helped) and cooked beautifully, this burger was just amazing. And did I mention it comes with truffle fries? Well, it does and those too were amazing, the truffle was not overpowering as some chefs tend to do. Overall, I would say this place is a keeper for my future vacationS on the Cape. Just watch where you sit, the ACs can be a bit strong and you may end up sitting in a cold spot.

*fyi not pictured or mentioned is the PEI Mussells, I’m not a mussell fan so I cannot speak about those, but the sauce they came in was amazing. I practically drank the remaining sauce off my moms plate.   
   

Ice Cream Cafe

Ice cream is a staple for summer vacation and there are three main shoppes in Orleans: Emack and Bolio’s (chain, don’t do it), Sundae School (serving what tastes like Breyer’s brand, good but not great), and Ice Cream Cafe (bingo). ICC is also along Cottage St, next to the bakery. The ice cream is homemade, the soft serve is amazing, they take the time needed for a great milkshake, the sandwiches are made with cookies from the bakery next door, and they serve it with love. They also have options, which is becoming more of a thing nowadays, gluten free options, non dairy, etc. They have so many flavors to choose from it gives you a good excuse to go back the next night. Not only do you taste how homemade the ice cream is, but the cones too! Personal favorites include their cookie dough, peanut butter cup, chocolate fudge brownie, dark chocolate chip, cocoa mint chip, and coffee Oreo. And that’s narrowing it down.   

I hope you enjoyed this Cape Cod food trail, hopefully it helps narrow down the places you oughtta go if and when you end up in Cape Cod!