Tucking Ourselves Away

What a wonderful weekend we had, Cyndee and I. For my birthday we took a long weekend and went to The Cape. It was heaven. We stayed at her parents home in Centerville where they live only half of the year. Lucky for us it is empty the other half and we get to reap the benefits of that. Peace and quiet, a bit of heaven. With the fire place going from the flip of a switch ( its gas) I wasn't sure we were ever going to leave. The view from the house onto Long Pond is breath taking- reason enough to stay put.

Cyndee lived here for many years with her grandmother who is no longer with us. After college she found her way to the east coast (from New Mexico) and lucky for me she has never left. So this house is full of memories for Cyndee, some good, some bad and sometimes I notice these memories do seem to overwhelm her. But for the most part it is a place that she remembers visiting every summer, making that long drive with her parents and brother to visit her favorite grandmother.

Before we even got to the house we stopped in Sandwich, a small village at the beginning of the Cape, where we had lunch at one of my favorite restaurants. Sandwich is a very quaint and picturesque little town as is The Bee Hive Tavern where we had the pleasure of eating.

I love their bee door knocker!

I think what I like best about The Bee Hive Tavern is the way you feel when you walk through their doors. Its all about comfort, home cooking and the small details that really do make a difference.


I had a very delicious Greek salad with roasted red peppers, Kalamata olives, salty feta cheese, homemade croutons and grilled chicken. All their dressings are homemade, the creamy garlic is amazing.

Their freshly made dill rolls were a nice accompaniment to the salad, served warm with creamy, soft butter. I think I would be happy if I had nothing else.

Cyn had the fish sandwich served with french fries and coleslaw, a typical New England meal. But it was the freshness of the fish that put it over the top. The batter was very light and the fish nearly melted in her mouth with every bite. Yes, I tried it too and it was amazing. Unfortunately we had no room for dessert and knew I would probably be having it later (after all it was my birthday) so we held off.

But I have to admit we did come to the Bee Hive tavern for a second meal while we were on the Cape. Unfortunately my camera was doing some funky things and was not working properly. So I took this as a sign from the universe to just enjoy our meal and not worry about the pictures. But let me tell you, it was even better than the first. From stuffed quahogs drizzled in lemon butter, to macadamia encrusted sole drizzled with that same lemon butter (I need to figure out how to make that) to the most amazing and comforting Beef Stroganoff we have ever had. Throw in a couple glasses of Echelon Merlot and homemade gingerbread, warmed and slightly undercooked, topped with double whipped cream, it was an amazing meal! So if you are ever on the Cape, do find the time to stop at this cozy little eating spot right off of 6A in Sandwich.

Our next stop was a little gourmet food store called The Brown Jug. It is on Main Street right in the heart of Sandwich Village, another one of my heaven places. Fresh baked bread, the most amazing French butter we ever had, salty and creamy. Delicious pastas and dried beans, sauces and salts from all over the world. I made my way home with fleur de Sel, a french sea salt that I have been dying to try. We picked up an amazing sheep and goats milk cheese that we had the next morning with the delicious loaf of sourdough bread. Also, olive oils that I had only dreamed of. Up until this point it was Bertolli's Extra Virgin. But now its Castello di Rampinzeri (recommended by the owner). And yes its a bit more expensive, but worth every penny! I am still dreaming of dipping our rosemary and sea salt flat bread and crusty sour dough bread into the olivey oil. I swear this is the first time olive oil has actually tasted like olives to me!

A few of the things we bought at The Brown jug!

A cute little farm stand that is closed this time of year. I couldn't help but snap its picture. Wouldn't you just love to own a place like this?

That night for my birthday dinner we ate at another of our favorite places, Sam Diego's. Not necessarily for the "amazing"Mexican cuisine, because it is not that amazing. But they do make two of my favorite things, frozen strawberry margaritas with lime and salt and amazing fried ice cream.

Now I know it just looks like a mound of whipped cream but it's not, its much more! It is vanilla ice cream rolled and "fried" in toasted coconut which sits in a sweet tortilla shell which is then drizzled in chocolate and topped with lots of whipped cream and sprinkled with toasted coconut. This is definitely more of a birthday dessert than an everyday dessert, just ask my waistline!

The beaches on the Cape are stunning. This beach, in Sandwich, was at the end of a very long board walk.

From a distance the boardwalk looks as if it just disappears into the horizon.

I thought it was so neat that you could have your name engraved into the planks of the boardwalk. Some of them were very sweet and some of them made us laugh like, "The Fat Grandpa".

All and all it was a quiet restful weekend that we will not soon forget. There's something about tucking ourselves away from the rest of the world that we truly find rejuvenating. And Cape Cod, in the off season, is a great place to do just that!

Good bye Cape Cod, see you real soon. Oh yeah, and thanks!