Food for Thought: Day trip to lower Cape Cod

Lower Cape Cod is home to many delicious restaurants. (Photo courtesy of Anna Ing)

Since traveling abroad has been shut down by the pandemic, I have increased my exploring around our lovely Massachusetts state. Recently, we went to the fishing town of Wellfleet (only two miles wide) and Chatham (in the Southeastern tip) in the lower part of Cape Cod.

We headed to the Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, spread over 650 acres of salt marsh, with pines and moors to check out. We were able to walk one or two of their nature trails. It was a gorgeous and sunny day. It was not packed with people, and everyone was abiding by the rules, wearing a mask and keeping their 6 feet apart, while enjoying the lovely surroundings and fresh air.

After working up an appetite during our 90 minute walk, we went for a quick drive to Moby Dick’s Restaurant, owned by the Barry Family. Having been around since 1983, Moby Dick’s is a seasonal, BYOB, and casual restaurant, serving up seafood favorites to locals and tourists alike. It was very busy – everyone had to line up outside the entrance before being able to enter to order and pay for food in advance. From there, you could choose from outdoor or indoor seating. The line moved quickly, and social distancing rules were observed. The staff was very quick to clean and sanitized frequently. Service was friendly and efficient.

Moby Dicks’ clam chowder. (Photo courtesy of Anna Ing)

We sampled a cup each of their clam chowder ($5.75) and lobster bisque ($6.25) to start. Their creamy clam chowder had delicious clams but needed a bit more seasoning in the broth. There was not much lobster found in the bisque, but it was the more flavorful of the two, without the usual strong sherry wine flavor. Next came out oysters pesto ($15 for 6) and a grilled crab cake ($15). Six local Wellfleet oysters were chock full of a basil pesto and topped off with melted Romano cheese for an added flavor. The lightly grilled crab cake was more of a lump, with minimal breadcrumbs filling it up. Each mouthful was packed, with crab meat in every bite.

Moby Dicks’ grilled crab cake. (Photo courtesy of Anna Ing)

We got the Moby’s famous scallop sandwich ($17) off the Today’s Specials list and the must have lobster roll (market price – $25), with fries and coleslaw. Delicious and lightly fried local and sweet sea scallops in a toasted Philly roll came smothered in Monterey Jack cheese and crispy bacon, served with a generous helping of crispy french fries. Our lobster roll was a simple lobster salad with scarcely any mayonnaise, but the sweetness of the lobster tail and claw meat packed into the roll was the star. We were glad to opt for more coleslaw over the fries. Personally, I adore cole slaw, and theirs tasted out of this world, being well dressed with a chock full of fresh and crunchy slivers of cabbage and carrots. All the seafood was local, very fresh and simply seasoned.

Afterwards, we picked up some goodies at P&B Boulangerie (a touch of authentic French food and baked treats), and this ended up being a longer than anticipated side stop. We thought we would be in and out, and the line outside did not look bad. One hour later of waiting in the hot sun, and we were able to nab the last “weekend only” strawberry croissant, a whopping $8, and other goodies to go for later at home. There were lovely red bands on the croissant, with a sweet and thick strawberry jam filling encased in the airy, buttery and flaky puff pastry dough. The almond croissant ($4.75) had lovely almond paste, filled with gorgeous layers, and topped with almond slivers and powdered sugar. I got the “lunette” cookie (French for “spectacles”), with two holes filled with delightful raspberry jam in a rich butter round shaped cookie sandwich, dusted with powdered confectioner’s sugar. The “coup de soleil” ($5.50) had a shortbread base, vanilla mascarpone cheese mousse with blueberries, blueberry jelly, and blueberry cream, and it was decorated with purple chocolate squares. Unbeknownst to us, we got an extra 20% discount off our order, and thoughtfully thrown in was a free beet and goat cheese salad with walnuts ($5.50), as a thank you for our patience.

Finally, we ended our day trip by walking around the quaint, summer resort and seaside town of Chatham. Their old main street was full of local shops with an array of souvenirs, art, gifts and apparel, with eateries dotting the main shopping street. We ended our stroll at the home of Chatham’s only homemade ice cream shop, at the heart of the old downtown area, Buffy’s Ice Cream. We shared the two scoops of ice cream at a hefty price tag of $8 for coffee Oreo and the seasonal special pumpkin flavors. Their ice cream was creamy, delicious and a delightful, sweet ending for our fun day trip to Cape Cod.