Fried clam bellies had a crisp, almost delicate coating, but juicier insides would've been better; a lobster (salad) roll was chunkier than it first appeared.
Cooke's Seafood
1120 Iyannough Rd. (Rte. 132), Hyannis, Massachusetts
508-775-0450
www.CookesSeafood.com
More than 100 homemade jams, jellies, butters, chutneys, and preserves compete for shelf space at the shop; many feature ingredients from the Cape, including cranberry jam (9 oz.; $9.95) and wild beach plum jam (9 oz.; $12.95). Though the jam could be less sweet and more tart, when you consider where beach plums make their home, it's a wonder they turn out as well as they do.
Chatham Jam and Jelly Shop
10 Vineyard Ave., West Chatham, Massachusetts
877-526-7467
www.ChathamJamAndJellyShop.com
Closed Sunday
Boiled lobster was lovely, and I managed to squirt my bibless tablemates just once, but the corn on the cob, cole slaw, and baked potato were just going through the motions (1 ¼ lb. lobster plus fixings; $28.95). Elsewhere at the table, baked scallops and a fried seafood platter drew so-so responses. I was excited to find Indian pudding (shown; $5.25) on the dessert menu, but the molasses-flavored cornmeal was stiff, even with vanilla ice cream lubrication.
The Lobster Claw
Rte. 6A, Orleans, Massachusetts
508-255-1800
www.LobsterClaw.com
Wachusett Green Monsta Ale (12 fl. oz.; about $2), Westminster, Massachusetts. Orange brown with a foamy, parchment-colored head; clean malty aroma; sour, lightly hopped.
Wachusett Blueberry (12 fl. oz.; about $2), Westminster, Massachusetts. Gold with a thin white head; berry-syrup aroma nearly swamps the maltiness, which makes only slight inroads on the tongue.
Epicure of Chatham
534 Main St., Chatham, Massachusetts
508-945-0047
The piecrusts are fantastic.
The main room, and the bar/lounge a half-level below, are too dim at dinnertime for decent photos, but clearly the Impudent Oyster kitchen has all the light it needs, plus fine fresh ingredients and the skill to respect them. Two appetizers I'll especially recommend are the devils on horseback, which here denote bacon-wrapped scallops on toast points with onion, garlic, parsley, and a lemon butter sauce, and the mussels na Cataplana, steamed with plentiful hunks of chorizo, in a spicy tomato sauce. My sauteed sole-and-crabmeat entree was a special for the evening, but I expect you'd enjoy the regular menu's sole Francais, topped with fresh Maine crab, just as much.
Impudent Oyster
15 Chatham Bars Ave., Chatham, Massachusetts
508-945-3545
It's just fried dough, but it's very good fried dough.
(This venue is closed.) Better than a bread basket.
Without a cushion of whipped cream, cinnamon still floated atop my cider, but a drizzle of caramel hurried straight to the bottom.
Thank you!
