Smitten for Cape Cod

So I took a couple days off from posting to enjoy a rare FULL weekend out of town with Joe. We actually spent 3 days at a family member's house in Cape Cod, and for the life of me, I can't name one think that wasn't perfect about the weekend. Twilight hours on the Cape are perfection and uber Americana. The house we stayed in is in Hyannisport, reknowned for housing the Kennedy clan, but for a town with so much clout, Hyannis boasts very few sophisticated dining options. Maybe that "pretentious" dining is just what people come to get away from.

But we didn't. Friday night we dined at the Roadhouse, a cozy spot with dark wood paneling and weekend piano player. (I must admit, I was thrilled to hear him bust out his interpretation of Kermit the Frog's "Rainbow Connection" on his shiny baby grand). I enjoyed one of the specials - almond-crusted Haddock with rice pilaf accompanied by a buttery glass of St. Francis Chardonnay.

We picked up lunch at the beach club on Saturday, (Nantucket chicken salad wraps and Cape Cod potato chips. How's that for local pride?), and then made a drugstore run for cheap champagne and hair products. Hey, it was slim pickings, people! It turns out, cheap champagne enjoyed on the back patio of an 1825 Cape Cod estate ain't so shabby.

Saturday's dinner was at, quite possibly, the only Italian restaurant in town, Ristorante Barolo. When traveling with Italians, it's inevitable that we must pay homage to the mother country at least once during each trip. Fine by me. The penne alla bascaiola (penne with sauteed mushrooms, Parma Prosciutto finished with mascarpone cheese and a touch of tomato) was literally heaven on earth.

After a flawless weekend of perfect weather, convertible rental cars and strolls through THE quintessential American neighborhood, we rounded our trip out with a 10-hour travel experience at Providence airport. Weather delays turned our 4:30pm flight into an 11:00pm flight. Awesome. Obviously we had to eat at some point, but I will make this next statement as a reminder to myself for all future Providence airport dining: Never, no matter how long the flight delay, fall prey to TGI Friday's. Trust us. It can make a bad flight even more miserable. Enough said. Two bags of Southwest peanuts and a ginger ale later, we were back in Charm City and longing for the northeast.

We're counting the days until we go back in early August for the annual family lobster feast. You want to talk about a way to spend an evening? Stay tuned, my friends.