Post Punk Kitchen Forum

Heading there in May to visit the in-laws. Is there anyplace we can eat? The MiL isn't too happy sharing a kitchen, so while we can pick up some convenience food stuff (if it's available), we'll be very limited.

Any suggestions? Thank you!

Where on the Cape are you staying?

Go to the cape cod potato chip factory it's amazing!

At the in-laws. In Barnstable or W. Barnstable.

Thanks for the tip on the potato chip factory! They tend to be monopolizing, but we'd love to try. And geez, if it's all we can eat..... ;)

Well, there are a couple places on Happy Cow under Osterville (Earthly Delights- I went years ago and I think got a tempeh BLT) and Hyannis (The Common Ground- never been). Hyannis has a Trader Joe's too, so you can always grab some hummus wraps or microwavable meals or something.

Otherwise, um, Mashpee is next to Barnstable and has a Starbucks! Maybe it's just me, but I never have vegan eating out options and a soy latte goes a long way. ;)

I went a couple years ago for my honeymoon and don't recall having any troubles eating. We stayed at the Shady Hollow Inn, it was awesome! I guess you have to stay there to eat their yummy food though. We did also eat at Ardeo and it was good. I can't remember where we ate in provincetown but it was good. It has to be one of the ones listed in this article in my inbox from back then:

August 22, 2001, Wednesday ,THIRD EDITION
LIVING; Pg. C10
GOING PLACES / CAPE COD DINING;
VEGETARIANS CAN FIND MANY ALTERNATIVES TO LOBSTER
By Sarah Tomlinson, Globe Correspondent

SOUTH DENNIS - For many, vacationing on Cape Cod means indulging in the
spoils of the sea - steamers by the pound, vivid red lobsters, and velvety
chowder. But with cole slaw and french fries, maybe an ear of corn, the only
vegetables in sight, these traditional New England dinners offer little for
vegetarians or the health conscious.
Rather than cobble together a meal from side salads and baked potatoes at
a seafood restaurant, these diners now have more options on the Cape. In
addition to more international cuisine, whether stir-fried vegetables or
hummus and tabbouleh, which have always been meat-free havens, more than a
dozen restaurants from Provincetown to Woods Hole offer appetizing,
well-prepared vegetarian dishes.
Whether you define vegetarian dining as vegan tofu scramble or French toast
minus the side of bacon, you'll find a hearty breakfast at the Shady Hollow
Inn, a renovated 1839 sea captain's house here. Opened in May by Ann Hart and
David Dennis, a husband-and-wife team and both longtime vegetarians, the
four-room bed and breakfast offers vegetarian travelers a respite from
concerns about finding their next meal. In addition to breakfast, guests can
request vegetarian picnic lunches and dinners. Breakfast, served at a simple
Mission-style dining room table, begins with organic Colombian coffee, orange
juice, fresh fruit salad, and muffins or bread. The baked goods are usually
vegan, but on one summer morning, a baking mishap meant cranberry and banana
muffins were imported from a nearby bakery. A tofu scramble, served with dark
grained whole-wheat toast, featured tofu that was crumbled and sauteed to
resemble scrambled eggs, and abundant onions, red bell peppers and mushrooms
for flavor. Non-tofu eaters enjoyed French toast.
Dennis, an amateur carpenter, and Hart refinished the inn, and their
attention to comfort is apparent throughout, from the living room's fireplace
and comfortable reading chairs to an outdoor patio where finches feed.
Once breakfast is over, kayaks and bicycles can be borrowed from the inn. If
you arrive by public transportation, have Dennis pick you up in the cherry
red 1956 Buick he bought at a garage sale or ask him to take you out for a
cruise.
When recommending vegetarian dining options in the neighborhood, Dennis and
Hart send guests to Ardeo, a Mediterranean tavern in South Yarmouth.
A sleek contemporary space in a strip mall, Ardeo offers food both in the bar
and the more formal dining room. What the bold colors and modern paintings of
fruit and cafe life do not reveal is that owners Geoffrey and Joseph Jamiel
serve family tradition with Middle Eastern recipes they learned in their
grandmother's kitchen.
While the menu offers many vegetarian options, Middle Eastern items stand
out. From the rich, roasted garlic, olive oil, and white wine spread served
with baguette while diners await dinner to the basil oil on each table,
Middle Eastern flavors are at the heart of the menu.
The Middle East Mezza appetizer for two ($9.95) is an abundant platter with
vegetarian rice-stuffed grape leaves and baba ghanoush, garlic-laden hummus,
and pungent goat cheese and kalamata olives to top triangles of Lebanese
bread. Their lemon and parsley-laden tabbouleh and cucumber in yogurt offer
cleansing flavors. If eaten with a salad, the platter could feed two. The
falafel sandwich ($5.50) was a little dry, as falafel can be, and could have
used more tahini dressing.
Salads come in half and full sizes ($3.95-$8.95) and include Caesar, Greek,
mozzarella and tomato with basil, and an eggplant and spinach that contrasted
flavors, with smoky eggplant set against sweet corn and roasted red peppers.
The grilled vegetable pasta ($9.95) was substantial with well-grilled
eggplant and zucchini that had a nice firmness, but had an unexceptional
tomato sauce. The dish was still a treat, however, compared to the American
cheese sandwiches vegetarian diners once faced outside the city.
In nearby Yarmouthport, the Colonial House Inn offers diners a few vegetarian
options, with pasta marinara and primavera Alfredo and a stir fry with green
peppers, mushrooms, and other vegetables.
Neighboring Hyannis has casual dining options at the Prodigal Son Cafe, where
veggie sandwiches include fresh mozzarella with tomatoes and basil, hmumus,
and salsa with melted provolone cheese.
As an outpost of city life, Provincetown has many restaurants with vegetarian
options, including Brazilian black beans and rice with banana fritters
($13.95) and vegan tofu saute in coconut curry sauce at Napi's Restaurant,
and vegetable paella with spicy tofu sausage or baked tofu with mango salsa
at Bubala's By the Bay. Even the Martin House, located in a building built
before 1755, has a menu current with the times, offering brown rice and
sesame crusted tofu cake.
When in Falmouth for the ferry to Martha's Vineyard, or to see the grave of
"America the Beautifu" author, Katherine Lee Bates, a bounty of vegetarian
lunch options awaits at Laureen's Cafe. Emphasizing Middle Eastern cuisine,
the cafe is a sunny, cheerful room with casual wooden booths and tables and
friendly service.
Choose from a Greek salad ($7.95), Middle Eastern plate with tabbouleh,
hummus, and baba ghanoush ($8.45), or taste other regions with a veggie
burrito, served with a tossed salad ($8.45) or feta pizzas ($7.55-$9.55).
Several specials are offered each lunch, ranging from sesame noodle salad
($6.95) to a stuffed portobello mushroom, which was tender but firm, filled
with feta, spinach, and diced tomatoes and served with baguette slices and a
small tossed salad featuring wonderfully ripe cherry tomatoes, grated
carrots, and mild black olives.
Vegetarian options are increasingly common, and even Friendly's has a
vegetable wrap sandwich now.
With so many choices, vegetarian travelers can make dining a central
enjoyment of their vacation, rather than an obstacle to overcome.
So breathe that salt air and drive past the clam shacks, knowing your bounty
is here, too. SIDEBAR:
IF YOU GO . . .
The Shady Hollow Inn is located at 370 Main St. in South Dennis, off Route 6,
Exit 9. In-season rates range from $100 to $150. There is a two-night minimum
stay on weekends and holidays. Call 508-394-7474 or visit
www.shadyhollowinn.com.
Ardeo Mediterranean Taverna is located in the Union Station Plaza at 23V
Whites Path in South Yarmouth. Lunch served 11:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., dinner 4
-11 p.m. Reservations required for groups of six or more. Call 508-760-1500
or visit www.aredeoca pecod.com.
The Colonial House Inn is located on Route 6A in Yarmouthport. Summer rates
for the 21 rooms range from $110 to $130 and include dinner and breakfast for
two people. There is sometimes a two-night minimum on weekends. Reservations
are required, and lunch is served from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and 4:30-7:30
p.m. Call 800-999-3416 or visit www.colonialhouse capecod.com.
The Prodigal Son Cafe is located on 10 Ocean St. in Hyannis. Open Monday
through Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-midnight; Friday and Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 1
a.m.; and Sunday, noon to 1 a.m.; food is served until 11:30 p.m . Closed
Tuesdays. Call 508-771-1337 or visit www.capecod.net/prodigal.
Napi's Restaurant is at 7 Freeman Street in Provincetown. In the summer,
dinner is served from 5 p.m., with the last reservation at 9:30. Reservations
are recommended. Call 508-487-1145 or visit www.napisrestaurant.com.
Bubala's By the Bay is located at 185 Commercial St. in Provincetown.
Breakfast served 8 to 11:30 a.m., lunch 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., dinner 5 to 11
p.m., bar open until 1 a.m. Call 508-487-0773 or visit
www.capecodaccess.com/bubala's.
The Martin House is at 157 Commercial St. in Provincetown. Reservations are
recommended and mandatory for holiday weekends. Call 508-487-1327 or visit
www.themartinhouse.com .
Laureen's Cafe is at 170 Main St. in Falmouth. Open from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Call 508-540-9104 or visit www.laureens.com.

Box Lunch in Hyannis is my favorite. Right in the center. Have fun!
http://www.boxlunchhyannis.com/

Now I want to stay at Shady Hollow! That sounds wonderful.

Thank you guys for the suggestions. You've given me hope. :)

if you go to the Potato Chip Factory in Hyannis, it is practically right across the street from where the Trader Joe's is. (plus there's the Xmas tree shop in that strip mall and they often have weirdly vegan stuff). When we camp there we make a lot of picnic lunches from Trader Joe's stuff.
I think I've also had some decent vegan stuff in Ptown but my memory is getting all jumbled up and it actually may have been macrobiotic? Happycow tells me it might have been macro and doesn't seem to exist anymore.

We never go to "our" TJ's because it is such a madhouse. It will be fun to go to one there. I know the in-laws drove around Hyannis not long ago, so maybe we'll be able to get there without causing too much of a ruckus.

I really don't know a bunch about Barnstable and surrounding towns, but my family has a cottage in Eastham, so I'm on the Cape a lot. There has been an increase in the amount of vegan options in the past few years. Our cottage is in the middle of forking nowhere, but I can now go to the tiny local superette and pick up soymilk. The bigger supermarkets like Shaws and Stop & Shop usually have a fairly good selection of vegan options. And the Cape seems to be a haven for aging hippies, so there are tons of health food stores.

You will probably have trouble at the cheap seafood restaurants, but most other places will either have something you can eat or be able to make something vegan for you if you ask. You can check out the Cape Cod Vegan fb page, and I'm sure if you posted there, people could give you more tips. Provincetown would be a bit of a long drive, but it's super fun, and I've always found it to be veg-friendly.

Cape Cod is awesome! I would live there if I could. I hope you enjoy your time there!

+1! Off the top of my head, The Purple Feather has amazing sorbet (and they'll let you try samples) and Devon's has tasty vegan French toast for breakfast.

Provincetown is unlikely. All the in-laws want to do is sit around and and tell us the same old stories about themselves. Oh, and we'll be watching a lot of tv. Although when we're not there, we hear about the cool places they drive around visit. It just might be time to be a little more assertive.

They (probably) won't do cheap seafood places...but you never know!

You guys are awesome with your help and I really appreciate it. Off to check the FB page.

<3 the ppk!

Ditch them and do something fun! (I know, that's not very nice of me... ha.) I would research some fun places you want to go to, and then ask them if they would like to go along. If they say no and you don't have a car, there is a bus route serving the Cape, or you can even get a bus on demand. http://www.capecodtransit.org/

there are some really awesome places to go if you can ditch the folks. and check what's going on (on one of those whats-happening sites) since sometimes you can catch cool stuff (don't remember what time of year you're going but there are community things year round), as if you're in that area you can get around by bus/walking- or don't forget the bike trail if you can bring/rent bikes.

If you couldn't tell, I don't much like them. I'd love to ditch them and make the trip worthwhile. Or like you said, I'd even drag them along if it meant we could see some sites and do something fun! We will have a car and we can bring our bikes. That's a great idea and one I hadn't even thought of!

Thanks you guys!!!

jomama's is great and has the most incredible chai i have ever had, hands down. they also have vegan sandwiches and several flavors of vegan cream cheese, which is relatively rare.

Fantastic! We have to hit this place. Thank you so much mollytea!

Awesome. Thanks for the tip. I spend almost every weekend in the next town over and never knew about this place! Menu looks great.

Yes! My mom is obsessed with this place. She wants to go there for lunch every day when we're on the Cape. I like their sandwiches. You can design your own, and they have hummus and a good selection of veggies. The bagels are shipped from H&H in NY, if I remember correctly. They sometimes have ABC vegan cookies near the register. The only problem is that the place is easy to miss. We've been there a zillion times, but we still have to pay attention or we'll go right by. Look for the big hippie house, and jo mama's is next door (incidentally, the hippie house usually has vegan cookbooks, soap, and lip balm for sale).

And, if you're out on the outer Cape, we also like to venture to The Juice in Wellfleet (6 Commercial St, Wellfleet, MA). They usually have a couple of vegan items on the menu (it seems to change a lot, but if you tell them you're vegan, the staff can usually help you), and they keep soymilk for smoothies. They have one called Mumbo Dumbo (or something like that), that's banana, peanut butter and chocolate soymilk. I don't know if they still have it, but I hope so! It is so good.

Also in the area is Box Lunch in Eastham (4205 Rte 6 Eastham, MA). They have a hummus wrap, nothing too exciting, but it's there. It does get very crowded on beach days though.

Orleans has a natural foods store. It's called Orleans Whole Foods, but is not affiliated with the big WF chain (46 Main St Orleans MA). It's tiny, but they have produce, baking supplies, a gluten-free section, vegan ice cream, some amy's meals, supplements, etc.). It's a small place, and the people who work there are always nice. There is an independent bookstore right next door too.

And of course, if you're in the area, you need to catch a movie at the drive-in. http://www.wellfleetcinemas.com/ Double feature every night, and they have all the old intro and intermission films (dancing snacks!). During the summer, the drive-in parking lot hosts a large flea market 4 days a week. The flea has seen better days, but is still worth a look (especially if you need to buy socks. There is a sock booth that I think has been there since the dawn of time. It's a running joke with my family. "I went to the flea yesterday." "Did you buy socks?").

Oh, and there are some beaches and stuff, if you like that sort of thing.

Oooh, thanks for this, raspberry! Orleans sounds like a great place to get some staples and hit that bookstore!

Also Idgy's in Yarmouth http://idgysglutenfree.com/ for vegan cupcakes and other good stuff. They also do a vegan breakfast.

Provincetown again - 141 Bradford Natural Food Market has a vegan hot food bar at lunch time (!) and a bunch of home-made stuff in the coolers incuding awesome raw desserts. Karoo Kafe on Commercial Street - loads of vegan options including curry, falafel etc. And Napi's, which you already know about. Where I eat every Friday in winter, it being practically next door to work :)

In Orleans - Bangkok Thai Cuisine (kinda opposite Christmas Tree Shop) has a great selection and will happily leave out egg and fish sauce if you ask them. JoMammas in Orleans also has soy sausage, bacon, cheese, but don't know if it's vegan. They also have Tofutti cream cheese to go on their bagels. And excellent soy lattes. Land Ho! in Orleans has a new bean and portabello burger - again, dunno if it's vegan yet, but you should go anyway, if only for the fries, beer and gorgeous bartenders...

Thai! This trip is looking up! I'm really hoping to make it to Provincetown and the MIL is a bagel fiend so I've got high hopes on JoMamma's.

You guys are awesome for all the help! Thanks loads!