Boston

Clean Slate Eatery, West Dennis, MA., 6/6/25

~ hsnixon ~ 4 Comments
building – 702 MA-28, West Dennis, MA 02670

Clean Slate Eatery re-opened a year ago after a 4 year hiatus. Chef/Owner Jason Montigel started as a pop-up place with a successful 4 year run interupted by the Covid pandemic. during which he began to sell tacos from a food truck.  In this small location he offers a fixed price 6-course tasting with much of the assemblege in the open kitchen.   There are just 16 seats with most around the counter where he works with Chef Amanda Kotb, a young chef from Amsterdam.   Montigel wanted it to feel like a dinner party and it does with the close seating and commraderie that develops from eating and drinking together.  There is one seating Wed – Sat evenings and wine pairings are available.  The pourings are ample and I’d recommend them but they also have a small cocktail list and beer.   The weekly menu is on a chalkboard in front of the counter but it’s also on the website.  A window beside it opens into another area of the kitchen where some cooking takes place but most of the assemblege is on the table in the middle of the L-shaped counter.  There was no list of the wine pairings so I have a photo of the pairing bottle with the course except for the beginning Prosceco that I didn’t photograpth.   The night we were there, there was an optional additon of foie gras bonbons which we both tried.   Reservations are by phone or email and I strongly encourage you to find a time to get there and taste this fabuolous food and enjoy the cozy atmosphere. Continue reading →

LUNE, Dennis Port, MA., 6/5/25

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
building – 587 MA-28, Dennis Port, MA 02639

LUNE is brought to you by Chef Mick Formichella and his wife Charlotte who moved back to Cape Cod from Portland, OR where they both worked in various restaurants.  She runs the front of house including the wine program and he does the kitchen.  Starting as a pop-up in an art gallery, they moved to a permanent location in mid-May last year.   They chose an old garage building that adds an interesting interior to the place.  About 6 seats are at the end of the long counter surrounding the open kitchen and the rest are small tables, most with bench seating backing up to the walls.  Art and wine bottles provide many of the decorations  as well as the large black and white tile floor.  The restaurant was a semi-finalist for the  2025 James Beard Best New Restaurant Award but then were removed from the competition as they were closed in Feb and March when judges visit the nominated restaurants.  That was to the benefit of the remaining contenders as this small gem would have been formidable competition.  They book up quickly for the tasting menu that is offered in 2 seatings on Thurs, Friday and Sat.  On Wed and Sun they serve an a la carte menu.  We were lucky to enjoy one the tasting menus with Charlotte’s selected wine pairings.  It was a terrific evening filled with great food and friendly staff and one I highly recommend you try when in the area. Continue reading →

Delishh, Sagamore Beach, MA., 6/5/25

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exterior – 41 Meetinghouse Ln Unit B, Sagamore Beach, MA 02562

Delishh sets out to serve fine specialty sandwiches and prepared foods with fresh ingredients and a creative flair.  The small location in a strip shopping center is open every day but Sunday.  They did a lot of take out orders so I’m guessing it’s popular to stop and pick up a sandwich to take with you to the beach.   Inside there are just a few tables and a TV with the volume up.  The counter where you place your order had a few dessert options pre-wrapped and ready to go.  Another wall had a small place where you could dump your trash and pick up paper napkins.   Very few decorations were on the walls and it took a minute to get someone to take our order.  They brought ours out to us since we were eating there.  There is a cooler with cold drinks and a couple prepared salads were in another cooler.   Overall the sandwiches were quite edible but not as special as they billed them to be.  All sandwiches came with housemade chips, which were thick and most were crispy and very lightly salted. Continue reading →

James Hook and Company, Boston, 6/12/21

~ hsnixon ~ 2 Comments
sign on building

James Hook and Co. started in 1925 with a father and his 3 sons trucking their catch to Boston.  It is still a family run business with 4 of the third generation siblings.  Somewhere along the line they developed retail outlets while still selling to restaurants and shipping across the U.S.   We visited a retail site near the water that also had a food truck on premises selling options.  Inside the little house were a couple tables to eat but mostly had tanks containing various sizes of lobsters and shelves with memorabilia and cooking supplies.  The retail counter had a number of fish and shellfish but also the lobster rolls, which they are famous for.  They come in 2 sizes and are cold with mayo or hot with butter.  Outside at the truck you could get the mayo variety and whole cooked lobsters as well as soups and some sides.  There is a large outdoor seating area to enjoy your selections. Continue reading →

Santarpio’s Pizza, Boston, 6/12/21

~ hsnixon ~ 1 Comment
building

Santarpio’s Pizza in east Boston is in a corner building that was a bakery in 1903.  In the 30’s the Santarpio family began selling New York style pizza from there and they still are along with barbecued lamb, beef and sausage.  It is open daily and accepts only cash.  Walls are adorned with boxing paraphernalia and posters.  There are 2 main rooms filled with booths and tables along with a long bar divided from the rooms by a partition.  The grill area is at one end of the bar whereas the pizza oven is in the back of the two dining rooms.  The bar sells beer and wine, which is also available by carafe.  The lighting is lowered and no music is in the background.  Staff was friendly and helpful. Continue reading →