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Have you tasted this world-famous New England Classic yet? Scargo Cafe is doing us all a favor by going public with their Grapenut Custard recipe - even Bon Appetit Magazine is asking for it! Here’s your chance to whip up this iconic dessert between visits to the Cape. But be warned -  cutting corners and substituting milk or half & half for the light cream won’t compare to the “real deal.” A deal so real that it has remained untouched since 1987. One taste and you’re hooked! See what else Scargo Cafe has in store for Restaurant Week here!

Ingredients

9 large eggs

½ gallon light cream

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons vanilla extract

1 cup grapenuts cereal

1 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Whip: eggs, cream, sugar and vanilla completely with a wire whip or mixer.

Pour mixture into a 9×12 inch pan (we use a stainless steel pan called a “half hotel pan”) and sprinkle grapenuts, cinnamon and nutmeg evenly over the top.

Place the 9×12 pan into a large pan to form a water bath (fill with water equal to the height of custard mixture) and place them carefully into a preheated 325-degree oven for approximately 90 minutes.

Chef’s Notes

Your oven temperature will greatly affect cooking time, so to check for doneness, gently wiggle the pan.

Remove as soon as center of custard mixture begins to gel.

May is the best month. For us here in New England, it’s usually when spring hits us in full force. Flowers and trees are blooming and the world once covered in white snow then grey rain, suddenly becomes vibrant shades of greens, pinks, and yellows. With all its bright sunshine and warmer weather, May offers many reasons to enjoy a gorgeous dinner out on the Cape.

We decided to pull together a list of some of our favorite places to gather, raise a toast, and dig in!

Graduation

Graduations abound in May and to honor your food-obsessed graduate, a special dinner is certainly in order. Whether it’s from college or kindergarten, graduation dinners usually involve the whole family. Old Yarmouth Inn is perfect for large groups that span generations. Cooking up classic cuisine reimagined for today, the Old Yarmouth Inn offers the perfect setting for a casual and cozy family gatherings or an elegant social affair.

Anniversary

What’s spring without a little romance? Whether your love is blossoming or well-seasoned, making Wednesday night dinner feel like a Parisian feast is the surest way to the heart! Experience the sophisticated yet intimate setting of the Chatham Wine Bar where Executive Chef Regina Castellano uses the finest local and seasonal ingredients to create a gorgeous menu that mirrors the chic and elegant dining room. Or visit, if you’re looking for a place with a more whimsical air, visit the breathtaking grounds of surrounding The Chills Bistro .

First Communion

For many families with younger children, May is a month filled with back-to-back First Communion celebrations. Spend some extra time with the family this year and leave the cooking up to the folks at Buca’s Tuscan Roadhouse. Kids and parents alike will enjoy the candle-lit checkered tablecloths from that famous scene in the Lady and the Tramp. The menu too is packed with classic favorites like the wild boar bolognese and calamari fritti that are hearty enough to share with the whole family.

(Post) Mother’s Day

Mom deserves all the best this and every year, so why not treat her to a dinner she’ll never forget! For that, we recommend the Captain Linnell House. Treat mom to a little luxury in this gorgeous manor where Chef Bill Conway provides a carefully curated menu the picture of sophistication and indulgence. Go the extra mile by choosing the prix fixe menu, and let mom sit back, relax, and take in the breathtaking views!

You don’t need a reason to celebrate!

This Restaurant Week season, we’re taking a deeper look at the places and ingredients that give Cape Cod its culinary spirit.

Pc: racheleats.com

Cape Cod Restaurant Week is coming soon and restaurants all along the Cape are preparing to showcase all the culinary treasures the region has to offer. Restaurant Week is a great time to celebrate Cape history and traditions as chefs prepare dishes rooted in the local land and sea. In honor of the culinary culture of Cape Cod, this week, we present an (incredibly) abridged overview of the Cape’s most treasured ingredient: cod.  

Cape Cod received its eponymous name in the early 17th century by English explorer Bartholomew Gosnold who, when visiting the southernmost bay of Massachusetts took aboard a great number of codfish. For hundreds of years stretching down the Gulf of Maine from Nova Scotia to the Cape, cod had been more than abundant. This particular fish drove the local economy making Cape Cod one of the most flourishing fishing regions of the world.

More than an export good, cod-- in particular salt cod--  was an essential part of Cape cookery. Salt cod is preserved by first brining the fish with rock salt then drying it, a practice used by the earliest settlers to ensure a regular supply of the fish. Once re-hydrated, cod was prepared in as many variations as there were days in the year in which to eat it. In Provincetown, where a large Portuguese immigrant population settled, salt cod, or bacalao,  can still be found on several restaurant menus.

Pc: newengland.com 

For the past several decades, though, the local cod population has been shrinking, and the cod on the Cape now is often imported from Iceland. For local fisherman who have switched to dogfish as their staple product, to reel in a cod has become an experience that is bittersweet. Though cod may not be as plentiful as it once was, it still represents the spirit that lives on on the Cape.

The revival of historic New England foodways and cooking practices as well as the popularity of recipes like Cape Cod Turkey or Codfish Balls means that cod, in one way or another, will always find a place at the heart of the Cape.

                                                                                             Pic: Shutterstock

Starting Monday, May 14th and running through Sunday, May 20th, Cape Cod Restaurant Week is back to usher in the spring season... whether mother nature likes it or not!

Cape Cod Restaurant Week has been around for quite a while, which means that for most Cape residents the week-long food fest has become a regular part of the ebb and flow of the seasons. Beckoning diners to the region a bit earlier than the beaches can each spring, and then in the fall, calling them back for one last escape before the winter months take hold, Cape restaurants from Provincetown to Falmouth bookend tourist season with offers of special prix-fixe deals. Although Restaurant Week undoubtedly serves an economic purpose by extending the commercial season, Restaurant Week does more for the Cape than put a few well plated dishes in front of a few more people. It is an opportunity to reawaken and revitalize the Cape Cod community-- through food.

Cape Cod Restaurant Week is the chance to celebrate local businesses and their role in the Cape Cod community and economy. Cape Cod restaurants are a significant part of the local identity, relying on the support of local diners to continue to provide spaces spearheading the Cape’s culinary culture. In coming together to offer special 3- or 4- course menus priced at $25, $30 or $35 per person, the restaurants that participate each spring and fall showcase the essence of the Cape: its sense of place. Each season, this group of restaurants encourages Cape residents and tourists alike to celebrate and explore all that makes Cape Cod special.

                                                                                           Pic: Shutterstock

Restaurant Week visitors are invited to take a break from routine and reconnect with their neighbors and neighborhoods. A Cape-wide event, local and out-of-town diners have the chance to explore less familiar or less-traveled parts of the Cape, making destinations out of places typically passed through. For returning visitors and Cape residents, the week-long event is a great excuse to revisit and rediscover the joys of familiar spots. Making new memories with friends and family at familiar or just discovered restaurants is an experience sure to spark more visits in the future.

                                                                                      Pic: Bostonchefs.com

There is no doubt that Restaurant Week is a lot of work for participating restaurants, particularly when it comes to sourcing larger quantities of seasonal ingredients and staffing sufficiently to handle the increase in traffic. However, the chance to revamp the restaurant’s offerings always outweighs the cost. Twice a year, chefs get the opportunity to be a little more creative in their kitchens, to flex their skills by experimenting with seasonal ingredients and developing or adjusting recipes. They then take the time to create or curate menus specifically for restaurant week to ensure that restaurant week is an experience their guests will never forget. Often, dishes from restaurant week menus will pop up on menus later in the season.

Cape Cod Restaurant Week doesn’t just benefit restaurants. Hotels and inns, local shops, and other Cape activities see an increase in traffic this week as people come out to explore the neighborhoods in between reservations. Restaurants may even choose to partner with other local businesses and food and beverage vendors to make the week of deals that much sweeter. Restaurant Week is a great way for restaurants to draw in new customers, keep existing customers on their toes, and showcase what makes the Cape a culinary destination.

Photo Courtesy of Etsy It’s easy to assume that Cape Cod Restaurant Week is all about the food. All week long, chefs and restaurants are putting their best foot forward to wow diners with impressive and delicious dishes that are a bit more special than the norm. But what about in between meals, when you’re looking to stave off the food coma from lunch to make room for dinner?

More than the food, Cape Cod Restaurant Week is about reconnecting with the local Cape culture. Although the summer easy breeze of summer is over, Restaurant Week provides another chance to spend some extra time with family and friends, exploring a calmer Cape while supporting local businesses. In fact, dinner doesn’t have to start and end at the table. Make a whole night of it! Take the opportunity to see something new or remember all of the things you love before you sit down for the first course. The journey may just make the destination even sweeter!

With that spirit in mind, we’ve come up with a few ways to get the most out of Restaurant Week— beyond the table.  

The Beauty of the Cape 

Feeding the eyes is almost as satisfying as feeding the appetite, and there are plenty of art museums, galleries, and studios on the Cape where you can get your fill. Before feasting on your chef’s latest work of art, stimulate your senses with a painting or sculpture. Art is truly the best kind of aperitif! Plan for an early dinner and take the opportunity to catch up with local talent at  exhibition openings like Truro in Truro by Kenneth Hawkey or Marian Roth’s The Village In My Mind. Or perhaps, a particularly beautiful meal will inspire you to take a class in painting or drawing. We believe a beautiful plate will give you enough creative energy to consider it!

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!

Fall is the season of harvest which means it is also the best time of year to enjoy a festival. Luckily, this year’s Restaurant Week coincides with two! The 6th Annual Cape Cod Brew Fest is a wonderful excuse to make one last trip down to the Cape. Spend the day sampling over 200 styles of beer from 60+ American breweries. If you can find some room around all that beer, squeeze in dinner at a nearby Falmouth restaurant, or have your designated driver pilot a drive out to Harwich for a whole new ocean view. Brewery tours are also offered all week long.

If you’re going out for Restaurant Week, you might as well stick around for the 16th Annual WellFleet OysterFest too. OysterFest is a celebration of seafood and the shell-fishing traditions that have helped feed the Cape for hundreds of years. Cap off the summer at this festival full of art, music, games, and even food tastings and demonstrations. What better way is there to enjoy the essence of Cape Cod than by adding a visit to OysterFest to your plans. You’ll be celebrating food two ways, and we certainly can get behind that idea!   

Do a Little Learning

Cape libraries are cultural hubs and offer many lectures and classes that will certainly make your dinner conversations much more exciting. The West Dennis Library will be hosting Dr. Michael Thurston’s as he explores Thoreau’s complex understanding of nature and its value of society in his talk To Live Deliberately: Thoreau’s Complicated Notion of Nature. Gain a deeper appreciation for Cape Cod and its proud connection to nature by sharing a locally sourced meal after.  For a dose of feminism before your meal, perhaps make a pit stop at the Brewster Ladies Library to hear author Denise Kiernan discuss the unsung heroines of WWII featured in her recent work, The Girls of Atomic City. As part of their new Curiosity Untapped series, Cape Cod Beer will also be hosting local science teacher Amy Fleischer for Nautilus Live: Underwater Exploration. Fleischer will share stories and videos from her research into ancient submerged shorelines, sea caves, and relic coral reefs. Get a glimpse of the underwater world your dinner inhabited before it appeared on your plate.

With a heart opened to good food and an intellectually stimulated mind, dinner is bound to satisfy the whole body. It’s what the doctor ordered.

Play with Your Food

With so many options for Cape Cod Restaurant Week, we understand it’s hard to choose. We can help you sort it out with help from CapeCodRestaurantWeek.com’s filtering tools. 

Towns

Take a look at the “Browse Restaurants” tab. You can use it to sort by town or even region. Live in the Lower Cape? P-Town in your radius? Narrow down the options with just one click.

Okay, so maybe you’re looking to cozy up at a local Gastro Pub. Or you are dying to try out some French fare. Search by cuisine and be transported on a culinary vacation.

Use the Town and Cuisine filters in conjunction and you can really pin point your ideal meal. Comfort Food in the Mid Cape— here we come!

Restaurant

Maybe you know EXACTLY where you’d like to go. Skip the scroll and go directly to that restaurant’s listing.