The Red Cottage Restaurant

The Red Cottage Restaurant

Address: 36 Old Bass River Road P.O. Box 560 South Dennis, MA 02660

Website: The Red Cottage

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Historically a nightmare to park at they have recently done some renovations to improve the amount of spaces available. On a busy day cars will be parked down the street.
• A short drive from Patriot Square Marketplace and Exit 9A off the Mid-Cape Highway.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and atmosphere.

• We were greeted quickly and directed to a small table near a wall. Kindly wished a nice breakfast.

• The open kitchen and counter seating took up one side of the restaurant and the tables (no booths) filled the rest.
• Old timey photos lined the walls telling the story of the way Dennis and the Cape used to be.

3. Server introductions, impressions and attentiveness.

• Vanessa, our server, was very friendly, and didn’t mind having to come back multiple times to see if we were ready to order yet.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• The menu at The Red Cottage is ginormous. There are multiple pages of combo options, entire pages dedicated to sweeter breakfasts, and numerous sides that can be ordered in different ways.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• Boston Brown Bread (it’s steamed in a can!)
• Grits
• Masa (Portuguese Sweet Dough Roll)
• Multiple Gluten free items, English Muffins, Pancakes, French Toast and Waffles
• Crêpes
• Multiple flavours of bacon (this is the good stuff peoples, not that bacon flavoured dust wafer shite offered in most places)

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• The food was delivered mere moments after we thought “where’s our food?”.
• Our food was layered on top of itself. First appearing like a small sampling but then opening up to more than we could eat.
• Looked like a delicious homemade breakfast.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee; the coffee was fairly standard restaurant style, and was refilled often.

• The Gentleman could not make up his mind. It took deciding against pancakes to finally break down the menu to a reasonable, manageable size. The menu listed the towns of the cape and attributed different combinations to them. The gent selected the Harwich plate that came with two eggs, two meats, toast and a side.  Ample availability to select some specific offerings.  There are three types of bacon! That means that two meats can be bacon and more bacon. The gent chose the default Applewood Bacon as well as the Cajun Spiced Bacon. The cajun was just the applewood with spices but not spicey. The acclaimed homefries were requested done up in the popular Red Cottage fashion; mixed with ham, onion, pepper, tomatoes and mushrooms (no mushrooms for this guy please - they accommodated). He eggs over-medium were eaten atop the white toast per his usual.  The jams were neatly organized on the table offering all popular pre-packaged options. The plate took some time to clean, though not a crumb remained in the end.

• The Lady has broken her fast here multiple times, and opted for her breakfast of choice “The New England Puritan Breakfast”. Although not an actual typical Puritan breakfast (really, the Puritans generally ate porridge, cheese and bread in the morning), this is still a meal that will punch you in your face-hole with deliciousness. This menu option comes with a giant slab of bone in ham, which is not the ladies favourite, she swapped it out for Applewood bacon instead. In a giant plate bowl of baked beans (not those Zoodle tasting tomato canned beans either), two perfectly poached eggs were nestled amidst a stack of bacon and delectable Boston Brown Bread was on the side. Now, some may go to Wikipedia in search of what Boston Brown Bread is, and then shudder with disgust. Don’t knock it until you try it. Nom nom nom nom nom. The Applewood bacon is thick cut (9 slices per pound) and is made specially for The Red Cottage, as are the other flavours. This bacon is not pre-cooked from a package like those other places.

8. Value of product.

• Yes

9. Payment options.

• Cash Only, there is an ATM in the back in the event that you have no cash with you.

Overall Rating: 10/10 would eat again.

Sandi's Diner

Sandi's Diner

Address: 639 Main St, Chatham, MA 02633

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Main Street parking or in large parking area out back.
• Close to rotary

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and atmosphere.

• We were two of six people in the restaurant at 9:45 am. We sat where we wanted.
• We chose the two-top at the back next to the Nude Beach sign. There were many signs to read from Cape style to “Free lunch tomorrow”.

3. Server introductions, impressions and attentiveness.

• Our server was the only person on staff besides the cook. She offered us coffee once we selected our table.
• She let us take our time making our menu choices. When asked she pointed us in the  general direction popular food items.
• The refilling of the coffee almost didn’t happen. The first and only refill came during plate removal.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• Standard for any Diner.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• While the items on the menu were not uncommon in themselves, the names were. We understood the ‘Two if by French’ for French Toast, however, how does ‘Two if by sea’ reflect pancakes? Curious.
• The ‘Mexican’ Omelette had salsa on it.
• Lady’s Delight was clever, as it had one of each - One piece of toast, one piece of bacon, one egg. The perfect serving!

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• Food arrived in fine order.
• No fancy plating.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee - It was fine. It was not bitter as some coffees are, and the lady did not add any sugar.
• The Gentleman ordered the Two if by French cause he hasn’t had french toast in some time. It wasn’t amazing. I wouldn’t recommend it. The eggs, over medium, were ordinary.The bacon was better than others tasted recently.

• The Lady couldn’t decide what to order, so she opted for the menu item named for that exact state of mind ‘I can’t decide’ which had one pancake, one mini waffle, one bacon, one sausage and one egg. FULL ON CARB BREAKFAST. The pancake was large, and dense, and tasted exactly like you would expect a pancake made from pre-packaged pancake batter to taste. The waffle was a tad overdone, and was dark brown and crunchy. The flavour was different from the pancake, it was sweeter and had a vanilla undertone. The egg was ordered poached, which is the most delicious and healthy way to order an egg. The single lonely piece of bacon was overcooked, and shattered when she attempted to cut into it, however the flavour was nice. The sausage was a circular patty, and tasted like sausage.

8. Value of product.

• The prices were exactly as they should have been for this location. The price for two was less than $20.

9. Payment options.

• Cash only.

Overall Rating: There is nothing that makes this location stand out from all of the other breakfast places on Cape. Nothing at this location is something that you ‘must go here and try’. It filled our guts, and was inexpensive. The end.

Jack's Outback II

Jack's Outback II

Address: 161 MA-6A, Yarmouth Port, MA 02675

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Jack’s Outback is located exactly as it is named. Out back. It is hidden away behind the main street, down a secret alley way.
• The parking lot was large and had plenty of spaces to leave your vehicle.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and atmosphere.

• The sign on the front door informed guests of the dogs on property but to please not let them inside the restaurant.
• A breakfast counter flanked us on our right side once we entered. The man behind the counter greeted us. Behind him was their open kitchen. Ahead we noticed a sign that asked us to seat ourselves. We appreciate direction.
• Enroute, we passed some freshly baked popovers that whet our appetite and began to influence decisions before even seeing a menu.
• There was an air of New England charm.

3. Server introductions, impressions and attentiveness.

• No name to speak of but no complaints either. Our waitress was generous with time, options, and coffee.

• When the lady placed her order, the server thanked her for saying ‘linguica’ properly. Apparently it can be a tricky word to get your mouth around.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• The menu was plentiful, and had every offering you would normally expect for breakfast. Our waitress also noted that if there was something you wanted that was not on the menu, to not hesitate to ask as they could likely make it for you.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• This was the first location we have visited to have popovers. If you haven’t ever experienced one of these, you should stop whatever you are doing right now and find the closest restaurant to you that has one and eat it.

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• Our coffee mugs never emptied. The continuous act of consumption stymied any track of time. The food seemed to arrive in good order.
• When it did arrive it was in abundance. With our food came additional plates if we wanted to spread our grub around.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee was plentiful and not bad. It had a stronger coffee flavour than some places we have visited before.

• The Gentleman took the combination approach once more. Taking one for the team and trying everything for you, the reader. The Breakfast Sampler included eggs, pancakes, bacon, (my choice of meat), toast, and homefries. Plain pancakes would have been fine but the gent was asked if he’d like a little extra. The waitress was gracious enough to invite him to try two different types; so blueberry for one, chocolate chip for the other. Both were delicious. They were served stacked chocolate chip above blueberry. The waitress dropped off an extra plate in case separation was required. It was not. The bacon was funny. Slightly greasy, wavy, almost waffle cut. It tasted funny too, not quite a bacon flavor, can’t place it. The grease from the bacon dripped on to the eggs bedded below. The eggs didn’t prosper from the drippage, they didn’t suffer either but they lost their sheen. The home fries were roasted in veggies and spices. If the potatoes were bigger they would have been a nice meal. All that was left in the end was half a blueberry pancake, one slice of toast, and an orange slice that served as garnish.

• The Lady ordered the house special. Two eggs, homefries, toast and linguica. Instead of toast she opted for the upgrade to a popover for $0.75. The homefries were fairly typical in terms of flavouring - oregano, onions, pepper, salt. This offering also included some red peppers, which adds a nice sweetness to balance out the dark flavour. The eggs were the strangest the lady has ever seen. She ordered them scrambled, and received them ribbon-ed. It was as though the eggs were cooked omelette style, and piled onto the plate. They were not fluffy like scrambled eggs should be, and they were a tad on the greasy side. The linguica was delicious. Last, but not least was the popover. It is crunchy on the outside and airy and delicate inside. Delightful and absolutely scrummy!

8. Value of product.

• You couldn’t ask for more reasonable prices. There was no item on the menu that’s price wasn’t fair, and the amount of food was perfect. It was not an American serving.

9. Payment options.

• Cash only.

Overall Rating:

The personality and attentiveness of our server was spot on. She made us feel at home and well taken care of.  Paired with a clean, comfortable, New England style atmosphere; and fine, satisfying foods, we would be silly not to go back out II Jack’s.

Hearth 'n Kettle

Hearth 'n Kettle

Address: 1225 Iyannough Rd Suite 3, Hyannis, MA 02601

Website: Hearth 'n Kettle

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• Easy to find in the heart of congestion. The entrance to the parking lot is located a short distance from stop lights; so you have time to find it.
• One inconvenient truth is the location of the bathrooms. As the Hearth ‘n Kettle is located within a resort, the bathrooms serve the public for the entire floor. You exit the restaurant doors and trek all the way around the exterior and down a hallway to locate the facilities. Expect it to add some time to your visit. The plus side to the bathrooms is the touchless experience. Both hand drying options of paper and air are available. Also, the creme de la creme, a freakin foot pedal so one can open the door towards them without using the handle with their, hopefully, freshly washed hands but using their dirty-ass shoes! Let’s make this a thing everywhere.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and atmosphere.

• Once inside the resort the doors to the restaurant are ahead and to the left. Once through those doors a hostess stood to greet us immediately. We were sat, without wait, at a spacious wooden booth.
• The atmosphere was warm and inviting. Wood was everywhere, making up the siding, walls and booths. It all blended together comfortably.

3. Server introductions, impressions and attentiveness.

• Our server whisked by twice both times acknowledging us and letting us know she would be back shortly. One of us was on a journey to the toilet at the time so it was hardly an inconvenience.
• Although the waitress did not give her name she did wear a name tag.
• Debra was perfectly attentive and communicative. When we weren’t ready to order she let us know she was going to feed some others and after that explain the menu to us.

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• The Hearth ‘n Kettle has two pages of menu items, with a small specials list. There are no ‘make your own’ items. Substitutions are not an issue.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• The Downeaster - Two homemade seafood cakes with scallops, shrimp and fish golden fried and topped with poached eggs, bacon and our cheese sauce, served with homefries. (The lady was under the impression that there was some rule against serving fish and cheese together. Well, not according to the Hearth ‘n Kettle.)

• Green pesto Omelette
• The majority of the pancakes were gluten free, and gluten free bread was available upin request, providing multiple options for our gluten free readers.

7. TASTE!

• The coffee was nothing to call home about. It was drinkable however, and came in a ‘serve yourself’ kettle apparatus.
• The Gentleman had the Brioche Melt Sandwich. His first foray into the breakfast sandwich world (except for the Farmhouse Wrap from the Underground Cafe but that’s different). He didn’t know what brioche was nor did he ask Debra when she took the order. He just ordered. He also upgraded the home fries to Pilgrim Fries. Get some cheese on that. The sandwich was sort of like a Monte Cristo and served like one with a side of pre packaged table syrup. The brioche was a bit bland without the syrup but lit up with it. Cheese melted on top of ham and egg sandwiched between the brioche. Brioche is softer, fluffier bread according to Wikipedia and my eyes. Once the gent got moving he didn’t want to stop. The weight in his belly was the only barricade.

 

• The Lady opted for the H'nK Potato Cakes and Eggs. She had her eggs poached, and requested no sour cream, and substituted salsa instead. The eggs were a tad over poached, the potato pancakes consisted of peppers, onions and some kind of seasoning (most likely just a bunch of salty salt flavoured salt things). It was salty, thank goodness for the salsa, which hid the salt a bit. Overall, it was potato-ey with egg.

8. Value of product.

• The prices were reasonable for the portion sizes. You certainly didn’t feel as though you were getting ripped off.

9. Payment options.

• All of the options

Overall Rating: When the place you want to go is busy or closed, Hearth ‘n Kettle is there for you.

The Mills Restaurant

The Mills Restaurant

Website: The Mills Restaurant

149 Cotuit Road, Marstons Mills, MA 02648

1. Initial impression of convenience, parking, and location.

• This location is located between exit 5 off Route 6 and Route 28.
• For this Monday morning the parking was ample. Come Saturday or Sunday there could be some issue finding a spot right away.
• The address is 149 Route 149. So that’s easy to remember.

2. Wait time to be greeted, seated, and atmosphere.

• We hadn’t even had the time for our eyes to adjust before we were greeted with smiles behind the counter and asked for our party size. We were directed to a corner table in the main front window where the sun was at our backs keeping us warm on this autumn feeling day. The corner table at the back of the room is also the best location to be able to watch the happenings.

Never sit with your back to the entrance.

3. Server introductions, impressions and attentiveness.

• Ashley pleasantly served us. We know her name was Ashley because that’s what she told us. Possibly for the first time ever did we get a name. We didn’t give our names since she could be a spy.
• We were promptly served coffee and given small instructions on the menu.
• Ashley overheard us speaking (spying) about the unavailability of their donuts this day and inquired with the chef if it was possible to bake us up one. It was possible!

4. Variety of menu options (too many/too little)

• Although the menu was vast, it was surprisingly not overwhelming. The choices were varied for a multitude of different tastes, and it was easy to pick out what you wanted fairly quickly.

5. Menu highlights of uncommon items.

• There were unique items on both the normal menu, and the specials menu. This was a refreshing sign, as we’ve had poor luck lately with breakfast joints being boring.
• Summer local fresh vegetable hash
• Fenway Omelette
• Pulled Pork Huevos Rancheros
• Well, we could go on forever (or the length of the menu). Take a look at the pictures to see just how many interesting choices there were for breakfast.

6. Speed of food delivery, and first impressions of plating, initial aroma.

• The donut was served first on a side plate and atop a paper doily. The doily was strange but added a nice country feel akin to the rest of the restaurant.
• The meals arrived in proper time. Almost like they knew what we wanted to eat.... also with doilies.

7. TASTE!

• Coffee was tasty. Nothing spectacular, but it was not horrible. It was just right.
• The Gentleman’s pistachio donut was delectable. It was the only available flavor/style that they were already going out of their way to serve so there was no complaining. As it turns out, after speaking with the owner, there are only two styles ordinarily baked there; pistachio and triple chocolate. More often than not it is the pistachio that is made as it is requested far more often. The gentleman went safe with his meal order and grabbed the Whole Farm breakfast. The usual combination of two eggs, two strips of bacon, sausage, pancakes and homefries. Ashley even asked if the gent wanted table syrup or 100% Grade A Vermont maple syrup. In spite of the ladies favor and to align with the gents brother’s tastes, we went table syrup. Ashley should have known. Bad spy. The gent’s meal was fine, Better than fine. He just regrets not getting a little experimental with the menu. Branching out, trying something different. There were many things that looked appealing. We didn’t even ask for recommendations. So unlike us.

• The Lady almost immediately had her eye on the New England ole style breakfast (when in New England, eat as the pilgrims did?) It was only within the past year that she has discovered the incredible amazing scrumptious food item that is Boston Brown Bread (or molasses brown bread as it was named on the menu). The lady knew this was what she wanted in her mouth. She had her eggs poached, which is her new favourite way to have them. The brown bread was perfect and delicious. The beans actually looked as though they were not from a can (although they could have been canned beans that had been spruced up). The Cod Cake was new for the lady, she has never had a fish cake before and was a little concerned. The texture and flavours were similar to a toasted tuna sandwich. Crunchy on the outside, and fishy on the inside. She can now strike that off of her list of things she hasn’t eaten and never revisit it. The only thing the lady can say that is bad about this breakfast has nothing to do with the food. It was served on a plate with doilies under the items. I understand this is for presentation purposes, to make it seem fancy, however the food here speaks for itself.

8. Value of product.

• For the first time in awhile, there was no questioning of the prices of items. Everything was reasonably priced, and the amount of food for price paid was fair. Also delicious

9. Payment options.

• All payment forms are acceptable here, so far as we knew. We didn’t check for Amex

Overall Rating: How could we say it better than this?