East Coast Eating: Falmouth [Cape Cod], MA

So, yesterday I shared some great Rhode Island restaurants with you. After a short meeting in Providence and an even shorter visit with my family, Alex and I drove up to Falmouth, MA for the weekend. Two dear friends got married in Falmouth and it was a great excuse to spend a crisp fall weekend in Cape Cod with a bunch of old friends. We had a lot of downtime to catch up with one another and spent much of that time doing a little eating and drinking around town. So, if you find yourself in Falmouth-- and I hope you do because it is a charming little town-- here are a few spots to check out:

Stone L'Oven

A handful of us arrived in Falmouth on Friday evening and being a food blogger, my friends assumed that I had done some research and left picking a spot for dinner up to me. Well, they were right and I had found a few good options, ultimately deciding on Stone L'Oven since we wanted good food in a casual atmosphere. This was the perfect place for a big group like ours to enjoy a few drinks and share a ton of food.

We started with a few appetizers: Sweet & spicy wings and the antipasti plate. I'm not a big wing fan so I didn't partake in those, but the rest of the group seemed to really enjoy them. The antipasti was definitely more my speed: An assortment of fresh tomatoes, kalamata olives, pepperoncini, roasted eggplant and red peppers, salami wrapped provolone, and prosciutto wrapped goat cheese with a little balsamic drizzle. These are a few of my favorite flavors and this was the perfect app for sharing-- there was something for everyone.

And speaking of something for everyone, let's talk about pizza. Stone L'Oven offers a pretty vast selection of pizzas-- from the basic pepperoni or four cheese to the more nontraditional Shrimp Scampi or Sweet Potato & Bacon pizzas. They all sounded really good and our group was hungry, so we ordered four small pizzas (they come in small and large) for the 6 of us. We only had a few slices left when we finished, so this seemed to be just the right amount.

We decided on the Meat Lover topped maple-fennel sausage, pepperoni, ham, and meatballs; the sweet and salty Scallop & Bacon pizza, the Fig & Prosciutto pizza topped with a fig & balsamic jam, prosciutto, caramelized onions, and a combination of mozzarella & gorgonzola cheese. Lastly, we ordered The Special, which included pepperoni, ham, sausage, caramelized onions, mushrooms, and black olives. The table loved the Scallop and Bacon pizza. It was light on the scallops, but the bacon was crushed small and evenly distributed over the pizza and totally made up for it. The boys loved the Special, but the ladies were all about the Fig & Prosciutto pizza. It was such a delicious sweet and savory combination. I'm considering recreating it on the blog sometime soon!

There was nothing fancy about this place, but the atmosphere was loud and fun, the beer and wine selection was great, and the food was really delicious.


Cape Cod Bagel Co.

I love a good bagel. I hardly ever eat them at home since they have no redeeming health qualities... but man, they are good! So when I am traveling it's usually something I treat myself with. And since I found Cape Cod Bagel Co. just down the street from our hotel, this was the perfect place to grab a quick Saturday breakfast while I waited for the rest of my peeps to wake up (I'm always the early bird on weekends). Cape Cod Bagel has a huge selection of bagels, cream cheese, sandwiches, muffins, and other great breakfast and lunch options. The bagels are fresh and chewy and the house flavored cream cheese are delicious. I ordered a wheat bagel for myself with their light scallion & chive cream cheese and it totally hit the spot. Two bonuses about this place: They have a huge outdoor patio! Perfect for enjoying your breakfast al fresco. Also, when you order a coffee they give you an empty cup that you can fill yourself and to my surprise, there were about a dozen varieties of coffee to choose from-- including pumpkin spice! And the good spiced kind, not that flavored syrup. I was a happy girl that morning.


La Cucina Sul Mare

After a little shopping on Main Street, we met up with our friends for a little afternoon drinking, football watching, and catching up. One drink turned into a whole afternoon seated at the bar at La Cucina Sul Mare, an adorable little Italian restaurant right on Main Street with a fabulous staff. We had such fun with the bartender and she was incredibly patient with our big group! Since we were watching football, I ordered a (prosecco!) mimosa, because that's just what I do... Alex and a few other members of our crew ordered what ended up being the most popular drink of the weekend: Shipyard Pumpkinhead Ale with a cinnamon sugar rim. It just tastes like fall.

We ended up staying here for a few hours and decided we might as well grab a late lunch at La Cucina Sul Mare before heading back to the hotel to get ready. The menu had a great variety of Italian-American classics and standard pub fare, with a healthy amount of seafood on the menu. Several of us opted for the lobster roll and it was a great choice. Like the roll I told you about yesterday, this one was also a Maine-style roll filled with a cold lobster salad (versus a Connecticut roll filled with hot buttered lobster). It had huge chunks of lobster with a little celery and red onion tossed in mayonnaise on a toasted buttered bun. I ordered my roll with their shaved sweet potato fries, which I absolutely loved! They were thin and crispy and topped with a little bit of grated parmesan.

This restaurant was quiet during the lunch hour, so it was really nice for us to have the bar to ourselves. I imagine that the crowds really pick up in the evening though, so give it a try for dinner-- the guys in our group loved the calimari and the pastas on the menu sounded delicious!


Maison Villatte

A fellow foodie and friend from high school (shout out to Shayna!) is familiar with Falmouth and had a few suggestions of where to eat during our visit. One that was highly recommended was Maison Villatte and we almost didn't make it there, but managed to make a quick stop on our way out of town Sunday morning. Clearly, everyone else in Falmouth knew that this was the place to be because there was a line of about 25 people snaking around the little cafe when we arrived. This place is a true French boulangerie with fragrant freshly baked breads, beautiful cakes and pastries, and a great selection of savory and sweet baked goods.

I could have stayed here all day, but we were anxious to get back on the road so Alex ordered a small raspberry tart and I opted for one of their individually sized quiches. They were offering a few varieties, but I opted for a goat cheese and spinach quiche and it was SO good! The crust was flaky and buttery and the filling was super creamy from the combination of egg and goat cheese... even though it was quite rich, I ate it embarrassingly quickly.

If we had been sticking around for a few days, I would have certainly picked up a few loaves of their fresh bread. Maison Villatte bakes a really interesting variety of breads with combinations of cheeses, fresh herbs, dried fruits, and nuts in them that sounded amazing. If you need a carb fix, a quality quick breakfast or lunch, or if you're packing a fancy picnic for the beach be sure to stop in here!