Setterlund - Historic Restaurants of Cape Cod

Published by American Palate

A Division of The History Press

Charleston, SC

www.historypress.net

Copyright 2017 by Christopher Setterlund

All rights reserved

First published 2017

e-book edition 2017

ISBN 978.1.62585.697.5

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017931812

print edition ISBN 978.1.46711.943.6

Notice: The information in this book is true and complete to the best of our knowledge. It is offered without guarantee on the part of the author or The History Press. The author and The History Press disclaim all liability in connection with the use of this book.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form whatsoever without prior written permission from the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Dedicated with love to my Grampa John Sullivan, my hero, my role model
and the definition of what a man should bethank you and I love you.

CONTENTS

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This project took a lot of time, research and hard work. It would not have been even remotely possible without the help of the following great Cape Codders: Meg Costello, Museums on the Green Falmouth; Danielle Jeanloz, executive director, Atwood House Museum, Chatham; David Dunlap, Building Provincetown Website; Betsy Wheeler, Barnstable Historical Society house administrator; Tom Dott, owner, Lamb and Lion Inn, Barnstable; Dan Bayley, Sandwich Historical Commission; Duncan Oliver, Historical Society of Old Yarmouth; Gloria Green, Harwich Historical Society volunteer; Mary Sicchio, Bourne Historical Society; Cynthia Ward, owner, Chapins Restaurant; Don McKeag, owner, Asa Bearse House Restaurant; Rose and Bob Gianferante, who owned the Yankee Clipper; Sylvia Leonard, whose family owned Roses Restaurant; Jean Young, assistant archivist, Chatham Historical Society; Joe Burns, reporter for the Register in Dennis; Bob Arnold, WellfeetOsprey.com; Ed Maas, owner of the Orleans Inn; Joe Jamiel, owner of Christines; John and Maxine Zartarian, owners of the Paddock; Nicole Muller, reporter for the Register in Dennis; Diane Dexter, musician and pianist at Dorsies; Tom Davis, the Business Exchange Real Estate; Peter and David Troutman, owners of Scargo Caf; Alexandra Grabbe, Grabbing Alexandra Blog; Sturgis Library in Barnstable; George Dorsie Carey and his wife, Louise Houston; Mr. Johnny Yee; Marty Bloom, who owned Blooms Prime Rib House and Starbucks; Peter Cutler, Town Taxi; Stacy Apostol, whose family owned Sword and Shield; Gail Nessell Colglazier, Orleans Historical Society; Nick and Sophie Joakim of the Mayflower Restaurant; Ed Woelfle, former executive chef at the Cranberry Moose; Mary Ann Taylor and Dale Setterlund of Mari-Jeans; Tammi Mason of the Brewster Health Department; author Paul Hensler; Jay Bartolomei, whose grandparents owned Danny-Kays; Karen North Wells, Underground Art Gallery; Jane Klimshuk, whose father owned Reno Diner; Anna and Bruce Woodland, owners of Northport Restaurant; Laura Hopper-Fish and Antwan Chigare, owners of Laura and Tonys Kitchen; Brian Dunne of Aesops Tables; William Kaser, whose father owned the Cleaver; Bonnie Fellows, whose parents owned Bill & Thelmas; Barbara Lind and Susan Kettell-Lind of My Tinman Diner; and Jen Dow and Judy Shortsleeve of Cape Cod Life magazine.

Mildreds Chowder House. Courtesy of Sturgis Library.

I also could not have undertaken this project without the love and support of my family. My Grampa John Sullivan, who owned Sullivans Donut Shop, and his wife of more than seventy years, my Nina Rosemarie Sullivan; my mom, Laurie; my dad, Jack; my sisters, Kate, Lindsay and Ashley; my brother, Matt; my nieces and nephews, Kaleigh, Emma, Liam, Landon and Lucas; my stepfather, Chris Serpa; Nana Serpa for her help on Provincetown; my brothers-in-law, Chris and Jim; my uncles, John, Steve, Bob and Eric; my aunts Susan, Emma, Kelly and Amy; and my cousin Donna.

I also have a great support group of friends who deserve to be recognized for all of their help with this project. My mentor and good friend Bill DeSousa-Mauk, without whom I literally would not have gotten this project, as well as Steve, Emily, Deanna, Mike, Fitzy, DJW, Rob, Meg, Judy, Barbara, Kristin and Dana, Dawn, Tony, Freshy, ONeil, Debbie, Maui, John Z, Barry, Monique, Tiffany and Sean, Kaylin, Shayna and the Wolfpac (Greg, Mike, Tuna and Brewster).

INTRODUCTION

Cape Cod is 339 square miles of beaches, forests, ponds, rivers and marshes. It is home to some of the most breathtaking scenery on this planet, which is one of the reasons why the population there triples in size during the height of the summer tourist season. They come for those beaches, they come for those historic sites and they come for a slice of paradise that is not so easily found. Perhaps most of all, though, the hundreds of thousands of yearly visitors come to Cape Cod for the food.

In the last century, thousands of restaurants have come and gone on Cape Cod. Some burn out in the blink of an eye, while others stand the test of time and leave an indelible mark on the fabric of the Cape. A few of those landmark spots are still up and running to this day, carrying the torch for so many places and owners who fell by the wayside. However, those are few and far between. For the most part, those beloved restaurants of yesteryear have faded with the passage of time. For every Thompsons Clam Bar there are hundreds of places that have long since faded into oblivion.

According to an oft-cited Ohio State University study released in 2005 by H.G. Parsa, John T. Self, David Njite and Tiffany King, 60 percent of restaurants do not survive past their first year, and 80 percent go under within five years. It is much more common for an establishment to open and close in the blink of an eye before it has the chance to leave a mark on a region.

Those cherished places may not be standing anymore, but they remain alive in the memories of longtime Cape Codders and visitors over the last several decades. It takes great customer service, tremendous cuisine, unique dcor and a little je ne sais quoi to turn an ordinary everyday restaurant into an icon. This book is a loving tip of the cap to those establishments that brought years of good times and great food to those lucky enough to live on or visit this wonderful peninsula.

There will be some history, photos and maybe some anecdotes to stir up memories or make one wish they had the chance to go back and visit these places.

AESOPS TABLES

Address: 316 Main Street, Wellfleet
Years Active: 19692004

One part fine dining, one part casual, a little bit of Cape Cod style and a whole lot of creativitythese elements are some of what went into making Aesops Tables a destination for countless locals and visitors for more than three decades. Situated on a hill on Main Street and shaded by a pair of towering oak trees, it was a modern throwback mixing intimate dining with superb food that tantalized and delighted. It is no wonder that it was routinely referred to as Wellfleets finest restaurant.