Restaurant Review: Canary Square & Cape Cod

This weekend, my husband and I, along with my brother and his wife, went to our friends' house in Dennis, MA (thanks Laura and Pete!).  Remember we went last year too when Laura was pregnant?

Well, I took the day off of work on Friday because I planned to go down to the Cape early.  But then Dave was traveling for work and my brother got the keys to his new apartment.  So being the good sister  I am, I helped him move. ALL DAY.  I'm not lying when I tell you I am still sore from walking up and down stairs 30X carrying box after box.  But at the end of the day, they were moved in and as a reward- we checked out Canary Square in their new JP neighborhood.

I just read about this place on Elina's blog, so I was psyched to try it out.  The atmosphere was really cool and I liked the vibe.  It was a misty night and the hostess told us it was about a half hour wait at 8pm.  Fortunately she was wrong and we were seated within 15 minutes.  The first order of business was drinks.  I ordered a cider and the boys ordered beers for their hard work.  Natalia, my sister-in-law, ordered a St. Pauli Girl.  Can you guess why?!?!

 I bet you can!!!!!!  Yep, Mike and Natalia are pregnant with their first child!!!!!!!!!!! Oh.  AND.  THEIR SECOND!!  Yep, Mike and Natalia are having twins!!!!!!!!!  Words can't begin to explain how excited I am for them : )

Now to the food.  I was really excited about this place because it specializes in local ingredients with a unique flair.  Canary Square practices sustainability and the owners welcome people to participate in their green initiatives.  Even the chef- Marco Suarez ia a member of Mayor Menino's Urban Agriculture Working Group- which works on the cities green and sustainable practices! The lighting was pretty bad so I didn't take pictures of everyone's food- but I will give you the highlights.

For snacks- we ordered Grilled Corn Con Queso and Yucca Fries.  Both were awesome.  I cannot wait to recreate the corn.  It had this awesome chipotle sauce with a mexican cheese on top that I absolutely loved.  

The salad I got was probably the best dish of the evening.  I ordered the Warm Swiss Chard and Chicken Salad.  It had crunchy chicken, pecans, dried cranberries, warmed but not wilted swiss chard and a poached egg on top with a bacon vinaigrette.  Everything meshed so well in this salad.  My only complaint is that my egg wasn't runny.  I think that would have put this dish over the top.  Either way, I've already recreated this salad at home! (more on that to come)

After our lovely dinner at Canary Square, we headed down to the most beautiful place in the world- Cape Cod.  We arrived late and pretty much went straight to bed.

Saturday we woke up and headed to the beach.  But this year, we had a special little one with us- Lillian!  Last year Laura was pregnant and this year, their 10 month old spent the weekend with us.  And she is AWESOME.  Such an adorable, good baby : )

 I love Cape Cod beaches : )

After the beach, we worked on our menu and headed over to Ring Bros. Marketplace (my friends families store) and got some goodies for our feast. We got oysters and shrimp for appetizers.  The oysters were so fresh!  Mixed with some cocktail and horseradish and a little bit of lemon juice- these oysters were delicious.  And what's better than Oyster shooters?

 After the appetizers, we played with Lillian while Dave cooked up the meat.  How cute is little Lil???

 Dinner was a delicious success- Grilled Corn on the Cob, Panzanella Salad, Sirloin Burgers and Steak Tips.  We were definitely full when we were finished : )

 After dinner we enjoyed some drinks, smore's and our awesome fire pit.  Something about Cape Cod always means s'mores and fire pits to me!

After a restful night sleep (I think we all got close to 10 hours), we all hung out for a few more hours at the house before heading to Captain Frosty's for some fried food.  Because to me, Cape Cod=beaches, seafood, fire pits, s'mores and fried belly clams.  Yep.

Full of delicious food, Dave and I said goodbye to Cape Cod and our friends and headed home.  The Cape holds a special place in my heart and I love going there.  I feel lucky to have TWO friends who have homes there and I cannot wait to go back in just over a month : )

Thanks Pete and Laura for an amazing weekend!

What special things remind you of your local vacation spot?  

As I mentioned- the beach epitomizes Cape Cod to me.  Along with s'mores, lobster rolls, fried belly clams, ice cream and fire pits : )