Welcome to the High Pointe Inn on Cape Cod

We are often asked by prospective guests if we have any additional photos of the High Pointe Inn, especially of the guest rooms. Being a visual person, I can understand wanting to have a complete picture of where I will be laying my head at night when I am on vacation.  So as a Christmas present to ourselves (and ultimately our future guests) we invested in a professional photographer to try to capture the nuances of each room.

You’ll find a link to our Picasa photo album here if you are interested in taking a look. Let us know how you like them and which ones we should add to our website pages on a permanent basis.

February is for Lovers

Looking for an excuse to come to Cape Cod in the quiet season? Look no further. We’ve got a package that will sweep you off your feet! Available throughout the month of February, this romantic getaway for two is designed to rekindle the flames if things have gotten a little stale lately.  Start with a lovely and spacious bedroom with comfy queen bed and luxe linens. Add soft lighting, a perfectly chilled bottle of champagne and heavenly chocolates.  Dial in some mood music and slip into a spa robe for your side-by-side in-room couples massage.

For dinner, we’ve chosen the best of the best: a romantic 3-course meal for two, by candlelight, of course, at one of Cape Cod’s worldclass restaurants. The fire crackles, the music soothes, and the service is discreet. When you are both suitably sated, come back to the Inn for a nightcap by the fireplace, compliments of your innkeepers.

Morning dawns with the smell of sizzling bacon and freshly baked muffins. Wander down to the dining room for a cup of hot coffee or tea to enjoy in the comfort of your room along with the morning paper. When the spirit moves, Rich will be poised and ready to prepare a farm-to-table breakfast especially for you and yours. Perhaps you fancy fluffy buttermilk pancakes with wild Maine blueberries, or maybe his exquisite crispy French toast. Not in the mood for sweet? No worries. Create your own omelet or indulge in one of the chef’s latest special breakfast creations.

Whether you choose a deluxe ocean-view room, a spacious fireplace room with deep oval soaking tub, or our luxurious two-room suite, we’ll be here to set the scene for romance.

Book now for best availability and start dreaming of your perfect romantic getaway for two.

Package includes:

• Two nights in a spacious ocean-view room or fireplace suite.
• Bottle of chilled champagne and chocolates in your room on arrival.
• One-hour side-by-side in-room couples massage.
• A 3-course gourmet dinner for two one night.
• Full cooked-to-order breakfast by candlelight each morning.
• Afternoon sweet treats.
• 24-hour hot coffee and tea.
• Complimentary after-dinner drinks at the Inn.

Deluxe Ocean-View Room: $699 complete

Premium Fireplace Room: $750 complete

Luxury Suite: $799 complete

Some of you may have read one of my recent posts about discovering bacon jam at a local Cape Cod restaurant. First encountered at Winslow’s Tavern in Wellfleet, Rich’s love affair with bacon jam continued to flourish throughout the fall. The three original jars that we purchased at Winslow’s disappeared quickly, albeit one went to our son to experiment with. We served ours with capresse salads, finding the pungent smoky and savory bacon notes perfect with buffalo mozzarella and garden ripe tomatoes. Our son turned us on to adding a dollop of bacon jam to pan-seared scallops, a wonderful combination that intensified the sweetness of the scallop. For a holiday party we served an hors d’oeuvre of crostini with bacon jam and brie, a real show stopper, and a mini-capresse skewer with bacon jam vinaigrette. Rich, of course, spreads bacon jam on burgers and I’m dying to try it on a BLT, but the best application so far has been on a new breakfast special that Rich is testing. I can’t give away his secrets yet, but it includes a fried egg and avocado. Look for it soon on our breakfast specials board at the High Pointe Inn.

For those of you who love a challenge in the kitchen, I am sharing Rich’s bacon jam recipe here. With a nod to Martha Stewart, where we found the basic recipe Rich used for his version, I can tell you that in a blind taste test between the original Winslow’s Tavern version and Rich’s iteration, Rich’s won hands down. In light of full transparency, the taste testers were family members, but remember the tasting was done blind. We have shared samples with our guests, who concur that bacon jam is the bomb. Give it a try and let us know how it turns out. And please share any ideas you come up with on how to use it in recipes

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces

2 medium yellow onions, diced small

3 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup packed dark-brown sugar

¼ cup pure maple syrup, grade A dark amber

¾ cup strong brewed coffee

Directions

1. In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until fat is rendered and bacon is lightly browned, about 20-25 minutes.
2. Transfer the bacon to paper towels to drain, using a slotted spoon.
3. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of fat from the skillet. Add onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
4. Add balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, maple syrup, and coffee and bring to a boil, stirring and scraping up browned bits from skillet with a wooden spoon, about 2 minutes. Add bacon to mixture and combine.
5. Transfer mixture to a 6-quart slow cooker and cook on high, uncovered, until liquid is syrupy, 3 ½ to 4 hours.
6. Transfer to a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped.
7. Let cool, then refrigerate in airtight containers, up to 4 weeks.

As always during the slow season at our bed and breakfast on Cape Cod, Rich and I are on the lookout for new spots to share with our guests. It may be a new drive we discover, or a new shop, or just a new vista we uncover on our frequent roadtrips around the Cape. I also scan the local newspaper for ideas, peruse the facebook postings of fellow business owners and friends here on the Cape, and listen to the musings of our guests around the breakfast table to get the skinny on what’s new, what’s hot, or what’s worth checking out.

So when several guests mentioned they had tried The Oyster Company in Dennisport the same week that our gardener was telling us about the place, it didn’t take us long to put it on our “hit list” to scope out. The real clincher, however, was when I spotted a coupon in the local newspaper offering “½ dozen oysters on the half shell with a minimum purchase” at the restaurant. “Start the car” I screamed to my husband, perhaps the Cape’s number one oyster fan. I am not a enthusiast of the raw version of the bivalve, but I was definitely along for the ride when someone mentioned “the best burger on Cape Cod”.

We opted for lunch the week before Christmas, as it was time for a celebration and a great excuse to indulge in some holiday spirit. From the outside, the building is rather nondescript, though the promise of casual outdoor dining in the warmer months was evident on the patio. Inside the dining room and adjacent bar area are tastefully done in shades of blue and white, with buffalo check tablecloths and an attractive array of nautical, not kitchy, décor.

Our waitress was a breath of fresh air: warm and friendly and very patient in helping us to select an adult beverage to start the meal. Spotting the coupon on the table she immediately suggested she bring the oysters with our drinks, allowing us to peruse the extensive menu. Claiming to be a “raw bar and grille” naturally there was an impressive selection of fresh local shellfish prepared both hot or cold according to your preference. And the humble oyster was the star of the show. But, lobster, clams, mussels, shrimp and calamari also had a decent presence, along with a nice selection of fried seafood, soups and chowders, salads, sandwiches and burgers.

It was the burger we had come to try, touted as perfectly cooked and accompanied by seasoned fries or housemade sweet potato fries, my particular favorite. Ordered medium rare, they did not disappoint. Also on the menu were some tantalizing entrees including sashimi-grade yellow fin tuna, pan-seared dayboat scallops, native cod, swordfish, and the requisite beef and chicken offerings for the landlubbers.

Our waitress continued to be an intricate part of what turned out to be a delightful lunch date, informing us of the restaurant’s prix fixe menu during the week, and the standing offer of 99 cent oysters available everyday until 6:30 PM. We asked for a dinner menu to take home with us, which looks equally tempting and imaginative, and certainly deserves a return visit soon, and perhaps often. Their martini menu isn’t too shabby either.

The Oyster Company is open for dinner Monday through Thursday at 4:00 PM and on Friday and Saturday at noon, serving both lunch and dinner. The restaurant is closed on Sundays until the spring, when presumably the patio dining with be open, weather permitting.