Entries Tagged as 'michaela'

Dinner at Marshside

July 15th, 2008 · No Comments


Marshside, East Dennis, Cape Cod


Michaela & Jessica :: Marshside, East Dennis, Cape Cod


Rachelle, Julie, Jessica :: Marshside, East Dennis, Cape Cod


Crab Cakes, Haddock, Clams Linguine, Scrod :: Marshside, East Dennis, Cape Cod

After going to Eden, Michaela came over to our house and we spent the day at the beach (what else is new!?). Then we went home and got ready and went out for dinner at Marshside in East Dennis. I heard that not too long ago they totally brought down the whole restaurant and rebuilt it. It’s really pretty. Big decks outside (too bad there wasn’t any outdoor seating) and inside was kind of a modern rustic, if such thing exists. There were many, many windows through which you could see the marsh, hence the name Marshside. All of the windows kind of made it so that the marsh was very much a part of the decor of the restaurant.

Michaela and I shared a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc and Julie and Jess shared a red wine at the bar while we waited to be seated at a table. We shared dinner appetizers. I ordered the crab cakes (of course), Michaela got the Cesar salad, Jess got the clam chowder, and Julie got seafood stew. The crab cakes were so much better than I’d had a few days earlier at Skippy’s Pier 1. The clam chowder was really good. Definitely better than Skippy’s but we still favored The Skipper’s chowdah. In hindsight, we really did not enjoy Skippy’s, which is a shame because Jess’s aunt Mau, who we stayed with my last trip to the Cape, works there.. but she’s a bartender.. nothing to do with the food.

Jess and Michaela both got Scrod entrees, I got the haddock and Julie got clams linguine. To be honest, I found the dinner we had at Colombo’s to be more memorable as far as how the food tasted. I know haddock is kind of a bland fish, but the way this was prepared.. if you didn’t take a bite right on the sauce, there was no flavor at all. However, the mashed potatoes were delicious. Jess really enjoyed the scrod and we applauded her for ordering it. She had never really liked fish, but is trying to expand her horizons because a lot of it is mental. I think Michaela and Julie enjoyed their food, too.

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Eden Hand Arts

July 15th, 2008 · 33 Comments

Note: rachelleb.com is not affiliated with Eden Hand Arts.


Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

The first time I’d heard of jewelry from Eden is when Jess’s aunt Sally was over saying she had to bring in her daughter Michaela’s bracelet to get a new size. As she spoke about the place I realized what a cult following it has to those who live and frequently visit Cape Cod. And I realized how odd Eden is when she told the story of how she has a pair of earrings and lost one. She went to the store to buy another and they were so particular about them that they wouldn’t sell her the a replacement for the lost earring without seeing the one she still had first. Apparently, the earrings were of fish – herrings – and the eyes face each other, if worn properly. Therefore, they didn’t want to sell her the wrong one and since she didn’t have the other with her, they refused the sale. Picky, some would say, but really they are just very, very strict about what goes out of the shop and how it is worn.


Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

We were intrigued by Sally’s stories and by stories we heard in the following days. It seemed that all of Jess’s family had jewelry from Eden, or a story at least. Jess even had their “Cape Cod Screwball” bracelet, which is their original and most well-known piece. Julie and I decided we had to see the place. The Eden showroom is actually located in a tiny little cabin in Dennis – kind of hidden away. There’s no parking aside from the driveway of the house next to the cabin. I assume this is the house the owners live in. If you park on the road they’ll come out and tell you to move it or get towed. We barely squeezed into a parking space in the driveway. Next we walked over to the store area and there was a line. Never mind the fact that they’d just opened 10 minutes ago. There was a line already. It didn’t seem long, but since the store is really just a tiny cabin with 2-3 people working in it, and they give individual attention to each person that walks through the door, it actually took a while to make it in.


Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

Other Eden oddities: You can’t enter the store until you’re asked to come in. They’re only open from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. and only on four days of the week. Cash and checks only, no credit or debit cards. They won’t mail anything anywhere. You can bring a wrist measurement and buy a bracelet, but you can’t bring a neck measurement and buy a “neck wire,” which I think is a hard, shaped necklace. They must get a lot of people making fakes because they have signs up about how this store is the only place you can buy their merchandise. It’s not in other stores, it’s not online, it’s not called anything else.


Eden Hand Arts, Dennis, Cape Cod

So, when we finally got into Eden, our party – Jess, Julie and I – is taken care of by the sweetest grandmother-ish woman. We were not rushed, hence the line, and she let us look at and try on anything we wanted. There was no pressure to buy, the jewelry sells itself. Eden stands behind the jewelry they make. A woman came in with a broken bracelet and they replaced it. Just like that. They asked her a few lifestyle questions so they could maybe determine how it was damaged, but she was in and out with a completely new bracelet in 10 minutes flat.


Julie’s Eden bracelet and herring ring


Julie’s Eden herring ring

So, what did we get? Jess got a sterling silver Cape Cod open bracelet to be worn with her other sterling silver Cape Cod bracelet, which she had at home. Julie got the classic Cape Cod bracelet (single ball, like the one Jess had at home) in two-tone gold and sterling silver. She also got a sterling silver herring ring. And me? I got the two-toned 16″ necklace and a pair of two-toned earrings. Also, just like everything else, after you’ve been to Eden and bought some things, you start to notice everyone has them. At least everyone on the Cape.


Jessica’s Eden bracelet


Rachelle’s Eden necklace and earrings

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Dinner at Colombo’s

July 11th, 2008 · No Comments


Portobello mushroom, goat cheese, garlic bruchetta :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Clams casino :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Meatballs with fresh ricotta and Parmesan :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Salad :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Pepperoni Pizza :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod


Scallops with risotto :: Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, Hyannis, Cape Cod

On Wednesday we tried to go to the beach but it was really, really windy. We were getting pelted with sand. Finally we just gave up and went home. After getting all the sand off of us, we decided to go shopping. At TJ Maxx I picked up a really discounted dress, some sandals and a floppy beach hat.

For dinner we went to Colombo’s Cafe & Pastries, which opened up in Hyannis that day. Jess’s cousin Michaela is a hostess there so we went to visit her and check out the new restaurant. The concept is kind of something for everything. There’s a bar, a lounge, inside dining, outside dining, a pastry case, gelato, lunch sandwiches, nice dinner entrees, etc. I guess time will tell if this strategy works.

We really liked that all of the pasta was whole wheat and you could get a honey whole wheat crust on the pizzas. The food there skewed towards Italian and healthy, which differentiated it from the other Cape restaurants we’ve been to. Overall, we really enjoyed the food, but as to be expected on opening night of any restaurant, there were some service kinks to work out. I’m sure they just need practice to get everything running smoothly.

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