A Taste of Falmouth: The Quarterdeck

The Quarterdeck on Main Street in Falmouth

The first thing you’ll notice about the Quarterdeck is it’s unique atmosphere that feels like you’re almost stepping aboard a ship circa 1700… until you take a few steps past the entrance and see the high-def TVs above the bar. But the restaurant is about as close to a ship as you can get on land. Local artist, Joe Downs, designed the restaurant with the idea in mind that he wanted to create an authentic feel of being below the deck on a sailing vessel. In fact, part of the interior is constructed with wood from MacDougall’s Boatyard in Falmouth Harbor; some wood dating back as far as the late 1600s.

On to the important part; the food. I started with a cup of clam chowder for an appetizer. Now, anyone who knows seafood, knows that Legal Seafood’s clam chowder is out-of-this-world delicious, so I’ll use it as a scale

New England clam chowder

to measure how good any other chowder is to better inform you readers. The Quarterdeck’s chowder is good, but I wouldn’t expect the white house to be

A sign that adorns the wall right when you walk in. So if you want a kitten, you know what to do.

calling in for an order for the next presidential inauguration.  It had plenty of potatoes and clams, which is great, but the consistency is what I found to be it’s only flaw. The broth was nice and thick, but had a bit of a powdery texture to it that I wasn’t a fan of. Overall, an 8 out of 10 on the Legalmeter. Definitely worth ordering as an appetizer, but order a cup, not a bowl, and save room for the entrée I ordered.

Shrimp and Scallop Scampi with roasted tomatoes is the bees god damn knees.

Shrimp and Scallop Scampi. For the seafood enthusiast, those words alone should be enough to get your mouth watering, and I’ll come out and say it, words won’t really do this dish justice. Everything from the scallops that melt in your mouth like butter, down to the sauce on the linguine is every bit as good as you’d imagine. The roasted tomato adds the perfect amount of flavor in contrast to the seafood to make a pasta dish that’s worth the visit alone if you’re anywhere near Falmouth. 10 out of 10.

A Taste of Falmouth: The Clam Shack

Every year around this time, I take a one week hiatus from apple-picking, country-clubbing, sheep-farming Stow, Mass. and spend a week in a wonderful little place down the Cape called Falmouth. It’s a week full of going to the beach, hitting the bike trail to Woods Hole, and stuffing my face with seafood, and I can’t get enough of it. This year I decided I’d review some of my family’s favorite restaurants to go to down here in a little piece I’d like to call A Taste of Falmouth. Enjoy.

The Clam Shack

Vineyard Sound from Falmouth Inner Harbor

The Clam Shack is very appropriately named, because the first thing you’ll notice (aside from the intoxicating smell of fried food) is that it is, indeed, a shack. But this small establishment with menu’s written on chalk

Talk about a Kodak moment. The two people who brought me in to this world, posing in front of The Clam Shack.

boards has a lot more to offer than meets the eye. There’s very limited seating inside, but plenty of tables outside with a fantastic view of the Vineyard Sound from Falmouth’s Inner Harbor. There’s even rooftop seating, but be wary of seagulls who aren’t shy when it comes to swooping in and copping that fat clam belly you’re saving for last. Seriously. My Mom’s friend came to the beach with us once, had a sandwich in her lap one second, gone the next.

Fried clams, scallops, and onion rings. Don't plan on any intense physical activity after consuming.

The menu consists mostly of seafood such as fried clams and scallops, fish and chips, fish sandwiches, lobster rolls, and clam chowder, and French fries, onion rings and chicken wings for those who don’t like fish. I ordered a large plate of fried clam bellies, a medium plate of fried scallops, and an order of onion rings, which was enough for my parents and I. The clam bellies were nice and soft as expected, with just the right amount of batter on them. The scallops were a little chewy but still very tasty, althouugh not as sweet as you might expect a scallop to be. Not as battered as some others I’ve had but still enjoyable. The onion rings were every bit as good as they look in the picture. The perfect amount of crunch is what makes an onion ring so good.

Deep fried goodness... mmm.

With its unique atmosphere and a view that’s exclusive to Falmouth, The Clam Shack is definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. They are a bit pricy though ($70 for the clams, scallops, and onion rings, pictured to the left), but the price of seafood reflects market price so it’s to be somewhat expected. Overall, for its quality of food and view of the harbor, I give The Clam Shack a 7 out of 10.