September 17, 2011
New Cape Cod Restaurant Red's Named for Celtics Coach
Robert Doyle READ TIME: 3 MIN.
?NORTH FALMOUTH, Mass. - Fresh takes on Cape Cod classics are the focus of Red's, the new oceanfront restaurant and lounge at Sea Crest Beach Hotel on Buzzard's Bay. Making the most of New England's rich bounty on land and sea, Red's serves up American Cape cuisine in a gastro-pub environment that draws deeply on the generous spirit and down-home attitude of the legendary Red Auerbach, the one-time Boston Celtics coach and president who was also among Sea Crest's original owners. His namesake restaurant is the centerpiece of the recently completed $15-million renovation spearheaded by Scout Capital, the ownership group of the beloved family hotel whose history spans almost 50 years.
Patrons of Red's enjoy a choice of seven distinct dining spaces individually designed to accommodate every occasion, whether a casual family lunch, al fresco beach break, dinner for two, game night drinks or a private event. They range from a family-friendly Main Dining Room with breezy ceiling fans and panoramic ocean views to RED'S Room, a cozy "inner sanctum" filled with Red Auerbach memorabilia and reserved for small private parties.
Of the restaurant's classic New England menu items, Levon Wallace, corporate executive chef of Scout Capital, says, "Our goal has been to elevate the standard while keeping the elements familiar and unobstructed." To that end, patrons will find local clams in both a traditional New England Clam Chowder (with cracklings and chives providing a fresh twist) and more surprisingly in an Old Silver Pizza alongside smoked bacon, spinach and white sauce.
Other traditional seafaring favorites include a Shore Dinner with native lobster, clams, new potatoes, sweet corn and drawn butter; a classic Lobster Roll; and Stuffed "Hog" (quahog on the half shell with onions, linguica and corn bread). Meats include Maple Plank Pork Chops with garlic spinach, pickled onion and New England cranberries; Bar Pasta with beer-braised beef and bacon ragout and parmesan toast; and a Wicked Hot Dog with topping choices that range from Rhode Island chili to porter mustard, cheese and sauerkraut.
For Peg Blackall, the lead designer behind Red's and the hotel renovation, RED'S Room was the most enjoyable and challenging to create among the restaurant's dining spaces. "Our idea was to design a setting that would capture the larger-than-life spirit of Red Auerbach in an authentic way, giving patrons the sense that they have been invited into Red's personal 'man cave.' The effect is warm and welcoming -- exclusive without ever straying into formality."
In addition to RED'S Room and the family-friendly Main Dining Room, Red's various dining settings include a beachwear-friendly outdoor seating area overlooking the powder white sands of Old Silver Beach; the 3 Seasons Porch with outdoor wicker furniture,; Shutters, the most formal and romantic of the settings, named for the salvaged shutters that grace its walls; the sports-oriented Red's Bar with wall-mounted televisions and a New England neighborhood pub ambience; and a seasonal poolside bar for casual cocktails and light fare.
Red's is open for lunch and dinner as well as for Sunday Brunch from 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m. Bar(s) open from 11:30 a.m. to 12 a.m. Brunch served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Set on a private beach in Cape Cod's legendary North Falmouth, and surrounded by old-fashioned New England cottages along Buzzards Bay, Sea Crest Beach Hotel has emerged from a multimillion-dollar renovation as the quintessential beach hotel for a new generation of travelers.
With 263 guest rooms and suites, some with fireplaces and private balconies, the hotel is equally ideal for families who seek a beachfront setting in which to create timeless memories, couples drawn by the romance of the Cape, and meeting or wedding planners seeking expansive function space combined with superb dining and warm, personalized service.
Sea Crest Beach Hotel is within an easy drive of the region's largest cities: New York, Boston, and Providence. Boston's Logan International Airport and Providence's T.F. Green International Airport are both just over an hour's drive away.
For reservations or more information, visit http://www.seacrestbeachhotel.com
Long-term New Yorkers, Mark and Robert have also lived in San Francisco, Boston, Provincetown, D.C., Miami Beach and the south of France. The recipient of fellowships at MacDowell, Yaddo, and Blue Mountain Center, Mark is a PhD in American history and literature, as well as the author of the novels Wolfchild and My Hawaiian Penthouse. Robert is the producer of the documentary We Are All Children of God. Their work has appeared in numerous publications, as well as at : www.mrny.com.