Author’s Note: After finishing a delicious fried scallop plate from Mac’s on the Pier in Wellfleet, I followed Kendrick Avenue west away from busy harbor and rounded the bend to a most welcome sight. Summer Winds Cottages, a noticeable cottage community with a similar theme…Jimmy Buffett. The half-dozen or so cottages are all named after a Jimmy Buffett song, and represent another example of Wellfleet’s fun vibe as the place to be. Beaches, bars, boats, and dare I say ballards? Parrotheads will appreciate the reference. The cottage, Stars on the Water, is available to rent. If Porchfest extends to these cottages, I wonder what songs will be played…
Soft Serve at Bob’s Sub & Cone
Soft serve vanilla ice cream is my favorite summer dessert. Okay, okay, summer time snack, sometimes playing the role of dessert. Stemming from surprise visits of the neighborhood ice cream truck, to well earned (behaved) ice cream breaks during a day on the beach, to elaborate and decadent ice cream sundae birthday “cakes” at Thompon’s Clam Bar, my love of ice cream blossomed. Those experiences built the foundation of which my ice cream obsession stands firm. Admitedly, I just don’t get the same enjoyment scooping ice cream out of a tub in the freezer. Fresh, outside under sunny skies, summer time is ice cream time.
Freshly “pulled” soft serve on a sugar cone (or the hard stuff scooped into a waffle cone), is simply the perfect treat on a summer day. I’m constantly on the look-out for soft serve ice cream spots when traveling across and around the Cape, as I do for solid clam chowder finds.
Much to my dismay, not every “Sundae School” offers soft serve ice cream. But those that do, get my attention. After a rousing round of mini golf, our friends Matt and Kate introduced us to Bob’s Sub & Cone, a seasonal, family-run, take-out only restaurant in Wellfleet. The almost 40-year old establishment owned and operated by Bob and Cathy Nelson is located on Route 6; on the side of the Cape Cod Rail Trail, making a quick stop super convenient.
The crazy looking baker logo on the restaurant’s sign paints an accurate picture of the vibe. Upon a recent visit, and in context to social distancing practices, the signs on the counter read, “Masks required, clothing optional,” with a picture of two people in bathing suits. Another sign read, “stand wicked fah apart,” paying homage to the “summah” accent. But perhaps most noticeable about Bob’s Sub n Cone is the size and variety of the menu.
The family-centered restaurant menu has everything from classic fried seafood to baked lasagna, pizza, subs, tacos, fried chicken and steak tips! And of course, the ice cream.
A little about the ice cream. It’s not just any ice cream, but world class Gifford’s Famous Ice Cream. With origins in the 1800s, Giffords ice cream has thrived through five generations. Nowadays, the company offers 100 unique flavors and sells 1.7 million gallons of ice cream every summer. Fortunately, a few of those gallons are available at Bob’s, so even if you’re not a fan of soft serve, you have plenty of ice cream options.
Enjoy!