Barnstable Market, Barnstable (Cape Cod), MA USA

We rarely venture to The Cape. It’s a large, sprawling destination I personally know very little of, and perhaps this fact alone is what generally persuades me from going. That and the fact you need to book a place many months in advance, especially if you are going with a family.

In January, we booked our Airbnb for July in Barnstable. It took days of researching and submitting offers to finally get one accepted for an ideal location.

I knew nothing about Barnstable besides it was on calm waters – our house, being 1 block from the ocean, ample entertaining space, central air conditioning, and four bedrooms, that’s what sold us…. And Barnstable was close enough to Boston should someone [our kids] get sick, we could jet back to the city in 90 minutes.

Our choice turned out quite positive – we loved Barnstable. A stones throw away from the hustle and bustle of the strip malls seemingly ever-present on The Cape, Barnstable had a village that was cute and quaint, with the local coffee shop and market only summertime destinations seem to embrace.

The Barnstable Market had everything a vacationer needed to enjoy their week. Firewood, alcohol, grilling foods, a plethora of snacks, and of course, a sandwich counter complete with an excess of takeaway items. It is here I met the Roast Beef club, which came with Barnstable Market’s own roast beef. This “signature sandwich” begged me to order it, and so we took our picnic assortment and made our way to White Crest Beach in Wellfleet.

Taking a 3 year old and a 6 month old to the beach – the first time ever, mind you – is a tiring endeavor, especially when it’s an hour from your house and you need to carry everything down literally a cliff of sand dunes in order to enjoy yourself. And “everything” encompasses a lot of beach-going wear…. Including our lunch.

We had a blast running in and out of waves, building sandcastles, burying ourselves, and soaking up the sun, when lunchtime finally came around. I unwrapped my roast beef club sandwich and took a massive bite, looking to quench my appetite and refuel my energy.

Solid and delicious, I was not expecting such a hearty meal with subtle and impactful flavor. The ingredients didn’t look toon appetizing, with mayonnaise leaking from the front, a thick layer of cheese anchoring the bottom, and the roast beef literally sandwiched in the center… but that didn’t matter, because the ingredients were clearly all high quality, vibing together to create a fantastic beach-going sandwich. What I also loved about this club sandwich was their use of bacon – instead of trying to take over the meal with flavor, they used it more for texture, adding a lovely crisp to each bite down.

I was so taken aback, that I ensured my wife tried a bite too – and she agreed, this was a great club sandwich, and we so appreciated Barnstable Market’s use of their own roast beef. Two big thumbs up from me.

We went back to playing in the sand before the extra long trip home… “why extra long,” you ask? 2pm was naptime, and we needed to ensure both kids slept for a solid 2 hours, so we took the longest way home, enjoying conversation the whole way.