Brian H.
Yelp
My wife and I celebrated our 20th anniversary at the Chatham Bars Inn and made dinner reservations at a very popular upscale restaurant at the House on the Ocean in Dennis but decided to try 28 Atlantic at the very last minute. We called at 4:30pm and were given a 7:00pm reservation on the 28's opening night of the 2019 season. Thank God we did! The receptionist asked if were celebrating anything and I mentioned that it was our 20th wedding anniversary and simply wanted to upgrade our dining choice.
We arrived at 6:50pm and decided to grab a quick drink at Thoreau's. We sat in super comfy leather chairs in front of the fire place and felt very comfortable in the dimly lit English style pub. The young lady from Macedonia provided leather bound menus that resembled a small novel and asked if she could bring us some bar snacks. I ordered a Belvedere and soda (which was poured at our table) and my wife had a Cosmo. The service was impeccable and professional. I didn't want to eat any bar snacks because I wanted to wait for dinner, but my wife said yes to her offering. The snacks arrived in four white china bowls on a white china plate. The array consisted of a fresh olive assortment soaked in delicious olive oil, what appeared to be homemade, thick cut BBQ potato chips, a liberal serving of delicious nuts and, my favorite, carb-free pork rinds that also appeared to be homemade! Absolutely the most impressive bar snacks that I have ever seen!
Our drinks were picked up at our table and we were escorted to our table. Without checking in or providing a credit card, we were greeted by our names and wished a very happy 20th anniversary by our dinner server Angel - who was most impressive - but more to come on her. We were surprised that they knew our names and more surprised that they acknowledged our anniversary when i had only quickly mentioned it earlier on the phone. Our table was on the window overlooking a beautiful bay and desolate coastline. The service was intentionally slow. With eight children and a hurried, flurry of life awaiting us outside of the Wequasett, we so appreciated the time to just be together escaping the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We ordered another drink with my wife selecting a cabernet that was reasonably priced and deliciously full. The glass of wine was poured at the table and the bottle was presented elegantly as my wife tasted the wine. Angel, who always addressed us from across the table in front of us, then brought complimentary glasses of champagne again, poured at the table and wished us again, a very happy anniversary.
The menu was exquisite. My wife opted for a salad and a vegetarian dish which was the "best risotto ever". I chose the chef's tasting, a 5 course meal for $105.00. As dusk settled to night, we could still see the bay and all of it beautiful sites. By the way, the dining room was gorgeous! Well decorated, immaculate and the light fixtures and paintings were impressive! We were presented with palate cleansing starters. Mine was a small ahi tasting that was refreshing and delicious. They remembered that my wife had ordered a vegetarian meal and brought her tomato bisque that she loved. After every serving, the table was cleared of utensils and the staff ensured that we were satisfied. The squid ink brown bread and local lavender white bread melted in our mouths. The two choices of spread was seaweed butter spread and another (?), were awesome! Next was my first of 5 courses, local Chatham oysters harvested from the bay directly in front of the Wequasset were meaty and the accompanying lemon cocktail sauce was just as delicious. The 2nd course was lobster carbonara with a delicious touch of pancetta. Absolutely amazing - a must when visiting 28 Atlantic! The lobster really does melt in your mouth! With a timely break between each course, we got to relax and enjoy our 20th Anniversary. My first entree was the Native Black Sea Bass, fresh off a Chatham fishing boat was seared to perfection, tasty and just large enough to fill my appetite, but leave me desiring more. The leek royale and potato lyonnaise were also a wonderful accompaniment! Knowing my local farm beef tenderloin were coming soon, I was starting to get full and wasn't sure that I could eat more food (remember the bar snacks at Thoreau's that I didn't want, but ate them all- LOL), or would enjoy it - I was wrong! The tenderloin went down quickly because they were so good! Even the locally grown fresh petit carrots and yummy onion went down without delay.
At last, 2.5 hours later, desert was coming. Which we didn't think we would be able to eat because we were both so full. But first, Angel appeared with two cream cones smothered in espresso bits and a chocolate bar engraved with "Happy Anniversary". The honey ice cream with fresh bee pollen 5th course sent us home desiring a return visit!
Every server was top notch! Best meal on Cape Cod - no question.