Tomatoes…almost a decade later

To say it’s been a while is an understatement. Just shy of 10 years later and we are still frequenting Tomatoes on a regular basis.

A quick update: we both have been vegetarian for about 9 years now so this has changed where we dine due to what we eat! We have found that in the last few years vegetarian options have become better in both quantity and quality. With the rise of Beyond, Impossible and other vegetarian/vegan protein options, we are no longer limited to tofu and beans. 

And now back to Tomatoes…

On Easter Eve we spent the evening at Tomatoes with our family, 8 in total, including two kids. Most of our family are omnivores although some practice vegetarianism when they are with us ☺️.

Tomatoes has an extensive menu that even a former meat-eater can appreciate. That being said, their menu offers several vegetarian options, mostly appetizers. Which is ok for us considering the size of their portions. 

On this particular night we started with mushroom scampi, Asian cauliflower and eggplant fries. 

The mushroom scampi is something we order every time we go to tomatoes because it is that delicious. Angle hair pasta nest topped with sautéed mushrooms, sun dried tomatoes and roasted red peppers. The only thing better than this appetizer is this appetizer to-go; when it has time to sit in the sauce it actually tastes even better “leftover”. 

The Asian cauliflower is not my favorite because although it is deep fried, it doesn’t come out crispy. It’s kid of soggy because of the amount of sauce it is covered in. 

The eggplant fries are something we order frequently because the kids like them and it makes us feel like they are eating something healthy-ish. There is a delicious aioli drizzle and marinara sauce to dip them in.

On to the main course.

The kids had angel hair pasta with marinara sauce and Parmesan cheese. I have never seen them eat this much in their lives so it must be good.

I ordered the eggplant rollatine (appetizer for my meal) which is something I order frequently because A): it is vegetarian and B): it is amazing! Thin cut deep fried eggplant rolled up with ricotta cheese inside, marinara and delicious herbs. 

E ordered his usual: eggplant Parmesan. “It was very good”. His only gripe was that the skin was a little tough to cut. When we make eggplant at home he peels the skin off.

Drink summary:

Dirty martini with blue cheese olives: “outstanding!”

Pomegranate martini: delicious but wouldn’t mind more pomegranate juice

Old Fashion: 👍

 Overall the veggies and the non-veggies had an excellent meal and experience at tomatoes. 

Check back for more meal reviews. Hopefully we will update sooner than 2032 😂😭

Tomatoes Italian Grille in Sandwich -- Our Home Base

Tomatoes in Sandwich has become our home base of restaurants over the past few years.  I can guarantee that you will see many posts about Tomatoes in the future since our 'local' status keeps climbing there.  The food is consistently good, the drink menu is favorable to a good buzz and the addition of a Friday night DJ gives us more reason to stay late.  Shout out to DJ Larry and Teresa the bartender.

Eddie: On this occasion we went with a group to celebrate so we made sure the appetizers were flowing.  The go-to for us is always the Calamari Piccante which is essentially fried calamari tossed in a spicy red sauce with banana peppers. Never disappoints.  Kelly: I don't even like seafood but this is amazing.  not fishy at all and not rubbery.  We also ordered the antipasto for 2, which has become a staple of our order at any Italian restaurant.  I feel that you can find out a lot about a restaurant just by the antipasto.  Tomatoes doesn't disappoint with their antipasto; even though it has taken a step back with the elimination of the prosciutto wrapped around breadsticks over the past few years.  It contains a good assortment of meats, cheeses, olives and pickled vegetables (love these!) over mixed greens.  For dinner I had the Tuscan Sirloin Tips, which were done perfectly.  I've become a little hesitant to order steak recently because it is often over cooked and kept under a heat lamp for far too long.  These did not disappoint.  The marinade was just enough to flavor the meat but not overpower the red meat goodness that you look for by ordering steak.  It was served with risotto which is another dish that is too easily overcooked, but not this time.  Done perfectly with just enough of the marinade leaking from the tips to give it some more flavor.  I can always judge a meal by the amount of leftovers - none, good meal.

Another appetizer we ordered was the Sausage and Broccoloni Raviolis, which was my choice. Regretfully, it was gone by the time it circled the table to my spot.  I have had these before and they are excellent.  Very flavorful and garlicky although may not be good for a first date.  For my entree I had the "Pasta of your choice...Sauce of your choice".  As if I didn't have my fill or spicy red sauce and ravioli for appetizers, I went ahead and ordered the Arrabbiato ("angry") sauce with cheese ravioli.  I must admit that this is a dish I almost always get at Tomatoes because it never disappoints and I almost always have leftovers.  The Arrabbiato sauce has black olives and banana peppers for a perfect tangy/spicy sauce.  Neither of us had room for dessert (but if I did I would probably get the chocolate hazelnut torte :-)

And now the important part of any meal-the drinks.  I ordered what I always order-the Valentino.  It is a perfect combination of strawberry Smirnoff vodka and champagne served with a strawberry in a MASSIVE glass.  This drink is an ass kicker and not for amateurs.  Unfortunately the restaurant was out of strawberry vodka so I had to settle for raspberry.  Not as good but a close second.  Just as Tomatoes is our home base for restaurants, Grey Goose and tonic with lime is my home base for drinks.  Tomatoes serves it strong, which is always a positive.  They recently added Hendricks Gin to the bar which I can guarantee will make for some rough mornings. 

Hope you enjoyed our first blog.  Keep checking back soon for more updates.

There has to be a point to this blog

There has to be a purpose to this blog, right?  Maybe we'll sell it The Food Network for million dollars one day... probably not.  We are not the typical foodies.  We're fairly thin and both come from Irish backgrounds where boiling cheap meat is considered fine dinning.

We've come to enjoy a good meal and have found some hidden treasures here on Cape Cod... and also a couple of duds.  We have totally different tastes in food; Eddie enjoys seafood and red meat while Kelly's favorites tend to lean more in the pasta and chicken arena.  One thing we both agree on: appetizers and wine.  The bigger and more diverse the appetizer menu and wine list, the better. 

Enjoy the blog.  Cheers! Mangia!