Bacon doughnuts to lobster ravioli: Five things I plan to eat this year on Cape Cod

Did you make resolutions for 2024?

While many people focus on moving more and cutting back on calories , there is also something to be said for eating mindfully ― making a list of savory and sweet treats and making the time to enjoy them at least once in the coming year.

I love variety and anticipation when heading out to eat. So the idea of jotting down a list of places to visit, or visit again, appeals to me. It is not unlike keeping a list of shows to see, hikes to take or friends to visit.

If you would like to make your own list of Cape Cod specialties, a good starting place is the Cape Cod Ultimate Food and Drink Guide , which lists places Cape Cod Times' readers have voted as their favorites in specific categories.

With that philosophy in mind, here are five things I plan to eat in 2024. There may be a second list come summer because eating seasonally is one of my favorite things and Cape Cod is filled with summer-only restaurants.

Maple bacon doughnut in Barnstable

A visit to The Buttercup Cafe's Facebook page shows that this specialty was still on the menu at year's end. A photo displays it in all of its glory, with maple glaze dripping down the sides and small shards of bacon standing on top looking like a skyline from "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers." The Buttercup Cafe is located at 3226 Main St. in Barnstable, near the Barnstable County complex , and is often busy at breakfast, but as someone who loves the combination of sweet-and-salty, this doughnut looks worth the wait.

Dinner for land and sea lovers in Dennis

I have eaten at Encore Bistro & Bar a few times, but what I will never forget is the restaurant's salmon from the Faroe Islands, a group of islands in the North Atlantic, between Iceland and the Shetland Islands. The region is known for its supple but creamy salmon and this was no exception. Sadly it is not on the current menu, but with great confidence in Encore's ability to perfectly cook seafood, I plan to go old-school Cape Cod and try the Cod Homard, $42, thick-cut cod baked and topped with lobster and Ritz cracker crumbs covered in buerre blanc. For the landlubbers, there is a half-rack of lamb ribs, $40, with a mustard-and-herb crust and a port demiglace. Encore is located on Route 6A in Dennis on the grounds of the Cape Playhouse and is open for dinner during the winter.

Restaurant-made lobster ravioli in Hyannis

The Peruvian restaurant Tumi Ceviche Bar & Ristorante serves lunch, which allows guests to order a good-sized portion at a competitive price. Last time I visited, I had the lobster risotto for $19.99 and loved it. Next visit, I am planning to try the Lobster Ravioli, described on the menu as "Homemade ravioli, stuffed with ricottacheese, spinach, fresh lobster meat, light Dijon mustard sauce, grilled artichokes, shaved pecorino cheese" for $15.99. Tucked into an alley off 592 Main St. in Hyannis with courtyard seating in season, the colorful Peruvian-inspired tiles and art made me feel transported and lent itself to a leisurely lunch.

Pizza with a history in Provincetown

The pizza at Spiritus reminds me of New York City slices, thin-crusted and pliable, easy to fold and eat on a folded paper plate. And, as in NYC, Spiritus keeps long hours: 11:30 a.m. to 2 a.m. daily. You can grab a slice before seeing a show or after. Centrally located at 190 Commercial St. in Provincetown, Spiritus is crowded and pleasantly from lunch and on. The convenience is great, and it is kind of neat that Spiritus has been open since 1971, that the restaurant features local arts; that there is ice cream for dessert. But the big thing for me is the pizza. Having enjoyed a red sauce pie on a previous visit, I plan to next try the no-sauce Italian Garden, $31, which has pesto, ricotta cheese, artichoke hearts and sun-dried tomatoes. Don't forget that Spiritus is cash-only.

Beef delivered fresh daily in Chatham

I often kid that I could be a vegetarian if it weren't for really good steak, prepared by people who know how to cook it better than me. One of the best meals I ever ate was a Hollywood lunch several years ago at which celebrity chef Wolfgang Puck served three small pieces of Waygu beef, each with a different pea-sized paste of what you might call sauce, along with a salad and dinner roll. Simple and exquisite.

This leads me to The Chatham Cut , which advertises itself as "the best steakhouse on Cape Cod," maybe the only Cape restaurant specializing in different cuts of beef delivered daily. Prices range from $44 for a six-ounce filet to $100 for a 32-ounce Porterhouse, with pasta and seafood dishes priced more moderately. The massive hike in beef prices that started during the pandemic means I won't be eating a lot of beef, but the memory of Puck's petite luncheon drives my desire to at least visit The Chatham Cut, at 1200 Main St.

Gwenn Friss is the editor of CapeWeek and covers entertainment, restaurants and the arts. Contact her at gfriss@capecodonline.com. Follow her or X, formerly Twitter: @dailyrecipeCCT

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Food editor's plan for what to eat at Cape Cod restaurants in 2024