Cape Cod in the summer time.  Fried clams, boiled lobsters, those funny little bibs, the wet naps.  Ask most anyone to describe dining here in the warm weather, and some of these will slip into the answer.  The Olde Cape Cod that Patti Page sang of, sandy dunes and all.

     If this is what you want, don't go to The Roobar in Chatham.  However, if you want to treat yourself to a special meal, and meet the New Cape Cod, don't delay.  A warm and inviting dining room awaits, the front wall lined with elevated booths of curved banquettes facing the center of the room.  White linen with heavy parchment cover the tables, and a pleasant yellow faux effect on the walls, with blue accent, wrap diners in comfort.  Owner Dana Heilman raised the ceiling and opened the room up, creating a sense of greater size than is there.  The walls are lined with local artists' works, and the lamps that descend over the booths are of Sandwich glass.  Manager Charles Konner is quick to tell you everything that went into the building's interior design and decor was sourced locally.

     Let's talk about the kitchen, though.  It's open, and right in the middle of the dining room.  There is a counter, nicely appointed, separating Executive Chef Aaron Webb and his able staff from the tables, but if you are lucky enough to be on a booth banquette you have a good view of this talented team in action.

     The floor staff is dressed casually in jeans and black tee shirts, and moves quite efficiently in the choreography of a busy dinner service.  Our server was knowledgeable about the menu and ably described additions for the evening.  Service was attentive, but not intrusive . . . we knew we had her attention all night, but she was at table only when needed.

     Salads are salads, you think:  greens, tomato, cucmber, with a list of standard dressings.  Chef Webb doesn't agree.  Sure, the house salad has all of those things, with some beet and carrot curls, and a very tasty maple balsamic vinaigrette.  And, yes, there's a classic Caesar salad with an excellent dressing.  But, if you want something a little different, try his chilled Chatham lobster salad (an entire tail and some knuckle meat) with shaved fennel, watercress, radish and fresh orange flesh.  The orange and poppy seed vinaigrette was perfection.  The watercress was too "stemmy" and the salad would have benefitted from some trimming here, but this was a minor blemish on an otherwise excellent offering.

     The warmed grilled peach and parmesan crisp salad included some pear tomatoes and crumbled polenta croutons.  It was tossed with an exceptionally tasty creamy roasted garlic and rosemary dressing on the greens, a surprisingly apt accompaniment to the grilled peach.  September may be a little late in the year for a peach, but this was still a terrific salad.

     Appetizers are imaginative and the kitchen again displays its creativity with offerings such as vanilla vodka cured salmon carpaccio, grilled oysters and andouille sausage with lemon dressed greens, and tempura fried shrimp with Asian vegetables and rice noodles.  The salmon carpaccio presentation is worth mentioning.  Served on a triangular concave white plate, a column of dill-marinated cucumbers was beside a column of sliced hard boiled egg, which in turn was beside four slices of cured salmon that ate almost like candy, and all columns converged into a small mound of greens and macerated red onion.  The lemon caper sabayon was a sublime accompaniment to the salmon.  Among all the dishes sampled this was, perhaps, my favorite.

     The entrees include yellow fin tuna, roasted chicken, bouillabaisse, duck, pork, dry aged beef and wood-roasted cod.  I know this list sounds like pretty standard fare, but these meals are anything but.  The filet mignon is a generous cut, served with a Yukon Gold potato and portabella mushroom tart, a blue cheese crust and a port wine demi-glace.  Ours was ordered medium rare, and it was served textbook medium rare.  In fact, we noticed the kitchen demonstrated a nice grill touch on all items sampled.  The demi-glace was rich and flavorful, and a perfect nappe consistency.
 
     Another entree is seared sea scallops, and our server told us it was her favorite menu item.  We can see why.  The scallops were expertly seared, just past medium, the way scallops should be eaten.  They were accompanied by what the menu described as "Orecchiette and Cheese."  Those little ear-shaped macaroni were just al dente, cooked with cheese, creamy corn and charred sausage, and finished with cherry tomatoes , herbed bread crumbs and shaved scallions.  I enjoyed this dish immensely . . . . an unusual accompaniment to scallops, but it worked.

     The menu does include pizzas, and the wood-fired oven is right there for you to see.  The toppings are not the usual, and we did sample the kalamata olive and caramelized onion flatbread, much to our enjoyment.

     The kitchen goes to great lengths seasoning all of its dishes.  I measure their success by the fact that no one at our table reached for the salt or pepper all night, the mark of a talented palate and a restrained hand.  Chef Webb is a New England Culinary Institute graduate, interned at Hammersley's Bistro in Boston, and worked locally at The Regatta and The Ridge Club before taking this gig.  He serves as Executive Chef for both the Chatham and Hyannis Roobars.  There is a third Roobar in Falmouth,  and each location has its own menu.

     The dessert offerings were extensive, and included two cheesecakes, an orange creme brulee, a mocha chocolate mousse, a lemon-lime pie and bananas Foster, all made in house.  A flourless chocolate cake was rich, dense and very good. 

     The wine list is ample and included some excellent domestic offerings.  The wines by the glass are a cut above the average "house" versions elsewhere.  We enjoyed an excellent glass of Pighin Pinot Grigio for $10; champagnes included Dom Perignon and Taittinger, and all were priced competitively.

     It's the food that shines at Roobar, though.  It is well turned out and nicely served.  Chef Webb has written a creative and "current" menu, and he and his staff execute it very professionally.  The Roobar is what you would expect to find in the city, and yet the ambiance, friendly and professional staff,  and casual yet classy atmosphere all work nicely in quaint little Chatham.

     Four Cod is difficult for any restaurant to earn from Cape Dining Out.  That's no less than 9 out of 10 in the five categories we use, and with at least one 10 out of 10.  The Roobar is both the first restaurant reviewed by Cape Dining Out, and the first to be awarded a 4-Cod rating, with a score of 46 out of 50.  It will not be an inexpensive trip (ours, with salads, appetizers, entrees, shared dessert and glass fo wine for two was $120 exclusive of tip), but it will be an enjoyable one.  We highly recommend The Roobar of Chatham to you.

If you go . . . .