Harry’s Bar in Hyannis - Cajun Food and Blues Tonight

Leo and I don’t have the time or money to go to New Orleans tonight, but we can get our fix of blues and Cajun food at Harry’s Bar in Hyannis. It’s the closest thing we’ve been able to find to Southern juke joint and we love it!

I haven’t either bothered to check out who’s playing there - because we’ve never heard bad music or had a bad meal there. People of all ages hang out at Harry’s. You can get dressed up if you want to, but one of the attractions of tonight’s entertainment, is that I don’t feel like getting dressed up and we don’t have to. We’ll head over for a great meal, and hopefully be able to dance off the calories!

The food is New Orleans inspired and I love tasting the different spices in my mouth and it’s affordable. I love the Seafood Etoufeee - crawfish tails and shrimp over rice with all kinds of exotic spices (about $17). Leo usually starts wtih Maryland Style Cabcakes ($13) and moves on to BBQ Chicken Dinner ($13).

Harry’s is located at the corner of Main Street and Steven’s Street in Hyannis.

Classical music lovers on Cape Cod will not want to miss the upcoming Mendelssohn Celebration by the Cape Cod Symphony on April 4 and 5. Conductor Jung-Ho Pak and the members of the Cape Cod Symphony will be joined by Grammy Award - nominee Phillipe Quint on violin and the Chorus pro Musica Women’s Voices in performing 3 Mendelssohn works.

Hebrides Overture, ‘Fingal’s Cave,” Op. 26
Concerto for Violin and Orchestra in E minor. Op 64
A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Dramatic Presentat

The April 4 performance is at 8 pm. On Sunday, April 5, the performance is at 3 pm. The Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra performances are in the Barnstable Performing Arts Center in Hyannis. The 1,400-seat hall is climate-controlled and has many seating options and excellent sight lines. Lots of free parking.

This is a chance to dress up on Cape Cod. It’s a pretty casual lifestyle here. And most of the time, that’s just the way I like it.  But sometimes I do like to get all dolled up!

Tickets range from $28 to $58, depending upon performance and seating choice. The Cape Cod Symphony has a spiffy website and you can order online. CLICK HERE to visit the Cape Cod Symphony Orchestra Website.

During March, the Cape Cod Museum of Art, in Dennis will present local artists and musicians. It will continue its tradition of delighting all of our senses by joining with local restauarnts on Artful Thursdays.

On March 2 Barrett Keating, antiques conservator, will speak at 1 pm. Keating is a well-respected figure in the field of fine furniture preservation. He’s clients include historical societies, and both State and Federal agencies. Keating is a Cape Cod native and his furniture conservation business is now located in North Falmouth, MA. Keating graduated from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy and spent 5 years at sea. Keating’s love of the sea and woodworking lead him to open his business in the 1980’s specializing in boatbuilding and wordworking. Tickets $15 non-members and Free for Museum Members.

On March 5 several Cape Cod potters will demonstrate ceramic finishing techniques. Nancy Craemer - Colored Clay; Ron Geering - Sgraffito and Slip Trailing; Denny Howard - Brushwork; Tessa Morgan Sgraffito; Ron Dean - Burnishing and Smoking; and Gail Turner - Wax Resist. Wine and light refreshments, admission by donation.

The Cape Cod potters demonstration is part of Artful Thursday, when admission is by donation all day (10 am to 8 pm). Artful Thursday has morning talks by exhibition artists or curators and afternoon tours by docents to help us appreciate the rich art heritage of Cape Cod. Two local restaurants join the Cape Cod Museum of Art in Artful Thursday by offering 10% discounts. Enjoy lunch at the nearby Mercantile or lunch and dinner at the Blue Moon bistro.

On March 27, pianist Lynne Weber will perform in the Tea and Music series from 2:30 to 4 pm. You’ll enjoy popular music and tea and cookies. Admission for Cape Cod Museum members is free for others $4.

The Sunday music series continues in March. Performances are at 2:30 pm. Tickets for Museum Members $15 for everyone else $18.
March 1 Katie Lynch and Laura Smolowitz: Song of the Lark. Explore nature and art through music.
March 8 Martha Whatley and Peter Earle (with Chris Morris at piano): The Best of Broadway
March 15 Grace O’Conner (with Doug Hamner at piano and Bruce Abbott at saxaphones and flute): Broadway and Beyond.
March 22 Bobby Wetherbee: Cabaret. Mr. Wetherbee is known for his performances at the famed Copley Plaza.
March 29 Jenifer and Julian Jackson and Sonny Barbato: Together in Time. Jazz and American Standards.

Leo and I have a family membership at the Cape Cod Museum of Art. It’s only $75 a year. We love getting to know local artists, listening to the music, and meeting fellow art lovers. The Cape Cod Museum of Art is located in Dennis off of Route 6A.

We’ve decided to have dinner at the British Beer Company in Sandwich tonight and then hang around to listen to the band and maybe do some dancing! We are truly blessed to have the a BBC (as everyone on Cape Cod calls it) within a half-mile of the house. Leo and I don’t even know what band is playing, but we don’t ever remember being disappointed. It’s always a good time.

We may not know what band is playing but we’ve been online to check out the Friday specials. We go to the British Beer Company when we want beef, because they do it better than anyone else on Cape Cod. I’m going to have the Hearty Beef Stew ($11.99). It’s served in an incredible bread bowl with mashed potatoes on the side. The BBC recommends that I have a Bare Knuckles Stout with it, so that’s what I’ll have. Leo is planning on the Black and Blue Rib-Eye Steak ($14.99), which is covered in cajun spices and grilled. It comes with vegetables and mashed potatoes covered in melted cheddar cheese. Leo will also adhere to the BBC’s beverage recommendation and have a glass of Red Diamond Merlot. We usually don’t have room for dessert!

The British Beer Company is serious about wanting to be a neighborhood pub. They have an exchange program where some of their employees go to London and some British pubworkers come here. In all the years we’ve eaten at the BBC, we’ve never had bad service. In fact the servers are so great they often make our night!

There are three British Beer Company venues on Cape Cod. In addition to Sandwich threre’s one in Falmouth and Hyannis. We prefer the Sandwich BBC because it has the dining area separated from the bar and music. If you eat later, you can slightly hear the music and still carry on a conversation.

On August 2 (a Sunday) Angie Dickinson will be the Celebrity Guest Conductor for the Boston Pops, at their annual concernt on the Hyannis Village Green.  It will be the 24th such performance known as “Pops by the Sea.” You can either get festival seats for $50, or join Leo and me on the lawn for $15. It’s from 5 to 7 pm.  The procedes support the arts on Cape Cod. Email pops2009@artsfoundation.org for more info.

If you want to go to this, make your reservations VERY early. It sells out every year. We always go with a group of fellow music lovers. When I was growing up, I thought Angie Dickinson’s Sgt. Pepper Anderson in Police Woman, was the sexiest woman alive! (Leo’s nodding yes too!)

I’m psyched Leo and I just got invited by friends to a Kate McGarry concert at the Cape Cod Museum of Art this Sunday at 2:30 pm. There are still tickets available. (They’re only $18.) If you love jazz, this is a real opportunity to hear fabulous music in an intimate setting.  She reminds me a little of Joni Mitchell.

Forty-something McGarry was recently nominated for a grammy for her CD If Less Is More…Nothing Is Everything, which came out this August. While she didn’t win, it was really exciting to see a local singer get this kind of recognition. Click on the highlighted cd title and you’ll go to amazon.com listen to her sing!

McGarry is truly a local girl graduating from Barnstable High and then attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. It’s supposed to snow this Sunday, so I think it will be a perfect way to spend a snowy afternoon.  We’re still pondering a favorite question ours. Where should we eat?

I’m very excited my husband Leo and I are going to the Roadhouse Cafe in Hyannis tonight for our Valentine celebration. It’s our favorite Cape Cod restaurant because we can combine two of our passions - food and live music. We actually eat in the area known as the BackDoor Bistro because it has the most famous and respected piano bar on Cape Cod. You’ll find some of the best New England and world-renowned musicians performing there. It’s fun because you never know who’s going to stop and sit in.

My favorite meal there is the Baked Seafood Caserole. It has big chunks of scrod, scallops and shrimp with lots of cracker crumbs in a newburg sauce. I usually take some home because I like to leave room for dessert! Leo is thinking about the salmon. But they don’t just have seafood, they have great pizza and sandwiches too. Oh, and the wine list is excellent. And the wait staff is really good at suggesting wine to go with your meal.

We often go on Monday night because it’s Jazz Night with the Lou Colombo and Dick Johnson Jazz Ensemble. These guys are known all over the world - and Leo and I count our blessings that we can just pop in eat a pizza and listen to this quality music. We see a lot of friends there on Monday night. And over the years we’ve made a lot of friends out of fellow jazz lovers.

So if you want to know a favorite local hangout this is it.