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Phantom Gourmet: Bear In Boots In Falmouth

FALMOUTH - There are three things you need to know right away about Bear in Boots. First, this sensational gastropub gets its strange name from the nicknames of the owner's children. Second, despite its location in picture perfect downtown Falmouth, it's definitely not some Cape Cod tourist trap. And third, don't be surprised if you walk in and see a mini maître d' behind the host stand. Things are a bit different at Bear in Boots, which makes a meal there anything but ordinary.

Opened in May of 2014, Bear in Boots Gastropub is like a second home for owners Gates and Kate Rickard. Gates runs the open kitchen, where everything is made from scratch. Kate handles the dining room, where the walls are lined with family photos. At the front door greeting customers, you'll often find their youngest son Charlie, who takes his job very seriously.

"I'm a maître d. I seat people," Charlie explained. "I bring them their menus. I make sure everything's ok. I ask them if they want any water or bread sometimes."

"He's extremely professional about what he does," his mom said proudly.

While most eight year olds are ordering off the kids menu, Charlie is busy attentively delivering menus.

"People love it. If it's their first time here, they're a little confused. But once you get to know Charlie, and he's sat them and brought them the menus, and they realize that he really knows what he's doing," Gates said.

"People have been calling, 'is Charlie working? What's Charlie's schedule?'" Kate laughed. "I never thought to make him a schedule. I was just like, you know, I didn't have child care. He could come in a couple hours here and there, but it's becoming something that people are demanding."

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While Charlie holds things down in the dining room, his dad is back in the kitchen turning out gastropub fare with flair, like the fresh baked, pull apart Table Pretzel.

"It's done like a traditional pretzel, where it's boiled and then baked," Kate explained. "It's boiled in an alkaline base with baking soda in the water so that gives it a thin crust on the outside like a pretzel. And then it's baked afterwards, and then we finish it with melted butter and a little bit of salt."

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Table Pretzel at Bear in Boots. (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"It comes with a couple different sauces: some whole grain mustard and Wisconsin Beer Cheese," Gates continued. "You put it in the middle of the table and everybody reaches in and grabs it and they're gone pretty quick."

Other shareable starters include Neapolitan Pizzas, Long Island Style Meatballs, and Black Cherry Smoked Chicken Wings with a Garlicky Asian Sauce.

"The flavor's fantastic and the crispiness on it, it's very light; it's not overpowering," Kate described. "The sauce doesn't taste overly sweet or sugary like it's stuck on there. It's just perfectly seasoned and coated and they're delicious."

In fact, Kate is such a fan of these wings, that they are actually named "Kate's Favorite Wings." Before Gates asked her to try this particular recipe, wings were not her thing.

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Chicken Wings at Bear in Boots. (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

"I have told him many times in our life that I do not like chicken wings, at all. Don't like them; they don't cross these lips. And so I take a bite and I'm like, 'it's actually not so bad.' I take another one, 'Wow, these are really good.' I ate the entire bowl of wings."

Since Bear in Boots is located on the Cape, there is plenty of fresh seafood coming out of the kitchen, like Sea Scallops over Spring Pea Risotto; Salmon atop corn succotash and fingerling potatoes; and an overstuffed Lobster Roll with the perfect amount of house made mayo.

"We are a firm believer that you need to have as much mayonnaise as necessary and none extra," Kate stated.

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Lobster Roll at Bear in Boots. (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

While the Lobster Roll is pretty traditional, the fresh shucked Oysters are anything but.

"We put the oysters into a container, and then we pump smoke into the container. It's a cold smoke, so the oysters are still raw, but they'll take on the flavor of the smoke," explained Gates. "Then right before service we put them under a glass dome and pump a little more smoke into the dome."

"When we serve it, it looks very pretty and then we open it and you get a mushroom cloud of aromatics from the smoke. So a lot of onlookers will turn around and say 'what's that smell?' because it smells so delicious. It's so intoxicating the smell," Kate said. "It's neat; it's something different."

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Cold Smoked Oysters at Bear in Boots. (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

Any visit to Bear in Boots must include dessert. While the Cast Iron Skillet Cookie or indulgent S'mores Delight might be difficult to resist, the Belgian Waffle topped with chocolate ganache and Chantilly cream is a true must order.

"It's a totally different deal than most Belgian Waffles that you've probably had," Gates said. "It's an actual dough, and we import the sugar that we use in from Belgium, and it just has the right caramelization temperature, to give it a little bit of a sticky outside. It's a lot chewier; it's a little denser, a little bit sweeter than people are used to."

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Belgian Waffle dessert at Bear in Boots. (Image: Phantom Gourmet)

Creating a dining experience a little bit different than people are used to is what makes Bear in Boots great, from the second you sit down, until the moment you leave.

You can find Bear in Boots at 285 Main Street in Falmouth, and online at bearinboots.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.

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