Rhonda and I nipped out to Cape May for an overnight stay and dinner yesterday into today. And wine. And cheese. Not necessarily in that order. We really had a good time on our 20th Anniversary back in December of 2023, and were excited to go back again and stay over, which we did in December of 2024.

We resolved to go back because, while we really enjoyed our December 2024 visit, it was packed. Mobbed, as my grandfather used to say. I honestly didn’t know if it wouldn’t be crowded in April, but we figured it was worth a shot.

And boy was it. I was leery considering it was Spring Break for us and peripheral to Easter, but it was pretty empty. But went we did, following the same format as our previous trips: a nice place to stay, a classy dinner, and a winery.

Buttonwood Boutique

A coworker recommended the Buttonwood Boutique when I mentioned that we were thinking about going back to Cape May after our trip this past December. I looked it up and was able to make a rez without prepaying and a very late cancelation window.

I got a text message Saturday morning with all of the access instructions I would need. I realized that this was more in the vein of an AirBNB or VRBO situation than a formal hotel, which was something new to look forward to. You let yourself in using a passcode to both the building proper and your individual room. I never dealt with a host or reservation manager or anyone.

I guess it’s an old Victorian-era building, like so many of the places in Cape May. But there’s a nice kitchen and a beautiful sunroom and a living room. Rhonda and I opened a bottle of rosé and hung out in the sunroom to while away some time before dinner.

Cape May Winery

I’m going a little out of order here; I had an itinerary in mind that was put off because we got off to what I catastrophized was a perilously late start. I had planned for us to be winery-side by 3:30 pm, after checking in at the Buttonwood. But we didn’t leave until almost 2:45, three-quarters of an hour later than I planned. But we were asses in seat before 4 and had plenty of time to kill a bottle of their barrel-fermented Chardonnay. We split a seasonal charcuterie board too. Both were great. And we got the rosé I mentioned above to take back with us. We stopped by the Cape May Winery during our last trip, but only to score a bottle.

Rhonda and I are both lovers of our local Bellview Winery; it’s smallish, familiar, and they have great wine. Cape May Winery appears to be a much bigger operation. The tasting room itself isn’t huge, but the outdoor seating area is massive. They separate the food and the wine service; there are two counters, and two points of sale. Is it a little in convention to order twice? I suppose. But it’s no show stopper.

A special note: pumpkin seeds with the cheese plate. Nice touch. We sat outside and enjoyed the sun.

Washington Inn

I seem to recall that my mom tried to score us a rez at the Washington Inn for our 20th wedding anniversary, but the joint was booked up at the time. I was able to make a reservation with no trouble, again lending credence to my hypothesis that Cape May is packed up through Christmas, and then enters as winter hibernation and long spring of low volume.

We started off with a Manhattan, which was not featured on the cocktail menu. There was one while I was researching the joint during the planning phase, so I was disappointed. Behold:

Anyway, this Manhattan had fallen off the list, but two of the drinks they did have on the menu now featured rye and Carpano Antica, so I ordered one for us asking for those two ingredients. This caused a small crisis for the server and bartender, which our server mentioned. I apologized for the inconvenience but I’m not really sorry. You need to have the classics on hand for those of us who prize them. In any event, the drinks arrived and Rhonda pronounced them as good as mine.

One of my main motivations for trying the Washington is was the escargots. This is a dish, liked baked Alaska and lobster Thermidor, that you don’t see on menus very often, maybe because they’re old school, but like my cocktail preferences, classics never go out of style.

We both had the escargot, served in the requisite plate and swimming in butter. There was a nice chewy bread with a pillowy crumb that was served alongside. This preparation always puts me in mind of the server at Deux Cheminees in Philly, who would reverentially utter “brioche” when he would put a plate of escargots before you. I hope I’m tucking into a plate of them in my eighties and subvocalize “brioche” to myself.

As with the cocktail misadventure, the NY Strip I was eyeing up on the menu I saw during the planning phase of this trip had slipped off (but emerged as a special at a very special price indeed). So Rhonda went with the lamb chops, and I the scallops. We intended to share, and while I very certainly remembering eating a lamb chop, the details of Rhonda having any scallops evade my memory. I asked her this morning over breakfast, and she wasn’t terribly sure either.

Dock Mike’s Pancake House

This was literally across the street from the Buttonwood Boutique, and visible from our room’s window. So it was an easy choice. Rhonda was bullish about pancakes last night (and I thought that maybe I’d get some waffles myself), but we both ended up getting omelettes. Mine was pretty health, I’d say; it was a Mediterranean omelette with some ham, feta, onions, mushrooms, and avocado. Literally green eggs and ham.

Hawk Haven Winery

We stopped at Cape May Winery to grab a bottle of rose to stash in the fridge, but it wasn’t open yet. I looked up Hawk Haven on a recommendation and we decided to head there, as it was on a route amenable to getting home. We sat outside for about ten minutes and then got a quick history of the joint before ordering a bottle. The gentlemen who checked us out added that any wines that are listed as “Signature Series” are made with grapes grown on the premises. I added several of their signature wines to my wine wishlist.