The Plum Island Beachcomba, Fun with the Summer Sun

We had a twofer this week. Here's part one!

On both Thursday and Friday we had shenanigans. That has not happened ... ever. Because my son is in day camp in Newburyport, I am liking to stay close and not head too far afield until after he's done around July 29th. 

We dropped Dave's son Matt and his girlfriend Jess off in town, and decided we would head out to the Plum Island Grille. We had tried to go there in June but they weren't open yet. This time, there was absolutely nowhere to park. Strike two for the Plum Island Grille I guess.

I drove up the road a little bit and noticed that there was a "new" spot on the left. The PI Beachcomba looked freshly painted, doors wide open, and had a dog laying out on the front step.

They also had a huge, empty parking lot across the street. So I figured we'd give them a chance. We pulled in and headed into the bar. Every seat was taken, so we ate in the restaurant side. 

They only had three beers on tap, Guinness, Blue Moon and Sea Dog Blueberry Wheat, which we thought was weird. Dave had a Blueberry, noting that it wasn't Wachusett and he didn't really like that. I went with a Blue Moon.

It looked as if they're working on getting the kinks out, what with only having three beers on tap and all. The menu was slightly limited, but that is sometimes okay because too big a menu (ie: Cheesecake Factory) and everything tastes ... uninteresting. When you have a few choices, you can focus on their preparation, and kick ass with them. 

Dave had a lovely lobster salad on a croissant. He said it was perfect and delicious - the croissant was a nice twist to the usual hot dog roll that you get with most lobster rolls/salad. I had the ribs, which they boast are the "best you've ever eaten." They weren't the BEST I've ever eaten, but they were actually very good. No complaint there.

We talked to the woman that I think may be the owner, she was kind of in a hurry to leave because her little one and her dog were patiently waiting by the door. She told me they've only been open for about a week, and that traffic has been "hit or miss" with patrons coming in. On Tuesday when it was 90plus degrees out, they were slammed (which may be why they only have three beers on tap, they got wiped out and are waiting for a new delivery? Maybe?) But this particular day was in the upper 70s, gorgeous, and hardly anyone was there. 

After we finished our lunch we went over to the bar, which had emptied out. The bartender was very attentive, kept the beers flowing. He then made us what they're hoping will become a "signature drink," I guess. He called it the Turkey Shore. Made with rum which is distilled locally called White Cap Rum, out of Ipswich. The drink was comprised of this rum, Ginger Ale and Diet Coke. 

I thought it was kinda nasty. I hate Diet Coke in the first place, and the aftertaste it brought to this cocktail was unpleasant. Very saccharine, weird. Not good. We told him it'd be better with coke, and a lime thrown in. And that helped it a bit. But I probably wouldn't order it if given the option. 

These two guys came into the bar and sat to my right. 

One had forgotten his ID and they figured they wouldn't be able to order alcohol with lunch so they ordered Shirley Temples. 

Now, my friend Amy is a big fan of the Shirley Temple, as she doesn't consume alcohol. She has single handedly been bringing sexy back with the ST in fine establishments around the world. Note the words single handedly because she feels no one is getting on the bandwagon with her.

I told the guys that I was psyched they were drinking Shirley Temples, and that Amy would be proud of them. They let me take their picture and raised a toast to Amy and her endeavors.

Cheers! 

It is a lovely spot if you're up that way. The atmosphere was casual enough that one lady came into the bar in her bikini top and shorts. So you can come from the beach if you put something on your butt. 

And we'll probably give it a second try in a couple weeks. As of right now, they don't have their website up but they do have a URL, which I'll link to in hopes that they go live someday.