The Seal

The Belfry properties’ Executive Chef Nicci Tripp got his latest menu inspiration from the booming crash of a wave, and the blissful sizzle of its receding salty foam. “Coastally inspired” tapas is the theme of the newest restaurant in Sandwich village, The Seal. Tripp’s resume takes him from Cape Cod to Boston, California, Hawaii and back, and he has worked with some of the best in his field, including culinary legends like Alice Waters of Chez Panisse in Berkeley, California, and Jeremiah Tower of Stars in San Francisco. The Seal is the latest brainchild of Belfry Inn owner and operator Chris Wilson, who started dazzling guests from near and far when he created The Painted Lady, a church rectory-turned-inn which now houses the Next Door Burger Bar on Jarves Street. Soon after, Wilson purchased the 1901 church next door and transformed “The Abbey” property into six more guest rooms and created the award-winning Belfry Inn & Bistro. As properties became available, Wilson continued to invest his heart and soul into Sandwich’s historic Jarves Street, purchasing an old 1827 boarding house on the opposite side of The Abbey, and The Village House was born, bringing his guest room total to 19 rooms and suites.

A few steps past The Village House is The Seal. Housed in an art gallery that Chris Wilson and his wife Wendy created, the menu features food just as vibrant and colorful as the art on the walls, which is no coincidence. “I wanted to create a place that is fun and relaxed to be in, pleasurable to look at, intriguing and magical in its feel but approachable,” Wilson tells us, and that is exactly what he, Wendy and Chef Tripp pulled off.

Within minutes of opening its doors in the spring, The Seal quickly became Sandwich’s year-round neighborhood joint, featuring exposed brick walls lined with local art for sale, provocative lighting, and a classic wooden Chris Craft-inspired bar that serves up vibrant and inventive cocktails and local beer. The food is clearly the star of The Seal, and the man captaining the ship and executing Tripp’s vision is Chef Rob Alonso. Stepping up from his role of sous chef at The Belfry, Alonso is no newbie to Cape Cod kitchens and has a resume that extends from Falmouth’s Green Pond Yacht Club to head chef at Ricciardelli’s in Hyannis, and most notably six years at Hyannis hotspot, EmBARgo.

The Seal menu is meant for sharing and reads like a nautical map of treasures. Under the section “Above Board,” items such as an ever-changing cheese and charcuterie board, wickedly exotic deviled eggs, and Prosciutto rolled Asparagus in Herbed Hummus Dip are offered. “From the Locker” is the menu’s raw bar, which spotlights a seafood tower of eight giant wild poached shrimp, a circle of briny local oysters with a unique mignonette (a chef secret), and a split lobster tail. “Stowaways” is where you’ll find inventive salads and fun surprises like the bruschetta offering, which starts on a bed of ricotta cheese, features garlic, pesto, tomatoes, red onion and ends with Parmesan. The sushi under “Roll with the Tides” roll out of the kitchen the most — a “Reconstructed” California Roll with fresh crab salad; a not-for-the-wimpy-sailor Ghost Pepper Tuna Roll with seaweed, avocado and Ghost Pepper Jam; and a beautifully Ahi Tuna and Smoked Salmon Napoleon layered with crispy wontons, avocado, tobiko, mango juju and chipotle aioli. For something fun to pass back and forth, make sure you hit the “On Board Provisions” section for heavenly hand-helds like Mongolian Tempura Shrimp Tacos, Chipotle Chicken Tacos and a serious new candidate for Cape Cod’s best lobster roll. “Clear the Deck” is the aptly named last stop on your journey. If you’ve saved room for the Cool Key Lime Tart with Caramel and Creme, this culinary adventure will keep you sailing back to The Seal again and again.

The Seal
2 Jarves Street, Sandwich
508-888-0060
thesealcapecod.com