A cut above the rest

By: Elise Hugus, September 1, 2011

Rebecca Forster - Step into the Roo Bar, on Main Street, Falmouth, and be transported to a more urban atmosphere.

Step into the Roo Bar on Main Street Falmouth, and you can pretty much forget you’re on Cape Cod. Sometimes, that’s a good thing.

With an atmosphere that would be right at home in SoHo, the Roo Bar is the antithesis of what diners have come to expect from a Cape Cod bar-restaurant.

The bartenders and cute, energetic, and genuinely friendly. The cocktails are expertly mixed and served with a smile. The ceilings are high, the lights are low, and the clientele actually dresses to impress.

But what takes the cake is, the food is totally worth every penny. Surprisingly, you don’t have to break the bank either.

With a creative and mouth-watering menu concocted by chef Creighton Peet, the problem diners face at the Roo Bar is what to order.

Happy hour, every hour

One can sample a range of tastes from the tapas menu every Friday through Sunday from 2 to 4 PM (a bit early for a happy hour, if you ask us, but it works well for a late lunch or snack).

From the cinnamon-seared salmon bites to the crisp apple and Manchego cheese plate or the fried chorizo, the Roo Bar offers small plates to please every palate ($3- $9).

An enviable cocktail menu is rivaled by an extensive wine list and a few interesting microbrews (in bottles) for beer connoisseurs.

If you’re in the mood for a daiquiri, mudslide, pina colada, or a martini, this is the place to enjoy one—especially while watching the world go by the large windows overlooking Main Street.

Be sure to taste the sweet n’ sour Raspberry Lemon Drop, the Roo Bar’s best-selling martini, made with fresh lemon juice and Chambord.

Tastebud tantalizers

Now, onto the food, because that’s why we came here, after all!

Starting off with appetizers, indulge in the Roo Pu Platter ($18), complete with buttery and sweet oyster shooters (yep, down the hatch!), vegetable egg rolls, sticky ribs, and BBQ shrimp.

The overall taste, according to our able taste-tester, is “sweet,” a nice contrast to the richness of the food.

For a lighter, but no less amazing appetizer, try the tuna parfait ($12), featuring sashimi-grade tuna over a perfectly circular bed of arugula and wakame (seaweed), graced with a scoop of house-made cilantro lime sorbet. 

The grilled shrimp stack ($12) comes topped with edamame puree, sambal slaw, wonton chips, and a very hot yuzu chili dipping sauce. Again, the sweet aftertaste, lingering on your tongue until the next delicious bite.

A rare dining experience

All meals at the Roo Bar are served with beet-infused hummus and lavash chips, which is also available as an appetizer or tapas. Much classier than bread n’ butter.

Chef Peet’s ever-changing salads come big or small, making a well-balanced meal or a nice accompaniment to an entrée.

The North Atlantic salmon we had on a recent evening was expertly prepared, served with a side of Asian slaw, jasmine rice, and ginger-orange plum sauce ($24).

Steak lovers will not be disappointed in the chimmichurri skirt steak, complete with a side salad of arugula, grilled vegetables, roasted tomatoes, and kalamata olives ($26).

What’s more—a huge surprise on Cape Cod, we know—if you want it rare, that’s what you’ll get!

Pizza with pizzazz

The Roo Bar’s grilled pizza ($12- $16) gives the other restaurants in the ‘hood a run for their money with their creative take on the bar food staple.

At 10 inches, this is a meal in itself, or can be shared with an appetizer or two.

Try the caramelized pear with spinach, goat cheese, and hazelnuts, or the BBQ chicken with smoked Gouda, caramelized onions, and pineapple for a delightful departure from the norm.

With a thin whole wheat crust and excellent sauce, fresh ingredients and high-quality cheese, this is pizza on a whole other level.

In fact— come to think of it— that’s the Roo Bar in a nutshell.