ABOUT
The Restaurant:
• Opened summer of 2009. Season: May-October
• General Manager, Mac Gallant
• Executive Chef: Bob Wageman
• # Seats inside: 175; on the upper deck: 40 • Menu: “Classic Cape Cod” with heavy emphasis on local seafood. Local produce used whenever possible.
• Moderate priced menu. Soup & Appetizers range from $5 – $12. Sandwiches and Entrées range from $10 to $32, with several items at market price.
• Raw bar featuring fresh-shucked oysters straight from Wellfleet Harbor
• View: More than 180 degrees of panoramic water view stretching from Wellfleet Marina to Wellfleet Harbor to a view of Great Island. By far, one of the most breathtaking water views seen from any restaurant on Cape Cod.
The History of the Building
• Pearl is located on the site of the former Captain Higgins Restaurant which operated seasonally for approximately 30 years.
• Prior to its run as the Captain Higgins, the building was known as “The Oyster House” and later, the “Spit and Chatter Club”.
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The Art of Reconstruction
• The building, as you see it today, was created by the team of designer and metal artist, Steve Swain, and general contractor, Lauren Stapleton.
• Their strategy: to keep or repurpose all parts of the Captain Higgins structure and also to expose parts of the original Spit and Chatter structure beneath it.
Rather than purchase new lumber when they needed more, they obtained permission to strip a historic home from 5 Woodland Road in Harwich that was too fragile to be moved and therefore slated for demolition. Other materials were recycled from an old inn in Woods Hole.
• The Results: Doors from the Harwich house were used to create roomy booths, counters and trim
The wide-plank pine flooring, uncovered from the original Spit and Chatter Club were transformed into a 25-seat L-shaped bar.
Pearl’s leaded-glass windows, which overlook the harbor, are there courtesy of a renovated Inn in Woods Hole.
• The Art: in addition to the artistic design of the renovation, the interior and exterior are enhanced by the metal sculptures and light fixtures of designer/artist Steve Swain, who owns the “Frying Pan Gallery, adjacent to the restaurant.
The Respect For The Environment
(Green Practices in building and day-to-day operation)
• Eco-friendly construction practices were used to repurpose as many materials as possible
• Low VOC paints were used during renovation
• Bar top and tables were finished with water-soluble coating
• Corrugated steel roof was designed as part of building’s rainwater collection system to be used for landscape irrigation
• Installed environmentally safe, state-of-the-art septic system to prevent run-off. Will not impact the waters that surround Pearl
• Devised system to collect run-off water from ice machines and reuse to water the landscaping
• Staff uses only chemical-free cleaning products
• Use of plastic is kept to a minimum
What Makes This Pearl So Special
• Quite possibly the best water view from any restaurant on Cape Cod.
• A menu that stresses fresh, local produce and seafood, and quality meats, and offers variety to satisfy most tastes.
• The FRESHEST Oysters you could ever eat, straight from the harbor
• A building with artistic character and history, reconstructed in an eco-friendly manner, with Green practices an integral part of day to day operations.
