In part one of this series about summer eats in Plymouth, I visited Gellar’s in Manomet, now in its 100th year of operation, and Bramhall’s Country Store in Chiltonville, now in its 198th season.
By comparison, Ziggy’s on Water Street is a relative newcomer. It opened its doors in 1957. Ziggy’s forte is ice cream. Like Gellar’s, it comes from Richardson’s in Middleton. On two visits I had my old standby, a mocha frappe, and each time it was a standout for its ice cream-to-milk ratio, creamy without being the consistency of sludge that’s impossible to sip through a straw.
Ziggy’s has a great location on the waterfront. It’s clean and cheerful on the inside, with ample seating at picnic tables out back. The young staffers were chipper and courteous.
That’s why it pains me to say this, but Ziggy’s ice cream far outperforms the food – well, at least the cheeseburgers, which were utterly unremarkable. The patties were on the dry side and chewy, not succulent. Then there was the price.
It’s no secret that the cost of beef has been soaring of late, but still, $13.99 for a so-so cheeseburger is a lot. My two sons were in town for a visit and three cheeseburgers, three frappes, and an order of fries set me back $88, before the tip. For a little perspective, the next night I took the boys to Cork & Table, one of Plymouth’s best restaurants by many accounts, and if my older son had ordered what his brother ordered instead of the most expensive entrée on the menu, the bill would have come to $130.
Two things to note: Ziggy’s is open April to October, and it only takes cash. So plan ahead, or prepare to use the ATM out back and pay a fee.
A stone’s throw from Ziggy’s is Pinky’s, the snack bar at Nelson Memorial Park, where the sea breeze, playground, and the views are the big attractions. For the last five years – from Memorial Day to Labor Day – it’s been operated by an affable couple, Sharon and Steve Morris. Pinky’s is a summer food shack at its most basic, and that’s not a bad thing. Hot dogs and burgers, the latter cooked outside on a gas grill, are staples. The soda comes in cans, and the ice cream from Good Humor. The place is named for Steve’s late mother.
Though business is down this year, according to Sharon – a sign of a soft economy and rising prices – it’s the basics that visitors to the park want. Steve, who is also in the wholesale seafood business, tried selling seafood kebobs and other more sophisticated offerings, but they didn’t sell, and he often gave the food away to friends. Despite rising costs, Sharon told me they haven’t increased the price on anything since opening. When schools and other groups hold gatherings at Nelson Park, Pinky’s provides the refreshments.
If you, and especially your kids, are looking a place to play, the playground and splash pad with views of Long Beach and Bug Light are a delight and you can grab a burger or hot dog at Pinky’s and kids will be more than happy. There’s also the modest Nelson Beach, with the adjacent – if small – parking lot, which makes a beach day a lot easier if you’re a parent with young children.
The Lobster Hut at Town Wharf is semi-seasonal. It closes after Christmas for about six weeks. There’s no table service, but plenty of seating indoors and outside under a large tent right on the water. I was in the mood for a lobster roll (I’m always in the mood for a lobster roll) and at $16.95 it promised to be a bargain in a world where the typical lobster roll can easily run $30 or more. Not surprisingly, this one wasn’t exactly brimming with lobster meat, and the preparation was simple – chilled lobster with a light dressing of mayonnaise on a grilled bun. There are other options (a large lobster roll with fries will run you $36.95, as will a hot buttered lobster roll with fries). Mine was what you’d expect if there were a lobster roll on the kid’s menu. It was about a “B.” The onion rings were very tasty.
The food came out fast, the order numbers called out over a loudspeaker system that sounded as if it had been purchased used from the old Penn Station in Newark. It emitted a harsh squawk that I had to strain to understand, even though I had just started wearing hearing aids a few days before.
The Lobster Hut has all the standard summer seaside fare, from fried combo platters to chowders to broiled and baked fish and steamed lobsters. From observing happy customers and their plates, it all looked inviting.
Peter Zheutlin – a freelance journalist who has written frequently for The Boston Globe, The Christian Science Monitor, and many other publications – brings the perspective of a Plymouth newcomer to the Independent. He is the author or co-author of nine books, including the New York Times bestseller “Rescue Road: One Man, Thirty Thousand Dogs, and a Million Miles on the Last Hope Highway.” Zheutlin can be reached at pzheutlin@gmail.com.