Summer’s Gone? Where Did It Go Clinique, PB Boulangerie, All Prep?

I promised myself  I would mop up assorted tasks and answer some questions I had been fielding since June, certain the summer would allow plenty of time to get it all done.

It didn’t. So here we are with the unofficial end of the season just days away (school starts) so I offer those who asked the quick version.

The French restaurant in  Cape Cod that I have been raving about for eight weeks?

You must, must, must go to PB Boulangerie in Wellfleet, if not for dinner than for the breakfast/lunch house-baked croissants, breads, pastries and the fresh raspberry mojito. Located in a former clam shack on Lecount Hollow Road, this is the last kind of restaurant you would expect to find here, but oh what a find it is.

Opened a year ago by two friends from Lyon France, (since then one left with the other one’s wife, long story but the short story is that is open under the wonderful and gifted eye of the remaining owner, Philippe Rispoli .

Prepare for a French experience with that Cape Cod vibe around you.  There is a comfortable main dining room that has a kind of European flair, and an outdoor porch area that somehow is more  Cape Cod. Best seats int he place as far as I’m concerned, at the bar where you can enjoy a wonderful French brassiere menu and watch the chefs at work.  Menu is in both English and French and really, does not “les huites sauvages de Wellfleet” sound so much more tempting  than “Wellfleet oysters.”

My favs..the poulet fermier roti a la brouche (spit roasted organic chicken Provencal) and dessert…fou de chocolat, a trip of chocolate desserts including an almond milk lolli. Missed the Cape during the season, no problem. the bakery is open Wednesday through Sunday beginning at 7 a.m. (expect a line) and dinner is served Wednesday through Sunday 5 to 11 p.m. The restaurant is open most of the year for those of you who like the area in the off season. Phone  508.349.1600 http://pbboulangeriebistro.com/

To the woman I met in the ladies room at the Goodspeed in July . They are called Chubby Sticks by Clinique. More like tinted lip balm than lipstick but with fun summer names like “Woppin Watermelon” and “Pudgy Peony.”   They do fit in a jeans pocket or a beach bag and are easy to use (translation: no mistakes when you use them without a mirror.)  There is a fall line of colors too. I bought mine at Macy’s but they are also at the Clinique counter at Lord & Taylor. http://bit.ly/Op9noi

If I haven’t done enough whining  about the house painting disaster, here is the end of the story for the listener who called me after hearing my tale on WDRC.

Just to bring others up to date. I am unexpectedly a single homeowner and getting the house repainted was my first major undertaking,  project wise. The first guys I hired quit,  claiming I was too picky. My counter-argument. ..they seemed a little too inattentive and for $8,000 I think I had the right to expect the job we had agreed to when I signed them on.

They bolted after a few days leaving  a mess at the  house, yard and garage and left me without any idea what to do next. Through Google luck I found All-Prep Painting in Plantsville. Someone from above surely must have been looking over me.

I can’t say enough good things about the crew led by owner Rich Paulus who respectfully talked me down from the ledge and with his crew, gave my circa 1926 home the kind of paint job it needed.  He understood what I wanted and some of the first words out of his mouth were “I won’t leave this job until you are satisfied.” The peace of mind and final product, well worth the cost. http://bit.ly/Nseypc

What I learned?  Be very specific about your expectations, get everything in writing and make sure you and the contractor are talking the same language when it comes to those expectations.  Apparently “sand and scrape entire house” did not really mean that when it came to my first contract. I found out the hard way. Enough said.

To the nice blog  follower who keeps asking…yes, the bathroom finally has running water again and I did figure out how to use a caulking gun to glue the mirror to the frame(thank you HGTV.) I consider both  DIY successes!

And finally,  to a FOXCT viewer who suggested I should wear more make-up, I did take your suggestion and try the BB “beauty balms” that are now the rage.  I like them!