One of the signature drinks
The restaurant business is a difficult one to enter. Turnover of staff, fickle eating habits, and finding the proper location are only a few of the difficulties faced when an entrepreneur decides to enter the hospitality business. That difficulty is only exacerbated when one attempts to penetrate the finite market of Cape Cod restaurants. For every legendary establishment like Thompson’s Clam Bar or Mildred’s Chowder House, which came and dominated the scene for several decades, there are countless others which came and went so quickly that they are barely a blip on the radar of the Cape’s history.
It takes a special amount of determination and belief in oneself to undertake the challenge of opening a new restaurant on Cape Cod. This was the challenge facing the team which opened The Mad Minnow Bar & Kitchen on Rt. 28 in Harwich Port in May of 2016.
Michael Strangfeld and his wife Megan, along with Tony Gullotti and his wife Meg had been talking for years about the possibility of opening what Mike calls a “summer gastro pub.” However as previously stated it is a risky business to enter so the four friends waited until the right opportunity came along. It showed itself in the form of the location of a legendary former Cape Cod establishment.
Michael Strangfeld and his wife Megan
A vacancy in the building at 554 Rt. 28 in Harwich Port became available. Longtime Cape Codders might recognize that building as to having once been home to the Sword & Shield owned for decades by the iconic Ted Apostol. The team of four friends jumped on the chances to take up residency in such a prime location. For the Strangfeld’s it was their first foray into restaurant ownership while the Gullotti’s had experience from opening The Blue Coral on Main Street in Chatham in 2002; an establishment still going strong to this day.
The Strangfeld’s and Gullotti’s worked hard throughout the summer, delivering on their desire of bringing together the community by providing great quality food along with ice cold beer. They couple that with locally provided produce and fish from farms and fishermen along with the fact that they grow some of their own vegetables in their backyard garden.
Some of the most popular dishes served at the hot new establishment include: Crab Cake Tater Tots with creole remoulade and pickled veggies, Tuna tartare cannoli with wasabi and avocado crema, not to mention the Lobster Biscuit Bennedict with sriracha and house hollandaise for brunch. The Mariner cocktail with vodka, cranberry ice sphere, local cranberry juice, and Cape Abilities sea salt is also quite popular.
However it is the connection to the Cape that is most important for the Strangfeld’s as Michael explains.
“My wife (Megan) is from Yarmouth Port,” he says. “My folks have been on the Cape for 25 years. The Cape is what we love. It’s pure and beautiful and wonderful.”
The Cape is also deeply engrained in Tony and Meg Gullotti. Both of them routinely visited Cape Cod as summer residents for many years long before they opened The Blue Coral. That being said Michael Strangfeld knows that it is at times very difficult for young professionals to find their success here. He has his own insight into that.
This is the open air area out back with the backyard vegetable garden in the foreground.
“The allure of cities and life over the bridge I’m sure has strong appeal,” he begins. “The concept of a short business season can hinder the idea of wild financial success.” As common as those views about success on the Cape seem to be among all of those who live here Strangfeld has a very refreshing and optimistic view of what truly defines success on Cape Cod.
“Cape success comes differently,” he says. “It’s in morning walks to the farm, watching the evening sun down the road at Bank Street Beach, and seeing your kids stomp in the late Fall surf. When we find success on the Cape, it’s not just about money.”
After finishing up a hugely successful first season on the cape with a big New Year’s Eve bash the future looks bright for the team of four friends at The Mad Minnow Bar & Kitchen in 2017.
“For this year,” Strangfeld begins, “we’re working hard on prepping our beer garden, creating some funky cocktails, brewing some good beer and building a cool outdoor bar space for everyone. We’ll be planting our veggie garden with friends at Cape Abilities in the spring, and meeting farmers, fishermen, and brewmasters to gear up for another great summer.”
Above all else the Strangfeld’s and Gullotti’s pride themselves on getting better every day and contributing positively to the growing community that is Harwich Port.
Be sure to visit them at their location at 554 Rt. 28 in Harwich Port when they reopen in early May, or their website at TheMadMinnow.com.
By Christopher Setterlund
