Show me the Beef

Sandwich Taverna serves up big burgers and hearty steaks

By Mary Weatherby

When you walk in the front door of the Sandwich Taverna, be ready to wipe the beach sand from your shoes and step into the Southwest.

Proprietor Thanos Gossios has left Cape Cod nautical behind and has created a cowboy-themed landscape of terra cotta tile, vaulted ceilings and exposed beams.

As in any good Southwest cantina, there is meat on the grill. Advertised as “Cape Cod’s premier steakhouse” and voted in a local survey as serving the “best burger on Cape Cod,” the Sandwich Taverna offers a menu ranging from hearty Tex-Mex appetizers and brick-oven pizzas to fine American cuisine.

There are plenty of choices for meat lovers: grilled filet mignon, slow roasted prime rib in eight-, twelve- and sixteen-ounce portions, and the favorite Taverna tips, prepared daily in the special house marinade. Dinner specials include Sirloin Athena, a twelve-ounce cut topped with tomatoes, feta and kalamata olives, and a Petite Filet Carbonara, pan-seared and finished with a pancetta carbonara sauce.

The burgers are a half pound of Angus beef, and come char-grilled with cheese, smoked bacon, crumbled blue cheese or onion, or even topped with homemade chili and Monterey Jack cheese.

For those cowboys who take a shine to seafood, the Sandwich Taverna offers Salmon Nantucket, topped with bacon, tomatoes and Swiss cheese. Yellowfin tuna is prepared rare, served on a bed of baby spinach with wasabi red bliss mashed potatoes and topped with mango salsa. Cajun swordfish is encrusted with Creole seasoning, grilled and served with the potato and vegetable of the day.

For those seeking lighter fare, salads include the traditional Caesar and Greek, and for variety, a grilled Atlantic salmon salad and a Southwestern salad with Cajun grilled jumbo shrimp and steak tips. The Taverna serves its signature chicken and corn chowder as well as homemade chili by the cup or bowl.

The clientele at the Taverna is as varied as the menu. Gossios describes his customers as a “melting pot of diners. You can have a table of workers next to a family with the kids, next to table of business executives, and everyone is happy.”

To read more of this story, see the November/December issue of Cape Cod VIEW on newsstands now. Don't miss a single issue of the VIEW, subscribe today.