Friday, March 27, 2015

PTown Winter Breakfast Spots?

Breakfast can be hard to find in Provincetown in the wintertime, especially mid-week, and parking has been quite a challenge during this unprecedented snowfall we've endured since 2015 began. At this time of the year, and with the consistently snowy weekends and bone-chilling winds and storms that have kept visitors at home rather than here this winter, you'll only find a real, full breakfast being served in just a handful of PTown restaurants, and mostly just on the weekends, when a few hardy travelers still make the frosty trek to the tip of the Cape.

Slow-cooked pork, green chilies and tomatillos, with cheese and sour cream,
make a great omelet choice on Chach's menu. I added a side of black beans.





But you can find yourself a tasty, hearty breakfast any day of the week, if you just know where to look, so here's the scoop. Let's start with spots offering a full meal...




 
   • Chach, at 73 Shank Painter Road, is making her famous breakfast, with eggs, hash browns, omelets, breakfast burritos, a killer French toast, muffins and, of course, her stellar blueberry pancakes, all from scratch, available Friday through Sunday. A Townie Favorite and a current Best Bite. Free parking, too, in their small lot.
   • Governor Bradford, at 312 Commercial Street, does breakfast Saturday and Sunday at this time of year, with their central location, at Commercial and Standish streets, being their primary appeal. Parking is free right now half a block away at the town's main parking lot, near MacMillan Pier, or sometimes found on Commercial Street.
   • Napi's, tucked away at 7 Freeman Street, does a couple of brunchy sort of egg dishes, like an eggs Benedict, but only on Sundays, and not till 11:30 AM when they open for lunch. The artwork and decor enhance the meal, and you'll find there's plenty of free parking in their lot.
   • Bayside Betsy's, at 177 Commercial Street, is open this winter Thursday through Monday, beginning at 9 AM for breakfast. Lots of selections, like steak and eggs, pancakes or choice of three french toasts; frittatas, omelets or seven Benedicts, including a veggie version with grilled Portabellos, roasted reds and sautéed baby spinach. On my last breakfast visit there, the homemade Hollandaise seemed not to be their forte, but that was before the new owners took over, so I will try them again. The splendid view out over Provincetown Harbor to Long Point, from any table in the dining room, is perhaps reason enough for a visit. Parking might be found on Commercial Street.
   • Fanizzi's, at 539 Commercial Street, offers their all-you-can-eat Sunday Brunch Buffet from 10 AM till 2 PM, with over a dozen dishes like French toast, scrambled eggs, frittata, Benedict, corned beef hash, bacon, sausage, chicken wings, steamed mussels, pasta of the day, assorted pastries, fresh fruit, green salad, yogurt and granola, with a full bar available. The panoramic view of Provincetown Harbor is superb. There is limited parking on-site, and perhaps on Commercial Street.

Angel Foods' generous, overstuffed breakfast sandwich
is probably the best in Provincetown.




If you can do with a breakfast sandwich, you'll find three spots that serve them every day, and one just on Sundays...





   • East End Market, at 212 Bradford Street, makes breakfast sandwiches on their grill from 8 AM daily (9 on Sundays) till 11:30 AM, despite what their website says.  Freshly baked muffins, too, and other pastries. They've recently reopened after remodeling, offer seating, limited parking is usually sufficient.
   • Far Land Provisions, at 150 Bradford Street, makes a great breakfast sandwich every day, with lots of choices, including the options of cage-free or organic eggs, and a lighter turkey sausage. Some days they offer a pancake special, with real Vermont maple syrup as an option, and fresh baked goods are always available. They open daily at 7 AM, 8 on Sundays, and serve breakfast only till 11:30 AM, when they switch into lunch mode. Homey seating, free wi-fi, great music, friendly service, ample parking make this spot another Townie Favorite.
   • Angel Foods, at 467 Commercial Street, serves a very generous breakfast sandwich, and probably the best in Provincetown. Eggs beaten with a little milk make a sort of big, fluffy omelet folded around lots of ham, bacon or homemade sausage, with a choice of 4 cheeses, on a Portuguese muffin. Open daily at 8 AM, with seating only on outdoor benches, or walk 40 feet down onto the beach on one of those warmer days we're starting to get. Limited on-site parking is usually enough, or park on Commercial Street at this time of year.
   • 141 Bradford Natural Market is doing a breakfast sandwich, but only on Sundays, from 9 AM till 1 PM. You can get 2 organic eggs with cheese, avocado and chipotle mayo on a fresh roll, for example, or have it with other ingredients that might be in the kitchen on any given Sunday. They're quite flexible. They also offer a sort of Sunday Brunch Buffet from their hot bar, ready by 11 AM, with varying choices, like last Sunday's brioche French toast bake, sweet potato hash, egg in a cup, maple vegan sausage, broccolini with shallot and dill, or roasted zucchini.  Choose what, and how much, you'd like, and pay for it by weight. Fresh baked goods daily. Seating, limited on-site parking.
 

Art is served in a cup at the Wired Puppy.  Photo from their website.


If you've got to eat and get moving early, or if all you need to get you going in the morning is a cup of coffee and a muffin, or if you want a designer latte or cappuccino made by a talented barista, there's a choice for you, too...



   • The Wired Puppy, at 369 Commercial Street, is open daily from 6:30 AM till 6:30 PM in the winter, with a wide variety of fancy coffees and teas, and depending on the day, perhaps a muffin or scone of one variety or another, baked in their oven. A favorite with early morning caffeine junkies as well as those who want a certain sophistication in their cup, and a light, continental breakfast. Free wi-fi, and even a couple of computers for the public to use. Seating, parking may be found on Commercial Street.

You'll also find early morning coffee, breakfast sandwiches, muffins or donuts, yogurt and so on, available all day, at three local convenience stores over the winter months...

   • Highland Farm (The Gulf Station) at 130 Bradford Street, open at 5:30 AM daily, usually till midnight, but occasionally closing about 15 minutes early, so don't push the clock. This is a small, local business, not a corporate chain. No seating, but friends gather in front to shoot the breeze and sip their coffee, even on a cold winter morning. Limited parking is usually adequate.
   • The Tedeschi Station, at 137 Bradford Street, 6 AM till 11 PM daily. Seating only on an outdoor bench, with parking sufficient for a grab-and-go.
   • Cumberland Farms, at 100 Shank Painter Road, open 24 hours every day. Read the label if you want to know about the long list of ingredients in their "egg patty" or other items inside that pre-assembled muffin or croissant. No seating, plenty of parking.

So there you have it. As always, there are more choices in the off-season than you might think of right away. Call a friend, get out of the house, and go try someplace you might not have visited before, or return to an old favorite. Support these local businesses that have stayed open for us during a very lean, tough winter.

No comments:

Post a Comment