Seafood Trio Puttanesca at Pepe's Wharf Earns TheYearRounder's Best Bite Award

Seafood Trio Puttanesca at Pepe's Wharf, full of local scallops, mussels and shrimp.

This beautiful Seafood Trio Puttanesca, served at Pepe's Wharf, was the best  thing I ate in PTown this week, and I think this might be my favorite new dish of the season.
I don't know if I'd call it a putanesca, though the menu lists some traditional ingredients like capers and olives in a spicy tomato sauce.
I didn't find the dish to be very spicy, with the usual long-simmered, thick sauce. Instead it was much more delicate, with an abundance of subtle flavors and a slight bit of sweetness that was perfect with the gorgeous seafood that went all the way to the bottom of the bowl.

Pepe's round, rustic loaf of crusty bread comes to your table warm from the oven.

Served over spaghetti noodles that were cooked perfectly al dente, this meal had very generous helpings of large shrimp, big, plump mussels, and succulent scallops, fresh from local waters.
All of the juices from the seafood added another depth of flavor to this rather unusual "puttanesca" and its light, luscious sauce that I've been craving ever since I tasted it. I soaked up every drop of it with some of the warm, crusty bread that Pepe's serves with their dinners.

The wonderful flavors, generous portion and very reasonable price of this splendid dish all combine to earn a Best Bite award from TheYearRounder, recognizing the quality and value of this great PTown meal.
Add to all of that the unparalleled views of Provincetown Harbor from Pepe's, with two outdoor decks, right at the edge of the water. You'll see why another meal here is a "must" for visitors returning  to Provincetown and for locals alike.

Granny's Butterscotch Bread Pudding is Pepe's elevated twist on a humble dessert

I had my eye on the chocolate cream pie, or maybe the coconut cake with ice cream for dessert, but when I was invited to sample Granny's Butterscotch Bread Pudding, even though I never have cared much for either bread pudding or for butterscotch, I had to taste it.
I know that Pepe's new owners, who bought the restaurant last spring, have a penchant for creating memorable desserts, so I knew they would make me like it.
Sure enough, it was a rectangle of tender, tasty bread pudding with just a bit of crustiness near the edges, perfectly baked. I smelled it from ten feet away, as my server carried it toward me. It was dusted with a bit of confectioners sugar and topped with a mound of lightly macerated,  thinly-sliced, fresh peaches, served in a pool of delicate, velvety sauce, a bit like a light crème anglaise. I will definitely want to order it again.
I'm eager to have more from Pepe's new menu, including the rustic lobster bisque. That has got me quite curious. I try to eat everywhere each summer, but I have the feeling I'll be eating again at Pepe's a time or two before I make it all the way around the rest of the town.