PTown's Best Ice Cream? Lets Find Out, Part One: The Odyssey Begins

Lewis Brothers makes the only homemade American ice cream in PTown.

By my count, there are at least 11 spots in PTown where you can get an ice cream cone. Or perhaps  you'd like yours served in a cup, maybe drenched in butterscotch?
There's also a lot to be said for a hot fudge sundae served on a fresh brownie with the works: whipped cream, marshmallow fluff, chopped nuts and a cherry.

Whether your favorite is soft-serve,  sorbetto, sherbet, gelato, frozen yogurt or good old American ice cream, PTown has got you covered.
Even if you're dairy-free, I promise, there are fabulous frozen treats out there, just waiting for you.
There's even a little scoop shop that takes Fido into consideration, serving up their special ice cream treats made for dogs.

This summer, on these pages, we're going to visit every ice cream parlor, and every other hangout that serves ice cream in PTown, returning to each one that merits another visit, to sample more varieties, and to taste as many flavors as I can manage over the summer. I generally don't eat much ice cream, but in the interest of seeking out the best of Provincetown, I'll bravely volunteer for this assignment. Of course, I'll have to begin taking much longer walks to counteract the effects of my research...

We'll begin our adventure right in the heart of Provincetown, where the Lewis brothers make the only homemade Anerican ice cream in town, despite signs on other Commercial Street shops that say theirs is homemade. There is homemade gelato as well as sorbetto in town, but those are Italian varieties, and when we visit those spots in coming weeks, we'll find out how the Italian style is different from American ice cream, but for now, let's get started on our odyssey, with the Brothers Lewis, found at 300 Commercial Street.

Since the summer of 1999, Lewis Brothers Ice Cream, at the corner of Commercial and Standish streets, has been making their own ice cream, right there in their shop. Throughout the day they're churning out three-gallon tubs of universal favorites like the strawberry shown in my cone above, along with their own, unique varieties like their "mudslide." That's one of their adult flavors, and yes, those are made with a bit of alcohol, so beware any variety that sounds like a cocktail. It probably is. And it's delicious!

Since they make it right there, the brothers can control every aspect of creating their fine confections, so they can produce flavors ranging widely from the mild side, like the subtle taste of their green tea flavor, to the wild side: Their ginger ice cream is a bit pungent, made with tiny bits of fresh ginger, and it's one of my all-time favorite flavors.

Lewis Brothers is a very popular spot, even in chilly weather.

Lewis Brothers has a killer caramel sauce and several other toppings for your sundae, including real, homemade whipped cream.
20 kinds of toppers like sprinkles, M&Ms, crumbled Oreos or Butterfingers, gummy bears, chopped nuts and just about any others you can think of are available, too. And don't forget the cherry on the top.
Chocolate or vanilla soft-serve are 95% fat-free, as are the orange or rainbow sherbets. Frozen yogurt, in vanilla or peach, is 100% fat-free. Sugar-free ice cream comes in vanilla or butter pecan, and there are fruit smoothies and frozen fruit purées for folks who are dairy-free, so that seems to cover all the bases for those with dietary needs.
Large groups can go out together for ice cream at Lewis Brothers, confident that there's truly something for everybody in this great little shop. Anyone for an old-fashioned banana split? Wait for me!

Pop + Dutch Earns a 'Best Bite' Award for Their Sensational Chef Salad Sandwich

TheYearRounder bestows a Best Bite award on the innovative
Chef Salad Sandwich, piled high at Pop + Dutch in PTown.

When I walked into Pop + Dutch (say Pop and Dutch) on a rare afternoon off a little while back, starving, I had no idea what I would order. Everything they offer in this eccentric little neighborhood market is top notch. with nearly everything made right there, fresh, from scratch.

They bake their own buttermilk biscuits, along with pies made from fresh, seasonal fruits, and whatever other pastry, goody or dessert that might strike them at any given moment. They roast their own veggies, turkey and beef, too, so all of this keeps the Pop + Dutch oven working at a pretty constant pace, cranking out something tasty all day long.

So they don’t bake all of their own bread, but they do make the focaccia for their Myrna Minkoff sandwich, named for an off-beat fictional character in John Kennedy Toole’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel A Confederacy of Dunces. The Agent Dale Cooper sandwich is 
house-made turkey breast, with cheddar, smashed avocado, mayo, pickled shallots, tomato and butter lettuce on 7-grain bread. It’s named after the quirky FBI agent who has a nefarious alter ego, and an inordinate fondness for cherry pie, in the outré 1989 TV series Twin Peaks. Beginning to see what I mean by “eccentric,” aren’t you? That's part of the fun of Pop + Dutch. A certain lightheartedness is likely to overtake you upon walking through the door.

Behold the radiant sandwich! (from Pop+Dutch Facebook page)

When I asked what I'd have for lunch that day, co-owner Rebecca first determined that there was, indeed, nothing I don't like. Vegan, vegetarian or whole hog, I'm in. After a moment's thought, she suggested I try the Chef Salad sandwich, and repaired to the kitchen to whip one up for me. Just like it sounds, it brings all of the elements of a chef's salad together in a sandwich.
Tender leaves of butter lettuce, slices of sweet, ripe tomato and hard-boiled egg are layered between Swiss cheese, cheddar, Black Forest ham, and turkey that tastes like Thanksgiving, because at Pop + Dutch, they roast it and carve it right in their own kitchen. Stack all of this on a big, fresh Iggy's brioche roll, add a little ranch mayo dressing, and you've got a dandy of a sandwich. A distinctive taste, along with the superb quality and the inventive use of the ingredients, earned this sandwich a Best Bite award from TheYearRounder, because it was easily the best thing I ate in PTown during that entire week.

Owners Sean and Rebecca refer lovingly to their little market as "a sandwich shop and pint-sized general store" in Provincetown's West End, at 147 Commercial Street, right at the foot of Conant Street. It's in the midst of a little cluster of charming galleries, gift shops and antiques.

As I mentioned, nearly everything in their deli section is made right in their own tiny kitchen, including an unusual, spicy pimento cheese, and jams made from whatever beautiful fresh fruits the seasons bring. Either one can go on a fresh biscuit, right out of the oven, for your breakfast. Get here early; the biscuits sell out.

Fresh produce, bread and dairy, coffee filters, specialty pastas,
olive oil, cookies, crackers, lube… All the basics are here for you.

They get beautiful produce from local farmers any time they can, and they use cage free eggs from farms where the hens are treated well. They treat their customers, and their employees, like treasured friends. In short, their ethics are intact. That's another reason why we love this little shop.
Besides their phenomenal sandwiches, salads, desserts, vegetarian and vegan choices, and gluten-free options, you'll also find basic groceries and a few sundries here as well. 
They stock a small but thoughtful assortment of fresh, seasonal fruits and veggies, treats from local farmers when available, and Iggy's Bread, in Cambridge, brings fresh breads, croissants and sticky buns daily. Milk, eggs and other staples are here, along with a few basic housewares, like retro style enamelware plates, cups and coffee pots, just in case you find your condo a little lacking. And don't forget the lube.
Whether it's a great cup of coffee and a breakfast sandwich you need, or just the coffee filters, you'll find them here. Pick up the Sunday paper and some fresh strawberries, or a can of fine Italian tomatoes and a good olive oil, or an award-winning sandwich to take with you to the beach.
If you've not yet discovered this little jewel of a shop, it's worth the stroll to the West End. You'll be happy you found Pop + Dutch.

Today is National Chocolate Day!

National Chocolate Day is celebrated annually in the United States on October 28th.

Although it doesn't hold the status or the official designation from our government to

to be celebrated as a true, national holiday, with paid time off from work, banks and public

buildings closed, and no mail delivery, perhaps it should be celebrated that way. 

We should all have the day off to celebrate the occasion as we please, and as conscience

dictates, with relatives flying in for a family gathering, and a feast of dozens of chocolate

treats made from cherished family recipes handed down through generations.

Chocolate Day is at least as relevant as Columbus Day… Who's with me?

The photo above and the text below are taken from nationaldaycalendar.com,

where you'll find something to celebrate just about any day of the year.

Although there's no guarantee of what you'll find in local restaurants tonight, here are 

a few examples of chocolatey favorites I've had in spots still open this time of year…

Tin Pan Alley's pot du creme, sort of an ultra-dense, dark chocolate mousse.

Lobster Pot's brownie sundae, drizzled with chocolate or caramel sauce (or both)

The Mews provides instructions involving use of a steak knife to eat its
"Extreme Cookies and Cream" ice cream sandwich, often shared by two or more.

Far Land's chocolate cake, with thick, fudgy frosting between three rich layers.

I've forgotten what Angel Foods calls this fudgy, cakey, nutty treat.

The Central House at the Crown & Anchor once offered a chocolate
caramel tort with chocolate gelato on chocolate cooky crumbs.

Provincetown Fudge Factory makes a gazillion varieties of beautiful candies,
and fudge in flavors both simple and exotic, like Bailey's Irish Cream.

Post Office Cafe's triple chocolate cake actually puts 7 kinds of chocolate on
the plate, perhaps the closest you'll ever come to actual "death by chocolate."

Vorelli's chocolate madness cake - chocolate cake crumb crust, layered with

chocolate mousse blended with Heath brownie chunks and chocolate truffles.

The Purple Feather makes chocolate cakes, candies, gelato, and don't forget
the chocolate covered bacon,  dipped in either dark or milk chocolate.

This post is for my sister Carolee, who is the biggest chocoholic I know.

Happy National Chocolate Day!

Best Dessert Ever? Taste this 'Best Bite' Before the Summer is Gone

The lemon curd cheesecake parfait with blueberry compote at
Devon's Food Bar is in stiff competition for Best Dessert Ever.

This creamy lemon curd cheesecake parfait, with a wild Maine blueberry compote, whipped cream and a toasted graham cracker crumble, is the best dessert I've had all summer, and that makes it a Best Bite. Find it at Devon's Food Bar, at 31 Bradford Street, in PTown's West End.
Chef Melissa Ettinger thought up this euphoric delight one afternoon as a dessert du jour at this little culinary hotspot at the corner of Bradford and Pleasant Streets, but everyone who tasted it insisted that it be given a permanent home on the nightly dessert menu, and I haven't been able to make myself order anything else since. That smooth, lemony tartness is perfectly accented by the fruity sweetness of those plump, wild blueberries.
I've been wanting to try the flan with fresh berries, but I'll have to order it to start my next meal there, because I already know I'll be unable to resist the parfait for dessert. There are also a few other things on the menu I want to get to before they wind down for the summer, in about three weeks.
This is the time of year when you get a last chance to squeeze in some of the things you've wanted to see, do or taste before they are gone with the season. I went out the other night to see two shows that I realized were ending in just a few more days, and had dinner with a friend at a restaurant I've been trying to get to all summer. Next on my list is an actual day off, spent at the beach.
Don't let the summer get away from you. Go for a swim at the breakwater, see a couple of shows, get out for a memorable meal or two, and taste this sublime dessert before this glorious summer is gone.

Holy Cow… Vegan Gelato!

Raspberry-blueberry, pineapple and strawberry flavors of
vegan gelato have led to truly exotic varieties like avocado.

Wow! I Dream of Gelato does it again. They've come up with the impossible… vegan gelato that is so creamy, so scrumptious, so completely satisfying that you would never know that it's made with absolutely no milk or cream.
Ricky is a genius in the kitchen. He can't help himself. He's always creating something new. Now he has worked out a recipe to blend fresh fruit with coconut milk to create a gelato so smooth and tasty, you won't be able to tell this vegan variety apart from his fabulous array of regular gelatos. You'll be ordering these new vegan style confections just to taste all the fantastic new flavors he has come up with.
He started out with a simple standard like strawberry, tinkering with the recipe until he had it absolutely perfected, and then he began to refine other fruits into this wonderful Italian ice cream. Next he branched out into chocolate, and now there's even a vegan coffee gelato. Now, every time I visit Ricky's shop, he has a new, exotic flavor for me to try. The avocado variety is nothing short of amazing!
Find I Dream of Gelato tucked away in the Aquarium Marketplace, at 209 Commercial Street. Choose a couple of flavors, and carry your guilt-free treat out to the deck on the edge of the water, where you can enjoy your sumptuous dessert along with the glorious view out over magnificent Provincetown Harbor.

Gray Ice Cream? You Bet!

Taste this splendid treat at I Dream of Gelato, inside the
Aquarium Marketplace, at 205-209 Commercial Street.

OK, it might look a little weird, but this little dish of gray ice cream is one of the tastiest things you'll find anywhere in Provincetown.
This is the black sesame gelato found at I Dream of Gelato, at the Aquarium Marketplace. It's among my top favorites of all of the amazing flavors in this little shop that turns out some of the greatest Italian ice cream you'll ever taste.
Gelato is a bit more dense than regular American ice cream, with less air whipped in, so the taste is a little more vibrant, and the flavors here are superb. When I Dream of Gelato opened in 2005 they offered 35 flavors, and now, in their tenth season, they have well over 150 choices, many of them quite exotic, with each one rotating onto the list of daily flavors several times each summer. The black sesame has a rich, almost nutty taste that's hard to resist.

TheYearRounder Names Front Street's Caramelized Key Lime Pie as a 'Best Bite'

The Caramelized Key Lime Pie at Front Street is the best thing I tasted in Provincetown all week long.

During the average week in a Provincetown summer I'll taste somewhere between 20 and 60 dishes served in restaurants, takeout joints, bakeries, neighborhood markets and delis. Out for dinner with friends the other night, as usual, we all tasted around the table with each course that came out of the kitchen, so I sampled 9 appetizers, soups, entrées and desserts that night. That brought my total number of tastes around the town to about 42 for the week.
This week I sampled everything from breakfast sandwiches to late night-night menu items served after 10 PM. I tasted things ranging from a chilled gazpacho to a hot apple crisp. I had striped bass, stuffed clams, three different lobster rolls, and the ubiquitous clam chowder. I ate Portuguese kale soup, Jamaican jerk chicken, Mexican chile rellenos and Chinese dumplings. I tasted everything from pizza to roasted duckling.
Without a doubt, the best thing I ate during the entire week was the Caramelized Key Lime Pie served at Front Street restaurant, at 230 Commercial Street. We all tasted it, and the next day we were all still talking about it. It had a thin, crisp, buttery graham cracker crust filled with a firm, sumptuous, custardy mixture that perfectly balanced the sweetness with the vibrant tartness of Key limes. A bit of sugar had been sprinkled on the top of the pie, and then it had been torched to caramelize it, à la crème brûlée. It was topped with a thick dollop of whipped cream and a couple of slivers of candied Key lime peel.
A generous slice of this splendid pie was surrounded by a velvety pool of mango coulis, adding another stratum to the flavors in this flawless dessert. It was perfection on a plate. That’s what earns it TheYearRounder’s Best Bite award. I hope to find it appearing frequently on Front Street’s ever-changing menu of Chef Donna Aliperti’s Mediterranian-American fusion delights, featuring the superb desserts created by Chef Kathy Cotter. This was, hands down, the best dish I tasted anywhere in Provincetown all week long.

Are You Kidding Me!?! (part 1)

My favorite restaurant lost my business on this slice of cake.

Some time ago I had dinner at my favorite restaurant at the time, and when I looked at the dessert menu, I didn't remember the desserts all being $10, so it seemed like they might have gone up a bit from the previous summer, and nothing really caught my interest, but the waiter mentioned that the owner had spent some time in the kitchen that day making three cakes as dessert specials, so I decided to try the lemon cake with toasted coconut. It had a nice texture but didn't really have much lemon flavor. It came garnished with a few fresh berries, which turned out to be my favorite part of a dessert that was pleasant enough, but there was nothing remarkable about it.
The remarkable part came when the bill arrived. They charged me 12 bucks for a slice of cake! Are you kidding me!?! You can see from the size of a single strawberry sliced up, along with two raspberries and a few blueberries, that this was not a large slice of cake, and as I mentioned, there was nothing remotely special about it, besides the price. It was white flour and sugar, with not enough lemon in it to call it a lemon cake, and the toasted coconut had come from a bag.
I'll show you 50 desserts in PTown that require a lot of work to make, with recipes full of exotic and costly ingredients, with price tags from $7 to $10. There weren't $12 worth of ingredients in the whole cake, which sold for somewhere between $144 and $192, if you do the math, and prep time was under an hour spent mixing the batter, sliding the tins into the oven and frosting the cake after it had cooled off. This restaurant didn't charge a price based on ingredients, preparation time and overhead… They charged what they thought they could get away with.
This is price gouging, pure and simple, and it cost them about $1080 when I took their share of my business elsewhere over the summer after they robbed me on this night, and a few thousand dollars in recommendations I no longer gave them.

Lewis Brothers Homemade Ice Cream Returns for 17th Season in Provincetown

It was too cold to eat your ice cream outdoors today, but business was still
brisk as Lewis Brothers served up homemade ice cream, made right here.

Spring brings our summer favorites back for business up and down Commercial Street. Even though the weather has been quite chilly most days, people still want ice cream. That's what you do on vacation. Ice cream is fun!
The Lewis Brothers have been making their terrific homemade ice cream right in their Commercial Street shop since 1999. Several varieties of ice cream are churned out fresh every day, among them the 20 flavors you'll always find on the menu, along with a number of more exotic choices that may turn up on any given day.
My favorite is ginger, a special ice cream the Lewis Brothers created for a Commercial Street restaurant's dessert menu several years ago. Though the restaurant is gone now, thankfully this unique flavor turns up on the board several times over the summer, with dozens of others that may be the flavor of the week at any given time. Standard favorites like black raspberry, cookie dough or maple walnut are listed alongside of specialties like chocolate mint Oreo, Grape Nut or green tea. And if you're traveling with kids, watch out for the adult flavors, like chocolate Guinness, Limoncello, white Russian or half-a-dozen others that are made with a bit of alcohol. Yum!
If you're watching your calories or sugar, there are choices for you, too. Chocolate or vanilla soft serve, along with orange or rainbow sherbet, are all 95% fat-free, and 100% fat-free frozen yogurt comes in vanilla or peach. There's also sugar-free ice cream in vanilla or butter pecan, and fruit smoothies or frozen fruit purées are available.

Generous servings make Lewis Brothers a
 popular Provincetown ice cream destination.

Of course, if you want to go completely in the opposite direction, you can get a classic banana split, or a giant sundae drenched in homemade hot fudge or any of 20 toppings like rainbow or chocolate sprinkles, walnuts, Gummy Bears, Butterfinger crumble, M&Ms, strawberries, Oreo crumble or homemade whipped cream.
I order my sundae with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, a little whipped cream and marshmallow, sprinkled with chopped almonds and, of course, the ubiquitous cherry on top. I order the small sundae. I'm not sure if I could finish the large one.
An awful lot of folks consider Lewis Brothers Ice Cream a must on every visit to PTown, and in the summer you can find them in Truro as well when they bring their solar powered ice cream truck to the beaches, and on Mondays they are scooping ice cream at the Truro Farmers Market from 8 AM till noon. You'll find them at other events around the Cape, and you can book them for your own party or event.
Another reason we love Lewis Brothers is because they are a green business. They do their best to help the planet and to protect the fragile ecosystem that surrounds us, hence the solar powered ice cream truck. They have achieved a Level One Cape and Islands Green Certification, and we thank them for their commitment to the environment and for their terrific ice cream!

Fanizzi's Supports the "Provincetown Fitness Challenge" with Healthy Meals

Fanizzi's delicious Lemon-Basil Baked Cod weighs in at just 340 calories.

Through March 22nd Fanizzi's restaurant is offering their "fitness friendly" entrées in support of the annual Provincetown Fitness Challenge.
More than 100 local folks from all walks of life have committed to the 12-week program designed to help them get stronger and healthier through making changes both in the way that they exercise and in the food choices they make. Fanizzi's is helping out by offering your choice of four meals emphasizing greatly reduced fats, lots of veggies, and whole grains.
I tried the Lemon-Basil Baked Cod, served with sautéed spinach and mushrooms and mixed steamed veggies. It was a very satisfying dish with hardly a drop of fat and only about 340 calories in the entire meal. I'm lobbying to keep this offering on the menu even after the end of this wintertime fitness challenge, which finishes on March 22nd. Other special menu choices during the event include a whole wheat pasta with veggies, a baked salmon dish, or an Italian herb chicken.
Fanizzi's sits right on the beach in the East End, at 539 Commercial Street, offering an unparalleled view of Provincetown Harbor. They are open daily year-round, closing only on Thanksgiving and Christmas. They have space to park just a few cars, but in the off-season parking isn't difficult. Lunch and dinner are served daily, along with their famous Sunday brunch buffet. Early Bird specials are available from 4:30 PM till 6 PM, with a very popular Friday night fish fry for $13.99.
There's a cozy, well stocked bar featuring over a dozen specialty martinis and that gorgeous harbor view. Desserts are homemade, served in legendary portions. Call for reservations at 508 487-1964, or take a chance and just drop in, and do me a favor…
On your way out, ask them to keep this cod dish on the menu permanently.

What's New? - All Kinds of Flavors at the Food Court in the Aquarium Marketplace

This spring there are so many new things to taste in Provincetown. You could spend an entire day trying new flavors in the Food Court at the Aquarium Marketplace, at 209 Commercial Street. In fact, you could easily spend your whole day at Uma Loucura, the new Brazilian restaurant there, tasting dishes and flavors you've never had before, but will be sure to go back for again. Let's start there...

Some of Brazil's favorite breakfast
and snack foods from Uma Loucura.

Uma Loucura offers a wonderful variety of meals, made from scratch from authentic Brazilian ingredients you have likely never tasted. They offer a great menu and daily specials, but for today, let's start with a few very popular Brazilian snack foods, clockwise from the bottom left corner:
Coxinha is the favorite of all snacks in Brazil, a sort of chicken croquette, if you will. This is a light teardrop shaped ball of soft dough stuffed with shredded chicken.
Esfirra is a tiny, triangular pastry stuffed with ground beef and Brazillian seasonings, heralding from the Middle East.

Pao De Queijo, a little ball of cheese bread made from cassava flour (from the ground roots of the manioc plant) will soon be offered in daily choices like jalapeño, bacon and other flavorss. This is a very popular snack and breakfast food in Brazil.
Empadinha, in the bottom right corner, is a mild, bite sized pie made with shredded chicken baked into a pastry crust, with a great texture and flavor.

Get a plate of any or all of these to carry out onto the Aquarium's waterfront deck to enjoy with a cocktail, a glass of wine or a cold beer at the Aqua Bar, along with that amazing view of Provincetown Harbor.

About 2 dozen great flavors at a time
are n the case at I Dream of Gelato.

It is impossible to walk into I Dream of Gelato and not find something new. Michelle simply can't help herself. She gets an idea for a new flavor and can't seem to rest until she has perfected it. It'll take you a couple of years to taste them all, with somewhere around 200 brilliant flavors of gelato and sorbetto rotating through the freezer case as they are made fresh daily. Yesterday I tasted the amazing banana fig, and the award-winning Holy Canolli. It was the caramel salt pretzel, though, that sent me off looking for Michelle to find out how in the world she comes up with these sublime combinations of flavors and then actually puts those flavors into these extraordinary confections. Short of grinding up actual pretzels into the mix, how does she achieve that flavor? Turns out she does use pretzels, but that still doesn't explain how she makes this perfectly smooth, and perfectly flavored, fine Italian ice cream. 

The famous Mississippi Mud Cake
from Connie's Bakery is legendary.

So much is new at Connie's Bakery this year that I'll have to write a whole page about it very soon. So let me just mention that Shane has taken over upon Connie's retirement, after her many years of turning out some of Provincetown's favorite baked goods. Don't worry, all your favorites are still here. The store has been carefully remodeled, making it much easier to shop for savory treats like their beautiful quiche, or sweets like the endless array of cookies, cakes, pies, muffins, and brownies that made Connie's famous.

Shane has some new things in store for us as well. Recently inspired by the birthday of a friend, Shane made a tiny tweak to a favorite recipe from Connie's vast collection, and made the Mississippi Mud Cake what many now claim to be the best chocolate cake ever created. I was certainly hooked upon tasting this rich, dense Bundt cake, a bit like a pudding cake but somehow lighter, with a bit of coffee to give it a little mocha flavor, and drizzled with a chocolate ganache. Stop in and give it a taste.

All these things and more are found in the Aquarium, with seven unique restaurants, and seating indoors or out, on the patio or the waterfront deck. Everything here is available for takeout, too. Next week we'll try more of the new dishes Provincetown has to offer this summer. They are found all along Commercial Street. Let me know if you find something I need to taste.

The PTown Treat to Beat the Summer Heat...

In this evil, hot, sticky weather we've been having there's one thing that has kept me going... I dream of gelato.
At 205 Commercial Street, near the foot of Carver Street, tucked away in the back of the little food court in the old Aquarium, you'll find the finest gelato on American shores. It's well worth the few extra minutes you might spend  finding the place the first time you visit. Once you find it, you'll definitely be back. This is quite likely the best gelato you'll ever taste.
I Dream of Gelato is now in its 7th year, serving up the most delectable frozen confections, specialty coffees, fresh fruit smoothies, custom milkshakes made to order, and more. Of course, the real star here is the gelato, homemade Italian ice cream made right here, every day, one small batch at a time. Over the years Michelle has absolutely perfected more than 160 flavors of gelatos and sorbets, ranging from the creamy smooth Pink Grapefruit to about three dozen different chocolate flavors. At any given moment you'll find two dozen flavors in the display case, with each flavor rotating into the spotlight several times over the summer. Actually, you could just close your eyes and throw a dart to choose a flavor, and you would walk out happy every time. Try the Caramel Apple flavor, or the White Chocolate Coconut, or the more exotic flavors like Rose or Jasmine.
Gelato is actually a lot better for you than conventional American ice cream, which can have a butterfat content of as much as 26 percent! Gelato is made with milk rather than cream, and no eggs are used, so the fat content is cut way down, and the flavors in the gelato really shine through without all that butterfat clogging up your tastebuds. But the texture of gelato is still incredibly creamy because of the way it's made. It doesn't have nearly the amount of air whipped in the way ice cream does, so it is denser and smoother, giving it a creamier feeling in your mouth. Without all that air whipped in, gelato also lets you taste more of the flavor of the fruit, or whatever ingredients are used to flavor it. Gelato is also made and frozen at a temperature a bit less frigid than ice cream, so your tongue and your tastebuds can actually discern more of the flavor of gelato.
My very favorite of all the choices is the Pineapple Basil Sorbet. Did you know that sorbets are made without any dairy ingredients? So there is even less fat in a sorbet, but you wouldn't know it from the taste. Each one I have tried has been absolutely delicious. By the way, you are invited to taste a couple of flavors to help you choose the one you want, or order your cup or cone with more than one flavor. And then you can come back the next day for different flavors.
I don't look forward to the next streak of hot, humid weather predicted for the next few days, but as long as I can dream of gelato after a long day working in the heat, I'll survive this weather just fine.
By the way, I Dream of Gelato has a brand new sister shop across Commercial Street and a few doors closer to Town Hall. Look for Sips and Lix at 212 Commercial Street, where you'll find fresh juices, a smoothie bar, wheat grass shots, frozen yogurt and modern soft-serve ice cream. Look for an upcoming post about this terrific new shop.

Truro Residents, Frequent PTown Diners, Came This Night for Chinese and Fries at the Aquarium Marketplace

As I was having my own dinner on the patio, next to the waterfront deck at the Aquarium Marktplace, I met these folks from Truro. They quite often come into PTown for supper and have a number of favorite meals in our local eateries. This night they came into Provincetown for Chinese and fries. They got Chinese take-out from the Fortune Cookie, a Townie Favorite and the longest-running restaurant in the food court at the old aquarium, now in its 20th season serving appetizers, seafood dishes, beef, chicken and vegan choices, along with many others.

Tofu and Broccoli, photo from Fortune Cookie's website

Among my favorites are the Scallion Pancakes, Thai Chicken Wings, and General Tsao's Chicken; a daily special and a real bargain at $11.55, and that includes the tax. One of my favorite vegetarian dishes here is the Tofu and Broccoli.
You'll also find Connie's Bakery in the Aquarium, with egg sandwiches and a variety of breakfast pastries from scratch every day, and a savory pastry called a street pie, meant to be eaten as you walk down Commercial Street.
This foursome from Truro also ordered a big basket of fries from Batata, which features a wide variety of Canadian-style comfort foods, among them some of the town's best French fries, as well as a favorite take-out menu for a number of local police officers, making this little spot another Townie Favorite.
These folks from Truro sat down at the table next to mine as I was trying the fish taco of the day from Native Cape Cod Seafood. They've really hit their stride this year, now in their 2nd season in the Aquarium Marketplace. Give them a try. A man sharing my communal table was there for the Lobster Scampi served over linguine. He told me he thought it was one of the best values in town on top quality seafood.

New this year in the Aquarium is Cookies U, featuring delicious cookies made from scratch every day by Jackie, a former teacher, now following her heart and baking up cookies from simple to elaborate every day.
A favorite of mine is the basic peanut butter cookie, in the Cookies 101 section. Cookies with something extra, like Jackie's frosted sugar cookie, are in the Cookies 201 class. Advanced studies in the Cookies 301 class include whoopee pies and others that have moved well beyond basic studies. Stop and taste these cookies and you will return again.
That brings us to Big Daddy's Burritos, where meat lovers and vegetarians alike will find fresh, healthy choices in not only burritos, but also tacos, nachos, quesadillas, and salads, and any burrito can be served in a bowl without a tortilla and gluten free.
One of my favorites here is the Squash and Corn Burrito, made with zucchini, corn, brown rice, Monterrey Jack cheese, your choice of black or pinto beans and homemade salsa, all rolled into a 12 inch flour tortilla. You can also add sour cream, or make it a whole wheat or a spinach tortilla for a small extra fee. I also like the Carnitas Burrito, made with specially seasoned, slow-roasted pork. Add $1.25 to any food purchase and get a 24 ounce freshly brewed iced tea. Get a breakfast burrito from 9:30 till 11 AM.

Sign from
I Dream of Gelato website

There is no better spot in town for dessert than I Dream of Gelato, with dozens of things here each qualifying as a Best Bite. It's the last shop on the left as you walk through the building and out to the beautiful waterfront deck looking out over the boats in the harbor. Homemade gelato, the Italian ice cream, is made right here, all day long, with more than 160 flavors having been absolutely perfected over the years. Gelato is not only better for you, but it also has more flavor than traditional American ice cream. Made with milk rather than heavy cream, and without eggs, and frozen at a slightly warmer temperature and with much less air whipped into the mixture, the result is an extremely flavorful, denser and smoother consistency that really lets the flavors of the fruits, nuts, caramel swirls or whatever special ingredients might be in your favorite flavor shine through.
There are always 24 flavors in the case, each of the 160 flavors taking its turn in the spotlight. You'll find traditional favorites like strawberry, nearly three-dozen chocolate flavors, and unique offerings like the golden butter cake with milk chocolate frosting. The black sesame is simply amazing.  My very favorite is the pineapple basil sorbet. Like all sorbets, it is made without any dairy ingredients, so it is even lower in fat and calories, but you could never tell from the taste. There are sugar-free choices as well. Try any flavor and you'll be hooked. Tastes are available. This shop also makes wonderful specialty coffees, Italian hot chocolate and other treats, too. Look for an upcoming post about I Dream of Gelato.
Choose your food, even from more than one of these restaurants, as these folks from Truro did, and carry it out to the patio or the waterfront deck to enjoy a little sea breeze, and get a few oysters on-the-half-shell or other treats from the raw bar on the patio. Have a cocktail from the Aqua Bar, right on the deck, served by Dante, one of the town's favorite bartenders. The view from the deck is fantastic, and you are having your own, custom waterfront dining at a bargain price. Meals here range from about $7 to $20, with many around the $10 range. The Aquarium Marketplace is found at 205 Commercial Street, near the corner of Carver Street.