We Bid Farewell to Sal's Place

Trampolina welcomes guests to one of Sal's lavish opening parties.

Tonight is the last Throwback Thursday at Sal's Place, at 99 Commercial Street, as they wind down the 52-year run of this iconic waterfront Italian restaurant in Provincetown's West End. Sal's will close its doors after one last dinner this Monday night, September 29th.

Alexander and Lora, in a photo from Sal's website.

Sal's Executive Chef Alexander and owner Lora Papetsas have each decided to move on to other pursuits after more than a decade running this waterfront restaurant at the edge of Provincetown Harbor. Patrons have been streaming in for a last meal and to bid farewell to Alexander and Lora, and to all the staff members who have made us all feel so welcome over the years.

Nate and Anthony serving Italian sausages and steak crostini.

The opening parties at Sal's place every spring were legendary, with Townies treated to an endless array of samples from the menu served both in the dining room and out on the deck overlooking Provincetown Harbor.

Sal's Bear Week menu became a favorite with Glenn and John.

Glenn and John, from New Jersey, became repeat customers at Sal's when they discovered it during Bear Week a couple of years ago, when that week's special menu lured them in, and the harbor view at twilight kept them coming back.

Lora's wonderful Chocolate Mousse Pie will be sorely missed.

Get to Sal's for a number of specials during this final week…

•Throwback Thursday - all entrées are $19.62, for the year the restaurant was started by artist Sal Del Deo
•Prix Fixe Sunday - 4 course specials for $35
•Townie Monday - 1/2 price entrées for local residents



And, of course, we've got to have one last slice of Lora's superb Chocolate Mousse Pie as we wish them well, and bid a fond farewell to Sal's Place.

Bayside Betsy Bids PTown Farewell

Bayside Betsy's welcomed one and all.

If you are a fan of Bayside Betsy's Commercial Street restaurant, near the beginning of Provincetown's West End, you'll want to get there quickly for one more meal and that fantastic view out over the harbor, and to give Betsy a hug…
Betsy is retiring. She's selling, and giving up restaurant life after 15 years of feeding hungry visitors and residents alike in this busy little spot right on the edge Provincetown's magnificent harbor. In fact, she's been feeding us for the past couple of decades.
I first met Betsy Melamed back in the '90s when she and husband Steve, who passed away in 2010, were running Stormy Harbor, a popular restaurant and nightclub at the corner of Commercial and Ryder streets, across from Town Hall. When their lease on that space ran out they found the building at 177 Commercial Street, which would become the home of their new restaurant, Bayside Betsy's, and a cozy little bar they named Mixers. Both developed a following and quickly became a "must" for many people returning for their vacation escapes to PTown each summer.
Betsy is always a gracious host, and there's a pretty funny two-part YouTube video where she manages to remain affable in an interview with Stephen Holt (quite a character,) who hosts a small TV series on a New York cable access channel. Stephen, God love him, bungles Betsy's name on camera, and misspells it on screen, while he dips his lobster in the ketchup meant for his fries. Click these links to find Betsy, along with legendary server Mrs. A., on the Stephen Holt Show at Bayside Betsy's, and part two explains how "Mrs. A" got that name.

Visitors and Townies enjoy their last meal at Bayside Betsy's.

I was recently at Bayside Betsy's for breakfast myself, and I met this group, who lucked into a lovely, warm day in the midst of this chilly spring weather we've been enduring.
A bunch of friends who had been invited by a couple of part-time PTown residents to come and spend the weekend had arrived from Boston, New York and as far away as Michigan (or was it Minnesota?) for a get-together at the tip of the Cape. They were enjoying cocktails and brunch, and, of course, the view of Long Point, the very tip of Cape Cod, just across the harbor from Betsy's panoramic windows.
Townies and visitors will all miss Betsy and her kindness, and that easy charm that has made us all feel so welcome at Bayside Betsy's over the years. We wish her well.