Japanese Snacks at Tanuki are My Favorite New Street Food in PTown

This Spicy Smoky Bluefish Onigiri is the perfect snack to take to the beach or street.

I didn't make my first visit to Tanuki, sort of a Japanese snack bar on Commercial Street, until mid-summer, but I've been a steady customer ever since.
I can't get enough of their Onigiri (say O•neeg•yeer•ee, or just ask for rice balls,) my favorite new food in PTown this summer.

Tanuki's version of the traditional Japanese rice ball is actually a very special rice, imported from Japan since it isn't readily available in the US, pressed into about a three-inch triangle to hold its shape, and stuffed with any number of savory fillings. The Spicy, Smoky Bluefish variety is pictured here, sprinkled with a bit of spice, a few black sesame seeds and sliced scallion, and it's my favorite new Commercial Street snack.

Taniko's rice balls are wrapped and ready to go, slipped into your pocket or beach bag.

Other Onigiri choices on any given day might be the Sansyo Pork, or Spicy Mackerel & Tobiko, the tasty, flying fish roe you may know if you/re a sushi fan.
A vegetarian variety is always available, too, like the Tare Tofu Onigiri, as long as it hasn't already sold out before you get there.

Selection will vary daily depending on which particular ingredients are the finest available that day. If beautiful Atlantic Salmon are swimming nearby, for example, you can bet that they'll become a featured Onigiri that afternoon. These great, triangular Rice Balls are made fresh throughout the day, so there are always several choices.

These excellent, savory snacks are best eaten at room temperature, so choose a couple of flavors from the cooler and take them with you. Let them warm up a bit, then splash on just a few drops of the ultra-premium soy sauce Tanuki provides, and munch down a delicious, healthy treat you may never have had before, all for about $4.

Healthy, vegan truffles are homemade by hand, and good for you.

Last Saturday, on a mad rush to be on time for the final performance of The Whining, I realized I needed to eat something before the show to tide me over, so I grabbed a rice ball from Tanuki, slipped it into my shirt pocket and headed across the street to the Art House.
By the time it was my turn in the box office line, my snack was the perfect temperature to maximize all of its great flavors, both bold and subtle.
I unwrapped it, dripped on a tiny bit of that special soy sauce, and gobbled up the snack I'd been craving all week. These Onigiri are  quick, nutritious, satisfying, very tasty, and inexpensive... You just can't beat a deal like that.
Tanuki makes treats for your sweet tooth as well, like their Bittersweet Red Bean Truffles, made with 70% dark chocolate and Matcha green tea, and chock-full of health and energy benefits for you. There are matcha cream puffs as well as goodies made with lemon and mascarpone, and others.They've been experimenting in the kitchen all summer, coming up with things like a "Japanese cheesecake" and other tasty innovations, each around $3.

I tried the Black Sesame flavor of Mochi Ice Cream.

Mochi Ice Cream (just $2.50 each) are small, unusual desserts made with premium ice cream in uncommon flavors. These are tasty discs of ice cream about two inches wide. Each one of these is encased in a thin, smooth coating of a confection that reminds me of the texture of a marshmallow.
You can eat them with your hands. or spear them on the end of a chopstick. They're the perfect size for when you just want a little ice cream, not a huge, expensive cone.

The full service coffee bar offers a wide variety of hot coffee drinks like espresso, caoouccino and lattes as well as hot tea specialties including Matcha and Genma Cha. Tanuki makes a variety of chilled coffee and tea beverages including a great cold brewed, iced coffee and a "Hangover Helper" that actually does seem to help. It's made with  your choice of iced Sencha or Oolong teas. There are Matcha smoothies, a Matcha Palmer (1/2 lemonade,) as well as bottled, cold drinks from Japan.

Blackboards out front list food and drink specialties, some evolving through the day.

Find Tanuki, named for a creature known in Japanese legend and mythology, at 227 Commercial Street. They're in the bright yellow building known for many years as The Little Store, in the days when it was bright red.

Tanuki made its first PTown appearance as a very popular pop-up restaurant during the annual holiday festival sponsored by The Canteen, right next door. That tremendous response in mid-winter led to launching Tanuki in a brand new space of its own this summer.
Try some of these excellent snacks, treats and beverages, bringing Commercial Street some unique new flavors and expanding the variety of international street foods found in PTown.

PTown's Award-Winning Farmers Market: Fresh Produce, Eggs, Jams, Crafts, More

Freshly picked produce has greater flavor and nutritional value than store-bought.

Provincetown Farmers Market has once again been named as the best farmers market on the Outer Cape.
Every year, readers and editors of Cape Cod Life magazine vote for their favorites among hundreds of restaurants, shops and attractions throughout Cape Cod, and 2018 is the second year in a row that our own farmers market in Provincetown has been granted the "Gold" award in our region.
Fresh fruits, vegetables and eggs are just the beginning here. Selection might vary a bit from week to week, but you'll always find a great array of specialties made by local farmers, like organic meat products, homemade preserves, a splendid, aged, balsamic vinegar or pure, unadulterated, local honey.
Find the farmers market on Ryder Street, next to Town Hall, every Saturday from May 12th to November 17th, from 9 AM to 3PM.

Bike Around Provincetown in the Calm of the Autumn Season

Even though they had a car, Aaron and David  rented bicycles while in PTown.

 

The other day I met two men who were on a quick, mini vacation in Provincetown, packing in as much as they could in a brief trip. David has been visiting us for about 20 years, while this is Aaron’s first time here, so David had all kinds of things he wanted Aaron to see, and do, and taste.
They made the rounds over the short time they had to spend here, having escaped Los Angeles for a very quick trip. They had a car at their disposal while here, but decided to rent bicycles, for the ease of getting around by bike to spots they wanted to visit, and for the sheer enjoyment of pedaling their way from one end of town to the other in this dazzling weather we’re having.

They drove up to Provincetown Bike Rentals (which is just finishing its new parking lot for their customers,) rented a couple of beautiful new bikes, and drove off with them! Ah, but there was method to their madness…They drove to the Far West End of Provincetown (perhaps they were staying somewhere in that neighborhood,) and that’s where their adventure began.

The Breakwater is among PTown's most popular walking spots.

They started out at the Breakwater, the famous granite jetty in the Far West End, hiking the mile-and-a-quarter length of it across the harbor and wetlands out to the shifting sands of Long Point, and that fabulous view.
Once back on terra firma following their hike, they biked out into a bit of the lovely Cape Cod National Seashore, past the saltwater pond that rises with the tide, then pedaled up toward the Far East End.
From there, they made stops all around the town. They even spent some time with horses belonging to a friend, visiting Provincetown’s last remaining bit of pasture. They were packing in the adventures on this trip.

On previous visits, David had ridden all of the various spurs that make up nearly eight miles of gorgeous paved bike trails in PTown, but the two decided that on this trip, with their time here limited, that they would concentrate on exploring the town itself, and showing Aaron around.

These two gentlemen covered an impressive area, visiting a good number of spots during their brief stay, and it was all that much easier navigating the town by bicycle rather than on foot or by car. Aaron says he’ll definitely be back, and plans next time to hit the bike trails, which will be waiting for him.

They managed to visit restaurants all around the town as well; again, easier by bicycle. They commented on great meals they had found, particularly several dishes at the Lobster Pot, the huge lobster roll at Bayside Betsy’s, and the Mayflower’s clam chowder, along with their spaghetti and meatballs.

Bradford Natural Market has great food to take out or eat in.

I met them when they sat down at an outdoor table to gobble down a quick lunch at 141 Bradford Natural Market. Aaron loved his authentic Cuban sandwich, served hot off the Panini grill, and David raved about his Thai Peanut Chicken.
I was there picking up a few groceries and having a little something from their daily hot food bar, having lunch on a welcoming bench in front of the market. I was enjoying the glorious sunshine and a meal I hope to have again sometime. The White Beans with Tarragon over Jasmine Rice was soooo good that I’ll be writing about it shortly.

I had seen the guys pedal up to check in their bikes with Mike, who owns Provincetown Bike Rentals, at 136 Bradford Street, right across from the market. Easy as pie, they were in and out in mere moments, and then they dashed across the road for some food, having just an hour left in Provincetown to eat something, pack their stuff, catch the three o’clock ferry to Boston, and then their plane back to LA.

We chatted a bit between delectable mouthfuls, and then they were off, having had a remarkable, whirlwind, mini vacation in Provincetown, made all the better with a fun, convenient bike rental, this gorgeous weather we’ve been having, and some great food throughout the town.

If you’re planning a visit to Provincetown, consider renting a bike to get around. The Bay State Ferry from Boston extended their schedule by an extra couple of weeks or so this year, so there’s still time, if you’re quick, to get here and enjoy this beautiful fall weather and your own adventure, pedaling around PTown in the serenity of the autumn season. Come join us!

Great Breakfast at 141 To Go

One of my favorite new breakfast sandwiches in PTown, at 141 To Go

You probably know 141 Bradford Natural Market, near the center of Provincetown, with all sorts of natural and organic foods available, and with a wonderful kitchen turning out all kinds of meals and snacks ready to take out or eat in. But you may not know their little sister, 141 To Go, found at 148 Commercial Street, in the heart of Provincetown's bustling West End neighborhood.
The kitchen in this little shop turns out fresh-baked treats like wonderful muffins and cookies, along with lunch items like the smoked tempeh wrap, and you can get your morning started with a choice of custom cream cheese spreads on your bagel.
A new favorite of mine is their breakfast sandwich, made with organic eggs and a sort of chunky salsa on a fresh, fluffy roll, nicely crusty on the outside. I order mine with cheddar cheese and avocado added as well, and that makes this one of the best breakfast sandwiches in PTown. Be prepared for it to be perhaps a bit messy, because they fry the eggs perfectly, leaving the yolk just a tiny bit runny.
You can take your order to go, as the name implies, but you can also gather with friends, or meet new ones, in their little courtyard, with benches as well as table seating. Add their excellent cup of coffee, or a great organic Mighty Leaf tea, and you can't help but have a smile on your face to get your day going.
This is also a great spot to stop on your way to the beach to get cold drinks, and a lunch that is actually good for you. Pick up their menu, then you can call ahead for orders to go, at 774 538-6199.

Mmmm! PTown Farmers Market...

I had these gorgeous fresh black raspberries for lunch last Saturday,
from one of the stalls at Provincetown's fabulous Farmers Market.

Provincetown has a Farmers Market next to its Town Hall every Saturday from 11 AM till 4 PM, from May through November, and perhaps beyond.

Find not only this beautiful, fresh local produce and fresh-cut flowers, but some unexpected items, as well as treats made from other farm-fresh articles, too. You'll often even find meats and seafood.

You'll routinely find things like honey from local beekeepers, jams, crafts like sachets made from flowers and herbs grown without any pesticides or poisons, and many other things that are better for us than typical supermarket foods, and things that are grown in a way that's better for the planet, as well.

A reviewer on yelp raved over an expensive balsamic vinegar, saying it was absolutely worth every penny. Another reviewer there suggested people taking the ferry back home to Boston should shop here and support these small farmers while saving money over city prices for beautiful produce.

I can still taste the strawberries I bought from one of these farmers last summer, and a couple of times I've even had freshly shucked oysters for my lunch, as a shell fisherman shucked each oyster just for me from a crate of ice in the back of his pickup truck. It just doesn't get any fresher than that.

You never know what you'll find at our Farmers Market, but there's always a variety of things that may be unexpected, as well as impeccably fresh, beautiful fruits, vegetables, flowers and herbs from nearby small farmers, women and men who have tenderly grown these things with love and care. Show them some support, and be a bit healthier, too, when you choose things from these wonderful, small independent farmers.

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!

PTOWN Café Frittata is a "Best Bite"

The frittata at PTOWN Café is Best Bite, available Saturdays and Sundays.

PTOWN Café, found on Commercial Street next to Town Hall, offers a great breakfast choice on weekends. They make a frittata, a bit like a crustless quiche, with sun dried tomatoes, feta, arugula and a few Kalamata olives. It's delicious, and a good-sized slice sells for just $3.75, which makes it a Best Bite.
For another dollar I'll often add a cranberry pecan roll, and that makes a nice breakfast for about $5. A variety of fresh baked goods will come out of the oven throughout the day, and there are coffees and teas both hot and cold. The iced coffee is cold-brewed for a smoother flavor, and you'll find a nice brewed, iced green tea, too.

The cranberry pecan roll is among my favorites at PTOWN Café.

They also carry quite a variety of healthy packaged snacks, like Beanos black bean chips, for a quick bite, or to go with a cup of fresh fruit or a sandwich. This thoughtful choice of snack foods includes things that are good for you, like oats, dark chocolate, beans, nuts or olives.
For those times when your taste runs toward the more decadent end of the scale, look no further than Lisa's killer chocolate chip brownie, perhaps the best in town.
PTOWN Café is located at 258 Commercial Street, just west of Town Hall. Give 'em a try.