Harbor Ice Lingers After Storm as Flooded Provincetowners Shovel Out

The Truro shoreline, and My Yot in the ice, seen from the beach at St Mary's Church.

Former fishing vessel My Yot was seen in Provincetown Harbor surrounded by sea ice last Saturday. From Saint Mary's beach, looking toward the Truro shoreline, the anchored boat appeared to float gently amidst the gradually melting floes of ice left behind after the so-called "bomb cyclone" storm that had ripped its way up the East Coast the week before.
A weather condition known as bombogenesis occurs when a very big drop in air pressure happens in a very short period of time, creating a storm of explosive strength. The sudden drop in pressure causes air to be drawn spiraling into the center of the growing storm, only to be rapidly pushed out through the top of the system.
If the amount of air being sucked into the storm can't keep up with the amount being blown out of the top, the pressure drops even farther and the system grows that much bigger, sucking in more air from farther, and still farther away. Our storm was so strong that it drew in moist air from as far away as the Caribbean.

Folks, and pets, are happy to walk on the beach again, as ice shifts with the tides.

Bombogenesis is achieved when the air pressure drops at least 24 millibars over a period of 24 hours. In this storm, there was a pressure drop of 59 millibars in those 24 hours, which set us up for a storm so strong that it may actually have broken previous records.
PTown saw storm surge and flooding, window-rattling winds and some very cold temperatures, yet we came out pretty well, since the heart of the storm was very far out to sea, where scientists estimated possible 50-foot waves. A blizzard warning had been issued from Virginia to eastern Maine. Even parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina got six inches of snow, which is a huge struggle for them.
JFK airport had to be closed for a bit due to 55 mph winds, Islip airport on Long Island got snow at the rate of about three inches per hour, the shoreline and islands of Massachusetts recorded winds over 70 mph, and as the storm was strengthening in New England, Boston was nearing tides at an all-time record high.

Harbor colors are actually enhanced with all the white spots to play on at sunset.

Communities farther inland got their share of extreme weather out of this event, too. Immense temperature drops were felt from the East Coast to the Midwest as this epic storm jostled the polar vortex.
It pulled in masses of frigid air from Siberia, the North Pole and Greenland all at once, causing a rapid drop in normal, regional winter temperatures by as much as 40 degrees in some spots.

So PTown really was quite lucky, despite flooding in many Commercial Street businesses, homes, restaurants, and the UU Meetinghouse. We live in a town where the electricity goes out when someone sneezes in Wellfleet, yet we escaped the serious, lengthy outages that are so dangerous in extremely cold weather.
All in all, we did alright. And as temperatures warmed up a bit, folks could get back to strolling along the harbor, stepping around the ice floes that settle on the flats when the tide rolls out, and enjoying these spectacular, unusual sights.

If the beach becomes impassable, take the stairway up to Fanizzi's, reopening today.

As we were reaching low tide on this day, the sun was getting ready to set as well, making for some lovely scenes of sea ice glistening as it came to rest on the tidal flats circling around Provincetown Harbor.
The beach in front of Fanizzi's had slowly begun taking on its usual late-afternoon pinkish, golden glow, but with a lot of extra sparkles and colors appearing in that rare, temporary art form that Mother Earth had floated on the water for us.
After closing while they worked to recover from heavy flooding and storm damage, today sees Fanizzi's Restaurant once again opening its doors, resuming their usual schedule, complete with early bird specials, Friday Night Fish Fry, Sunday Brunch, that stunning view, and all the things that make this resilient little spot a favorite neighborhood hangout. Stop in and warm up a bit if you get a little chilled on your beach walk.

Saint Mary's Community Luncheons Brighten Provincetown's Winter

A delicious homestyle meal is served every Saturday thru February at St. Mary's.

The famous weekly community luncheons are back for the winter season at The Church of Saint Mary of the Harbor, at 517 Commercial Street. Every Saturday in the months of January and February this lovely Episcopal Church on the edge of Provincetown Harbor hosts the entire community for a meal and live music at no charge.
Church volunteers prepare and serve a different homestyle meal each Saturday, with several favorites eagerly anticipated sometime during this luncheon season. The winter in Provincetown wouldn't be complete without the appearance of famed recipes by Mary-Jo Avellar, Priscilla Jackett and a number of other great cooks.

Live music accompanies lunch, with singing and dancing encouraged!

Music is presented by musicians from up the street and up the Cape, who relish playing for such an appreciative audience while lunch is served. Song and a variety of instruments can be heard before you even set foot through the doorway to this welcoming hall.
Everyone is invited, so come join the fun every Saturday at 12 noon, thru February.

PTown Carnival 2015 Gets Underway

Join us in Provincetown for our 2015 Carnival from August 15th through 21st, celebrating a Candy Land theme. 

August 15th through the 21st is Provincetown's annual Carnival, with Candy Land as this year's theme.  Go to http://ptown.org/carnival to find out what's in the works and to learn about the history of Carnival. There will be a number of parties, an opening reception, a boat cruise, a flag raising ceremony, a costume ball, and of course, our legendary annual parade on Commercial Street, with renowned entertainer Sandra Bernhard as the Grand Marshall. Ms Bernhard will also give a live performance in Town Hall, with award-winning songstress Anne Steele as her opening act.

Learn about events and order tickets on the PBG Carnival Tickets page, along with Tee-shirts, and candy bars promising a total of 25 Golden Tickets, à la Willy Wonka. Trips to Las Vegas and many other PTown and Vegas prizes will be going to folks who find a lucky ticket when they unwrap their candy bars.

Watch for people in costumes to start popping up on Commercial Street as the week progresses, especially on parade day (Thursday) and for Drag Bingo as well, which is a fundraiser for the UU Meetinghouse, where this venerable event is held.

Lunch at Far Land Hits the Spot

Far Land's terrific Herring Cove sandwich is big, delicious, and only $7.

I stopped at Far Land Provisions the other day to get something to eat, and I tried their Herring Cove sandwich. It's made with a pile of tender, lean roast beef, just a bit on the rare side, tasty and perfect in a sandwich.
Next comes the roasted red pepper, then the garlic herb spread. I ordered it with the standard lettuce and tomato, and added thin-sliced red onion. All of that went between a couple of hearty slices of impeccably fresh multigrain bread, with a pickle spear on the side, and it was the best sandwich I've had in quite some time. Better still, it was just $7.
I like their Wood End sandwich, too, with grilled, marinated vegetables, sprouts and their homemade hummus rolled in a wrap. Their Head of the Meadow is no slouch, either: brie, apple, sprouts and honey mustard. Delish!

Desserts and sweets are a specialty at Far Land, made daily, from scratch.

It's hard to walk out of Far Land without something from their bakery case, too, with freshly baked muffins, cookies, bars and brownies in an endless variety. My dessert this day was made with pineapple, cashews, macadamia nuts and coconut, with a crust that was something akin to a shortbread. Did they call this a Congo Bar? I don't know, but I got the last one in the case.
I ate my lunch at a little table looking out the window onto Bradford Street, amongst a bunch of folks who had taken refuge from Wednesday's killer rain storm, but you can get your order to go, too. Check out Far Land, at 150 Bradford Street, for their award winning sandwiches and goodies, and for lunch to take with you to the beach.

Provincetown Film Festival Begins Tonight!

More than 50 films and events will be packed into our 17th annual
Provincetown International Film Festival, running through Sunday. 

Our 17th annual Provincetown International Film Festival begins this evening with ten films and events tonight alone, and over the five days of the festival, we'll pack in more than 50 films and events all over Provincetown and beyond. Click here for 2015 PIFF schedule. Tonight's events, all over town, and at the Wellfleet Drive In, include screenings of documentaries, narrative films and shorts, and the festival's opening party at the Crown & Anchor. Thursday will offer us another 24 films and events, and each day of the festival will wow you with choices. Click here for the PIFF Calendar of events, which will quickly and easily show you, day by day, the various screenings, parties and events you will all want to attend.
Click here for the Parties and Events list to find various awards presentations, filmmaker chats, parties and other events you won't want to miss. Check out the "Breakfast With…" series, where a panel of filmmakers will discuss their work and answer questions while everyone has something to eat. Thursday's panel includes folks who have made films relating directly to Provincetown, such as Andrea Myerson's Clambake, about the beginnings and evolution of Women's Week in Provincetown, now one of the biggest annual lesbian events in the world.
Buy tickets online or visit the box office on the first floor of the Whalers Wharf, at the far end of the building, on the edge of the beach. Get your tickets early, before they sell out, and be at the venue at least 15 minutes before the scheduled showtime so you don't lose your seat. If a film you have your heart set on is already sold out, you still have a pretty fair chance of seeing it by "wait listing." You can go the the venue up to an hour before the start time and wait in line for empty seats that will become available 15 minutes before showtime. I've gotten into dozens of sold out films this way over the last 17 years of the festival. It's first come, first served, so get there before the rest of the town gets in line.
Get out and see as many films as you can, attend a few parties, meet a few stars and filmmakers, and enjoy one of the best film festivals in America!

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.

Winter Brings PTown Lunch Specials

"Bubbles" fish fry is likely to sell out, so get there early.

"Bubbles" fish fry is the lunch special served every Friday of the winter at the Governor Bradford. It's quite a generous serving of fish, with lemon, tartar sauce,
a little coleslaw and very good fries, and it comes with a soft drink. This lunch will set you back a mere $7.50, just like all their lunch specials, offered Monday through Friday all winter long.
You'll want to get there early for the fish fry, or on days when some of the other Townie Favorites are on the menu, which changes frequently, except for Fridays. That's always fish fry day, routinely selling out, as do some of the others. When I called recently to see what that day's lunch special was, the roast pork had already sold out, which was even more disappointing for me since it's one of my favorites, and I haven't seen it roll around on the menu for a while.
Look for the sign in the window for the weekly menu, which changes often. It recently included a Chicken Cordon Bleu sandwich on a Monday, and their meatloaf with potatoes and vegetables on Thursday that week. Last week they offered a chicken enchilada, and their lasagna is always very popular. But even when the special has sold out, their regular lunch menu is still being served. They make a decent burger, for example, always cooked just the way I ordered it, and again, the fries are very good.
So watch the sign for changing daily specials and see what strikes you, or go early for the fish on a Friday for a great lunch bargain. The Governor Bradford is open for lunch year-round, found at the corner of Commercial and Standish Streets.

Great Seafood and Friendly Faces Welcome You at John's Footlong

 Marian, Shirley and Jeremy at John's Footlong turn out some of the best fried seafood on the Cape.
I'm having the scallop roll, piled so high with John's excellent scallops that you can't see the bun.

For more than 50 years John's Footlong hot dog stand has been feeding hungry PTown visitors and Townies, too. This is a favorite eatery for many, and part of what makes it special isn't just the great food and reasonable prices; it's the people behind the counter. Marian and Shirley have each been working at John's for about 25 years or more, and Jeremy has grown up here, working on the fryer and the grill for the last ten years. It's great to see these friendly faces reappearing behind the counter each spring as John's opens up for the summer season.
John's Footlong is found at Lopes Square, near he corner of Standish and Commercial Streets, where the giant anchor sits in the square amidst the benches and all the people who have stopped to rest for a moment, or who are eating something from one or more of the little takeout joints that line the street there. John's customers will also find seating on the roof deck above the takeout windows, reached by the stairway at the South end of the building, and a view of the harbor from some of those tables.

John's terrific lobster roll is a PTown favorite, and a Best Bite.

I've written about John's before, and their great fish sandwich for about $6, their Portuguese kale soup, and their lobster roll, which I believe might just be the best in all of Provincetown. In fact, I gave it TheYearRounder's Best Bite award for its excellent quality and bargain price.
Stop by John's, have something great to eat, and enjoy the friendly service and these smiling faces behind the counter. We're happy to have them back at Lopes Square for another summer.

Friday is Fish Fry Night in Provincetown

Hot L bar & grille, now closed permanently, dished up a giant serving of
beer-battered haddock on a mound of curly fries, and more if you could eat it.

Update: Hot L is gone forever, demolished for new construction on the site, but there are still great fish fry spots to enjoy for lunch or supper. This article was part of a series, but soon I'll write one large article on all the fish fry spots I can find.


There are many spots in PTown where you can get a fried fish dinner special on Fridays, either for lunch or for dinner. Some feature cod, some haddock, and even scallops are available at a bargain price in at least two Friday Fish Fry specials in town.
I'm going to do my best to make my way around the town to try all of them over the next few weeks.
We'll start with Hot L bar & grille, at 350 Bradford Street. From 5 till 8 PM on Friday nights their Fish FryDay menu offers an enormous plate of beer-battered haddock, seasoned curly fries, cranberry coleslaw and homemade tarter sauce, and dinner at Hot L always starts out with hush puppies served with cranberry butter. All of this is just $13, but hold on; they'll bring you more fish, and more fries, and more after that if you want it.
This all-you-can eat dinner centers around a huge piece of fresh haddock that has been double-dipped in their special beer batter and a seasoned flour mixture, and then quickly fried just till it's golden and perfect. This process makes for a very light, crispy coating and an especially moist piece of fish with a mild flavor and a good crunch.
The haddock sits atop a mound of tasty, curly French fries, so the fish never gets soggy on the plate on its way to your table. Hot L's coleslaw has a really fresh taste with a few cranberries adding a bit of tangy sweetness. If you'd like more fish and fries, your server will happily bring you all you'd care to eat. All this adds up to one of Provincetown's best fish dinners, and one of the town's best bargains. Wash it all down with an ice cold beer or two and you've got the perfect Friday night meal to kick off your weekend. This dinner is a Townie Favorite.
The Friday night menu also includes a Fried Seafood Platter of haddock, shrimp and scallops, and, of course, more haddock if you like. You'll find a lot of friends there, too, whether you have your dinner in the dining room or at their sleek new bar. See you at Fish FryDay at Hot L!

Lobster Pot Reopening is a Sure Sign of Spring in Provincetown

The Lobster Pot is now open for the season

Townies and visitors alike are rejoicing as the Lobster Pot, at 321 Commercial Street, opens its doors for the 2013 season. It's one of the most popular restaurants in town, right on the beach at the edge of Provincetown Harbor, so the view is fantastic.
Hours at this time of year are 11:30 AM till about 9 PM. Like most PTown restaurants in the spring and autumn seasons, things here may be a tiny bit different than they are at the height of the summer season. They have such a large menu of seafood, steaks, salads, Portuguese specialties and vegetarian choices that they may not be serving absolutely everything on the menu just yet, but you'll find plenty of great choices, and you should find a current menu posted on the front of the building and also in the west window.
Look for "local favorites" marked with a special symbol on the menu. Among my favorites, look for the Pork and Clams Osso Buco, a Portuguese specialty named as a Best Bite by TheYearRounder. The sautéed squid appetizer is another of my Lobster Pot favorites, marked on the menu as a local favorite as well.
Read my post from September 9th, 2012 about Portuguese food and its long heritage in Provincetown, and then taste some of the best in town at "The Pot." Rob Costa has a favorite here, too. He runs Art's Dune Tours, which is right around the corner from the Lobster Pot, at 4 Standish Street. The dune tours began running tours for the season yesterday, by the way. Anyway, Rob will tell you his favorite dish here is the Portuguese Fish, which is native cod on top of a seafood stuffing with a crusty coating made with linguica (say lean•gwee•suh, a delicious Portuguese sausage) baked with tomatoes and onions and served with orzo pasta.
Of course, you'll find lobster here as well, ranging from the lobster bisque to lobster ravioli, served in a parmesan cream sauce with a Panko-parmesan crust, and this spot has a dozen other ways for you to enjoy this most famous crustacean. If you're feeling adventurous, try the full-blown Clam Bake. That's a whole lobster served New England style, with your choice of soups, along with salad, homemade breads, steamed mussels, red bliss potatoes and corn-on-the-cob.
Try Tim's famous clam chowder, winner of 18 awards on Cape Cod and in Boston, and chosen by TheYearRounder as another Best Bite. Have a cup or a bowl with your meal, or have it served baked in a bread bowl. Try to save a little bit of room for dessert, though, because there are many choices, and they are are all made fresh in the Lobster Pot's own kitchen. We welcome them back for the summer season.

Provincetown's Best Lobster Roll May Well Be at John's Footlong, a Best Bite

I had read and heard many times that a lot of folks think that the lobster roll at John's Footlong is the best in Provincetown, so after having tasted many lobster rolls all around the town this summer, I finally had to taste John's for myself. I believe the claims of countless Townies are correct, because out of all the many lobster rolls I tried over the course of the summer, the one at John's Footlong was my very favorite. Who would have thought it?
It was absolutely brimming over (just as everything served at John's is brimming over) with enormous, tender chunks of sweet, plump lobster claws and knuckles, mixed only with the barest little bit of mayonnaise and piled onto a couple of garden-fresh, crisp lettuce leaves which sat atop an equally fresh, nicely grilled New England style hot dog bun... a purist's delight.
If you look up John's address you'll have a hell of a time finding the place. It's one of those wacky PTown addresses that make no sense at all. It's listed as 309 Commercial Street, which you would think would be roughly right across from 310 Commercial, which happens to be Lewis Brothers Ice Cream, but noooo... It's around the corner from Commercial Street, on the way down to MacMillan Pier, on what ought to be called Standish Street since it extends from Standish down toward the pier and the Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber, by the way, inexplicably has the official address of 307 Commercial Street, even though it's even farther off Commercial Street than John's is, regardless of the smaller number of its address, and is well over a hundred feet off Commercial Street as you head toward the pier from the intersection of Standish and Commercial Streets.
Don't try too hard to make sense out if it. After all, this is Provincetown, where not everything is going to make sense, or even really needs to be understood. So instead of trying to find John's from its address, find Lopes Square, the little plaza with all the seating benches and the huge anchor in the middle, just south (toward the pier) from that same intersection at Standish and Commercial. If you stand in front of Lewis Brothers, on the northwest corner, and look south toward the pier and the harbor, John's is on the right side of the street, halfway toward the Chamber of Commerce, right across the street from that great big anchor in Lopes Square. It's a walk-up, counter service joint with a seating area of its own up the stairs on the south end of the building, or you can usually find a place to sit on a bench in Lopes Square.
I also like to take my meal down to the harbor, just at the far edge of the big parking lot that sits between MacMillan Pier and Fisherman's Wharf, where you'll find a tiny little neighborhood park made up of a string of trees and benches looking out over the harbor along the seawall that runs between the wharf and the pier. Those two words are interchangeable, by the way. A wharf and a pier are virtually the same thing: a dock where boats pull up to take passengers and goods on and off the boat.
Anyway, it's worth looking for John's if you've never had the pleasure of chowing down on their huge servings of impeccably fresh seafood, their very tasty Portuguese kale soup, or, of course, their venerable footlong hot dog. TheYearRounder names John's lobster roll as a Best Bite. And just looking at the photo above makes me want to dash over and have another one before they up and close for the season.

Daily Jamaican Special at West End Angel Foods is a PTown Bargain, and a Best Bite

One of the best deals on a meal in PTown is the Jamaican daily special at the new Angel Foods at the General Store, at 147 Commercial Street. This neighborhood deli, which had been the Provincetown General Store for many years, was taken over this summer by the folks who have run Angel Foods on the east end of Commercial Street, across from the Provincetown Art Association and Museum, for many years as well.
Prices seem to have gone up a bit on a number of items here, but an outstanding value has been added with the Jamaican meal which now augments the menu of takeout choices, with different offerings every day. This day they had three choices: brown stew pork or goat, or fried chicken. When I said I loved any kind of brown stewed dish and couldn't decide, they offered to make me a plate with a combination of goat and pork. Whatever choice you make will be served with a huge mound of rice and peas (actually rice and beans to Americans) and some sliced tomatoes, jam-packed into a "to go" box.
Brown stew typically is a sort of light sauce or gravy used to marinate whatever meat is used, and then the dish is simmered in the same marinade with a few more ingredients added. It usually includes coconut milk, scallions, onions, tomatoes, garlic, thyme, a little hot pepper and usually a little lime juice. The rice and beans are also very tasty, with the distinctive flavor of coconut milk. Any brown stew dish will be a little bit spicy and really delicious with whatever type of meat or poultry might be used. Americans may not be used to eating goat, but it is a staple in Jamaican kitchens and is quite good. Whatever you choose from the day's list of Jamaican specialty dishes, it always has a great flavor, the serving is huge and the price is about $11, making this dish consistently a Best Bite.

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.