A Bit of History Lies Beneath Fanizzi's Restaurant, Once Again Open Daily

Fanizzi's "Fresh Fried Sea Scallop Plate" is served for lunch or dinner.

We're so happy to have Fanizzi's up and running again after their recent 6-week closing for structural repairs to this cherished waterfront building, which literally sits right on top of Provincetown Harbor. Welcome back!
537-539 Commercial Street, where Fanizzi's restaurant and parking area sit today, was the location of a fishing empire known as Whorf's Wharf, built by Thomas Rider Whorf, Jr. in 1850, and later run by his son, Phillip A. Whorf.
These Whorfs shared an ancestor, generations apart, with the artists John, Carol and Nancy Whorf, though they were not direct descendants.
At one time this busy pier stretched 400 feet into the harbor, serving its own fleet of 16 boats engaged in various types of fishing, while shipping some of the catch to markets as far away as Chicago. 130 men were employed in the operation.
There was a windmill on the property, presumably part of a saltworks where seawater was pumped to a system of trays and troughs. The water was evaporated to produce the salt used in drying and preserving much of the fish caught by Whorf's fleet.

This 1890s photo shows busy Whorf's Wharf, employing some 130 fishermen, salt
workers, sailmakers and others in serving and operating 16 boats. The old
sail loft very likely became Fanizzi's Restaurant by the Sea, as we know it today.

The wharf also had its own sail loft for fabricating and repairing the many sails for its sizable fleet, and Fanizzi's building is almost certainly that old sail loft, still sitting on pilings at the edge of the beach.
The recent repairs, including new pilings installed beneath the restaurant, should ensure many more years of life for this historic building dating back to the height of Provincetown's great whaling and fishing era, often called the Golden Age of Sail.
Sitting in Fanizzi's dining room, above those pilings, with the waves and tides lapping below, is one of the great pleasures of dining in Provincetown. And the view! Cape Cod Bay winds along the distant shoreline of Truro, and becomes Provincetown Harbor as it reaches the tip of the Cape and the lighthouse at Long Point. Our picturesque beaches stretch both east, with a view of Beach Point, and west, offering a striking view of the Pilgrim Monument, and often a golden glow as the sun is setting. These and other stunning sights are easily seen from your table. That superb, 180 degree view of the harbor is unparalleled. There's even a view from the bar.

Fanizzi's Friday Night Fish Fry is a large serving of local cod with fries, slaw,
dinner rolls and salad, all for $13.99. Go early, before this great bargain sells out.

On my most recent lunchtime visit to Fanizzi's, I felt more like having a "dinner" sort of meal, so I ordered from a selection of entrées that started at just $8.99 for Eggplant Parmigiana baked in homemade marinara sauce and a blanket of cheese, served over campanile pasta. Fanizzi's is quite well-known for good food at very reasonable prices. Big, juicy, eight-ounce Angus burgers start at $10.99, while 16 sandwiches, specialties and wraps start at $9.99. There are daily lunch and dinner specials, too.
The meal I chose that day was among half-a-dozen seafood entrées on the lunch menu. I had the  fried scallops, shown in the photo above. This was a generous serving of ten plump, fresh, local sea scallops, lightly battered and quickly fried until just golden brown, served with Fanizzi's great French fries and their unique coleslaw. I believe the very light dressing on the coleslaw starts with a bit of rice wine vinegar instead of a mayonnaise-based sauce. It's fresh flavors give it just a hint of sweetness, and it's probably my favorite coleslaw in town.
Visit Fanizzi's at 539 Commercial Street, now open again every day, serving lunch from 11:30 AM till 3:45 PM, with dinner served from 4 PM till closing. Five Early Bird dinner specials are available from 4:30 to 6 PM for just $15.99. Catch their Friday Night Fish Fry for $13.99, and don't forget Sunday Brunch, 10 AM till 2 PM, serving all you'd care to eat for $14.95, $8.95 for kids. But be sure to save a little room for one of their mammoth-sized, homemade desserts!
We welcome back Fanizzi's Restaurant by the Sea, and their thoughtful, friendly staff.

Extreme Cold Snap Recalls Provincetown's Brutal Winter of 1918

This 1918 photo of Robert Lewis was taken by his father, Captain William Lewis,
on the tidal flats at the foot of Cook Street. The ice stood 10 feet, two inches high.

This bitter cold snap combined with strong, steady winds has given us two or three days of piercingly cold temperatures, with wind chill temps dropping into the subzero range. This is the sort of weather where being outdoors for more than a few moments can be dangerous.
Thankfully, today's temperature rose well into the twenties while winds were dropping to 20 mph or lower, and we'll be into warmer weather in a couple of days. Whew!
A few years back I wrote about an extended, bitter cold snap nearly 100 years ago, perhaps the most trying stretch of winter weather Provincetown has seen. Around this time in 1918 PTowners were enduring cruel winds in subfreezing temperatures, and most were truly struggling to keep warm.
In eight days of extreme cold the town had exhausted its entire supply of coal, the main fuel used for heating in those days, and the coal barges attempting to make deliveries were unable to navigate through the thick, treacherous ice floes that we're choking the harbor. The extraordinary cold had formed  chunks of ice more than ten feet tall along the coastline,, and strong, steady winds kept the ice pushed into the harbor. At each low tide there were giant ice floes resting on the tidal flats. The Advocate, Provincetown's weekly newspaper at the time, said “Taken all together it was the most disagreeable eight days endured by the community within recollection.” 
Even though the weather began to turn a tiny bit warmer, those enormous chunks of harbor ice would take a long time to melt, and in the meantime, no ships could get in or out of Provincetown Harbor. The paper reported that “With the exception of a mere handful of days, ice has continued to form in day or night almost constantly on the shore of Cape Cod bay since early in January."
On Valentine's day a large ice floe drifting near the mouth of the harbor was driven toward the shoreline at 571 Commercial Street, where the old fish shack at the end of Lewis Wharf had been converted to a theater for the Provincetown Players. The force of tons of ice pushing against the pilings of the old wharf threatened to destroy the magical spot where the career of unknown playwright Eugene O'Neill had been launched two years earlier. Although the structure survived this onslaught, it was indeed ice in the harbor that demolished the wharf in the winter of 1921.
In the photo above we can see ten-foot, two-inch thick chunks of ice that clogged the harbor in that dreadful winter of 1918, resting on the flats at low tide, creating tremendous physical hardships for townsfolk and wreaking havoc on their economy as well. Not only were fuel barges turned away by the ice, but the fishing fleet was kept ashore for more than 30 days as well. The harbor was simply unnavigable.
When a northeast wind finally breached the ice and began pushing it, little by little, toward Truro, the harbor once again became passable, but the exceptional cold and a frozen harbor had made January through early March of 1918 the most brutal winter in Provincetown's memory.

Tonight's Hot Ticket in Provincetown - The 24 Hour Theater Festival!

The 24 Hour Theater Festival plays tonight only at the Provincetown Theater, 238 Bradford Street, 7:30 PM

This is short notice to get you to attend a performance this evening, but the whole point of this remarkable annual event is short notice. Last night, 8 ten-minute plays, none of which had yet been written, were chosen to be performed on stage tonight at the Provincetown Theater, on Bradford Street.
Overnight, eight groups of people would write, stage, direct, act in, rehearse and produce a complete, ten-minute play, to be performed tonight at 7:30 PM. Each group may have members with varying levels of experience in theater. For example, some of the actors may never have performed on stage before tonight's production.
This event is great fun, with 8 short plays that will likely range from humor to pathos, from satire to earnest introspection, bringing to the stage everything you'd want from a night at the theater, in ten-minute stretches, each completely different from the last.
Tickets are just $13.50 whether you buy yours at the box office, at 238 Bradford Street, or get tickets online. Phone 508 487-7487 for more information on this remarkable, creative, PTown winter event.
Get out of the house and be among the humans. Go a little early and have a glass of wine in the cozy theater lounge before the show. I hope to see all of you at this unique, fun, one-night-only event.

Dig a Pail of Clams on PTown's Tidal Flats

A man digs clams on tidal flats near West End Parking Lot, with Coast Guard pier in
background. Cap'n Jack's Wharf and Provincetown Inn mark harvesting boundaries.

Digging for shellfish has long been a New England tradition, dating back about 4,500 years, though the Pilgrims and early settlers were too afraid to eat very much of it.
These settlers knew that local native tribes ate a lot of shellfish, but they had become ill after trying a bit of it themselves.
Wampanoag and other Native tribes of the New England area had been eating clams and other mollusks for thousands of years, and at some point began carving the shells into decorative wampum beads. Eventually, European settlers affixed a specific value to such beads, and wampum became a kind of currency used in trade. I'll write more about all of that in a future post, but today I want to get you out to dig your own clams for a bowl of chowder or a plate of linguine that you'll really enjoy, having harvested the seafood yourself from the abundant shellfish beds of Provincetown's tidal flats.

Ocean and her son Richard harvested clams from the beach at the
West End Parking Lot, authorized for clamming through March.

Not long ago, I was parked next to the boat ramp at the West End Parking Lot, where I often stop for a while to watch the tiny waves ripple in along the quiet beach that edges its way around Provincetown Harbor.
In the summertime the waterfront is packed with all sorts of boats coming and going at all hours, offering lots to see, but in the off-season a visit to this spot is more about just taking the time to really observe the wildlife you might notice, and watching the sky and water turn colors with the weather or the time of day.
As the light begins to dim, which happens in the late afternoon at this time of the year, from this West End spot on the harbor you can see the beams begin blinking from three lighthouses, spanning the entire harbor, including the white flashing of the Highland light in North Truro. Race Point Light, in Provincetown's northwest corner, can't be seen from this vantage point, but in the center of the harbor the green glow of the Long Point Lighthouse winks on and off in a regular pattern, with Wood End Light taking its time between short red bursts in the Far West End. The colored lights marking the breakwater, green on its east end and red on the west, further syncopate the rhythm of Provincetown Harbor, even on a quiet, off-season night.
Since I was there on a Friday afternoon at low tide, before sundown, I got to watch a few folks walking out amongst the puddles of the tidal flats, carrying clam rakes and pails, and pausing here and there to dig up the sand for the bounty hiding below in patches, where a few tiny bubbles made by clams nestled below the surface gave them away.

17 palm-sized clams are plenty for Ocean and Richard's dinner.

I met Ocean and her son, Richard, as they walked back up to their pickup truck in the parking lot after they'd finished digging clams for supper. They carried a clam rake, of course, and a bucket holding a fair number of three-and-four-inch hard-shelled clams covered with a few inches of sea water.
These were more than enough quahogs (say "co•hogs," from the 18th century Algonquian word for round, hard-shelled clams) to make a nice dinner for these two, who have recently returned to Provincetown after an absence of more than twenty years. They'd had to move away when Richard was a young boy, and are now very happy to be back. And they were happy to be out on the flats that afternoon, gathering juicy, meaty, Provincetown clams for a great meal.
Residents, as well as non-resident property owners, can visit the Town Clerk's office to obtain a recreational shellfishing permit for $15 for the season, which generally runs from mid-November through March each year. Non-residents will pay a $50 fee. The permit is free for seniors aged 65 and older. A sheet of shellfishing regulations will accompany your permit. Informative pamphlets on shellfishing are available at the Harbor Master's office, open every day, out on MacMillan Pier.
The permit allows the holder to gather clams and oysters of adult size from any officially designated shellfishing area on either a Sunday or Friday of each week of the season, with a maximum harvest of one ten-quart pail or a one-peck basket, once each week. Harvesting areas are rotated frequently to preserve breeding stock and prevent over-use of any area, while rules for minimum sizes for any mollusks taken serve the same goal, helping to sustain this very popular community resource.
The area east of the West End Breakwater was just opened to harvesting once again, adding another acre or two to this year's public shellfishing grounds. A few oysters can be found along the breakwater, but make sure that any you take are at least three inches long, which will help to allow breeding stock to grow in this area. If scallops become plentiful enough to allow for harvesting, an area will be designated for their collection. Mussels can be taken at any time of year, with no permit required.
Equipment needed for clamming is simple and easily available. I bought my knee-high rubber boots at Marine Specialties. They may also have clamming tools in stock, and ask for a tide chart as well, or check the newspaper or internet for low tides occurring during daylight hours on Fridays and Sundays. You can also visit the hardware stores for equipment like rakes and pails. You'll want a hat, good gloves, and a jacket that keeps the wind at bay. The breeze can be pretty stiff out on the tidal flats, even on a warmer day, and especially if you get wet, so dress in layers, and unbutton a bit if you get too warm.
Some 500 baskets of quahogs have already been taken from the West End this year, so it's now taking a bit more effort to fill a pail with clams, which must be a minimum of one inch thick to be harvested. A shellfish gauge is available for purchase at Town Hall, along with your permit, and you must carry it with you when when harvesting.

Delicate, soft-shelled steamers are abundant at Hatches Harbor.

For digging soft-shell clams, with a minimum size limit of two inches, head to Hatch's Harbor. This tiny, natural harbor lies between Race Point and Herring Cove, which many old-timers still refer to as New Beach. It has steamers in abundance in the sandy patches near the marsh, according to the mid-season shellfish update just issued by Shellfish Constable Steve Wisbauer.
His notice also mentioned smaller quahogs found in the deeper pools nearby. Be sure to have your shellfish sizing gauge with you, and make certain you don't run off with any juveniles that should be left to reach maturity before they're harvested. Also, be sure to report your "take" to the constable so the town can keep tabs on the total annual harvest.
There's a third area open for the shellfish harvest this winter, in the part of the harbor that lies between Allerton Street and the Truro town line. That's roughly from the brick facade of 627 Commercial Street, still known to many as Mailer's house, to the Holiday Shores condos out on Beach Point. Constable Wisbauer's update mentioned the most productive area there, which is only accessible during the most extreme low tides, when the farthest sandbars are exposed. This remote area can yield quahogs of all sizes, and even very large surf clams, all found in abundance there, if your timing and the tides are right.

On Monday, Fanizzi's Will Close Until March for Needed Structural Work

We'll miss Fanizzi's while the restaurant closes
till March for necessary structural renovations.

After this Sunday, January 22nd, Fanizzi's Restaurant by the Sea will close for about 6 weeks for tricky structural repairs designed to stop the building from very slowly sinking into Provincetown Harbor. With a bit of luck, they hope to reopen in time for the first weekend in March, on Friday, the 3rd.

New pylons need to be pounded into the surf and sand beneath the structure, with steel beams added to hold the weight of the building. That means dismantling the entire kitchen and cutting away the whole floor to get to the space beneath it. Yikes! What a job.

I was just there last weekend, for their famous Sunday Brunch. You'll have one more chance to enjoy this favorite PTown meal before they close for renovations. 

This buffet offered oodles of fresh fruit, a couple of dozen types of breakfast pastries, muffins, bagels and croissants, along with yogurt and granola. I found French toast served with maple syrup, along with sausage and bacon, of course. Naturally, there were eggs done in several ways. They came scrambled, baked into a frittata, or served as eggs Benedict, with perfectly poached eggs and an extra creamy hollandaise sauce. Potato dishes included chunky home fries and a tasty corned beef hash. 

Fanizzi's mussels are a brunch favorite, steamed in
white wine, butter, garlic, tomatoes and fresh herbs.

Certainly, a good brunch always includes foods that are more "dinner" oriented as well. Among those were a pasta dish, different every Sunday, this one served with vegetables and a creamy sort of Alfredo sauce. There were mildly spicy "fingers" of boneless chicken breast, as well as plump, fresh mussels steamed in white wine, garlic and herbs. Fanizzi's lovely salad of mixed field greens was also among the choices in this boundless lineup.

My favorite dish may have been the little breakfast burritos, made with beef sirloin, seasoned rice and veggies. I'd never tasted these before and really liked them. Fanizzi's huge brunch buffet array offers so many choices that I've actually never been able to try them all. 

Brunch runs Sundays from 10 AM to 2 PM, with the bartender ready to add a festive Mimosa or Fanizzi's renowned Bloody Mary to your brunch, or anything else you might choose from their full bar. Their regular lunch menu is also available from 11:30 till 3:45, as it is every day of the week. Dinner starts daily at 4 PM, and Early Bird Specials can be ordered from 4:30 until 6 PM.

So this weekend you can have Fanizzi's lunch, dinner or Sunday brunch, but you'll have to wait for these folks to return from hiatus before you can get in on their extremely popular Friday Night Fish Fry again. It was jam-packed last night before this temporary closing, many of those folks being Friday night regulars.

Of course, one of the best things about eating at Fanizzi's, besides their huge, absolutely legendary homemade desserts, is that jaw-dropping view of spectacular Provincetown Harbor. This place is literally right on the water, with Long Point and its lighthouse in the distance, and sunsets frequently lighting up the late afternoon sky. Get there today or tomorrow, before they close the doors for six weeks. We'll certainly miss this place, and their terrific staff, until they open again in March.

Far Land's Townie Winter Meals Make a Great Lunch or Dinner

Far Land's Yankee Pot Roast is among their best-loved Townie
Winter Meals. This plate, from my archive of  favorite dishes, was
served with green beans, mashed potatoes and Far Land's trademark
tomato gravy. Today it will be served with roasted red potatoes.

It's lunchtime in Provincetown, and I'm starving. I can't think of anything I'd rather have than Far Land's Yankee Pot Roast, which happens to be today's Townie Winter Meal special. These popular homestyle meals offer generous servings at affordable prices, and have been such a hit that folks began asking for them at lunchtime, not just for the dinner hour.
Far Land was happy to oblige. These scrumptious, hearty meals are now available from 11:30 AM till 3 PM, served hot to eat in or take out, with a different style of food featured each day. Other meals this week have been spaghetti and meatballs with garlic bread, and BBQ boneless chicken thighs, served with steamed broccoli and Far Land's famous baked macaroni and cheese.

Far Land often puts a sign out front to point out
specials or to let you know about something new.

These great meals are available throughout the winter, with a different offering every weekday. For those who still might prefer to have them at suppertime, you may want to call in early at 508 487-0045 for an order to go, or "reserve" a meal to eat in, since they've been known to sell out.

There's usually a vegetarian option available, too, and you can always choose your favorite entrées and side dishes from their prepared foods case and have a plate heated up to eat it there, or have it packed to take with you, hot or cold. Visit farlandprovisions.com to find the list of weekly specials, or get on their mailing list to keep up with their current offerings.
Watch for a sign out front that may pop up to tell you about various specials or something new, like hot sandwiches offered through the winter, too, or a Sunday breakfast special. More about those soon...
And don't forget about Far Land's fabulous bakery case, brimming with fresh baked pies cakes, scones, brownies, bars, cookies and endless other goodies from their own kitchen, with a daily dessert special offered, too.

Impending Storm Cancels Today's Community Luncheon at Saint Mary's

Saturday lunches at Saint Mary's always include live music. Here Wellfleet's
John Best on guitar and Jean Sagara on fiddle are joined by Provincetown
musician April Baxter, playing her traditional Irish drum, the bodhran. All sing.

The Church of Saint Mary of the Harbor has announced that its first Community Luncheon of 2017, scheduled at noon today, Jan 7, will be cancelled due to the impending snow storm. Barring further inclement weather, the first lunch of the season will be held next Saturday, January 14th, continuing weekly at 12 PM each Saturday through February.

This chicken dish, made with colorful peppers, tomatoes, onions, mushrooms and
celery is a perennial favorite, even bringing back out-of-towners from Yarmouth.
Folks look forward to savoring Priscilla Jacket's Tandoori Chicken every year.

For many years now, Saint Mary's has held a series of off-season get-togethers each Saturday in January and February, when the holidays are over and the snow is usually beginning to fly, and spirits may begin to flag a bit among PTown's tiny population of  year-round residents. Many of us become rather reclusive at this time of year, and these great meals and live music can help to get us out of the house to socialize a bit, enjoy the company of our neighbors and meet new friends.

Desserts are made by the volunteers, who help out in the kitchen, serve the
meals at your table and clean up afterwards. Thank you!

After lunch people linger over a cup of coffee and trays of desserts, usually bite-sized brownies, bars and squares of cake, each one cut small enough that you can sample several while enjoying the music and the conversation around your table. And you simply can't beat the view of Provincetown Harbor from Saint Mary's, situated right on the beach at 517 Commercial Street, in the East End.

These saturday social hours are great fun for all, and, of course, everyone is invited.
I hope to find you all at a few of these luncheons over the winter.

Polar Bear Plunge in Provincetown Harbor Raises Funds for ASGCC Programs Throughout the Cape and Islands

115 people donned swimsuits for the Polar Bear Plunge in Provincetown Harbor on New Year's Day, captured
in this video by David A. Cox of droningprovincetown.com. Click the first link below to watch this film.

The Polar Bear Plunge has become part of Provincetown's First Light celebration, leading 115 very brave souls to run into the 45 degree waters of Provincetown Harbor for a momentary swim in this New Year's Day fundraiser for the AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod. Serving clients for well over 30 years, the ASGCC works to assure that comfort, care, housing and a variety of vital services are available in every corner of Cape Cod and the Islands to individuals and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
As in a number of other locations around the world, where folks will jump into a freezing cold river, lake, ocean or stream in a New Year's Day ritual, Provincetown has seen a number of folks take an icy holiday dip in various waters surrounding our town. But this year, the folks at Harbor Lounge, Yolk by 8 Dyer, and the 8 Dyer Hotel, had an idea…

Some of these "Polar Bears" dressed in hats or costumes.

They wanted to create a New Year's tradition that could raise money every winter for a number of local nonprofit organizations, so they decided they would launch, coordinate, orchestrate and promote the Polar Bear Plunge, and they chose the ASGCC to be the recipient of the money raised through this first officially organized fundraiser. We thank them for sponsoring this wonderful event.

Trampolina Glenellen, dancing with her trident, was a great cheerleader.

Participants began assembling on the beach at the Johnson Street parking lot around noon on Sunday, with a few hundred spectators gathering to cheer them on.
DJ Chris Racine was on hand, spinning tunes to get the crowd dancing.
At about 1 o'clock, when the tide was high, the signal was given and the swimmers ran into the calm but frigid water in Provincetown Harbor, most for mere moments, and then they turned and ran back out again just as quickly, each having happily paid a $45 registration fee for the privilege.

Put the Polar Bear Plunge on your First Light calendar for next year, register
early, and get the next commemorative T-shirt, celebrating your daring feat.

A party at Harbor Lounge followed the swim, where folks thawed out with cocktails and chili, and those who had registered early enough, by Dec 15th, got this year's official T-shirt.
All evidence shows that the whole affair was a great success, with a record number of swimmers taking the plunge while spectators gathered on the beach, on the decks at Pepe"s Wharf, and on the pier at Harbor Lounge, to get a good view of the fun and festivities.
Again, our thanks to 8 Dyer Hotel, Yolk by 8 Dyer and Harbor Lounge for sponsoring this terrific event. We encourage everyone to put the plunge on their calendars for New Year's Day 2018, register early, and support a local nonprofit while enjoying a fun afternoon and sharing in a growing Provincetown New Year's tradition.

Tin Pan Alley's Closing Party is Tonight, Benefitting Provincetown's Soup Kitchen

Support SKIP,  the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown, at this buffet style feast where the chef will
just keep cooking, and sending food out to the dining room, until all the food is gone!

Tonight at 5:30 PM, food of any and all descriptions will begin rolling out of the kitchen at Tin Pan Alley, destined for a brief moment on a long buffet table set up in the dining room, before every last morsel of food in the kitchen is eaten up in a benefit for Provincetown's remarkable Soup Kitchen. Folks will be milling around, conversing with friends, enjoying all they care to eat as the chef simply cooks and cooks and cooks until al the food in the restaurant is gone.
For a donation of $25 per person, we'll all be feasting on any or all of the fish, fowl, beef, soups, salads or any other dishes the chef might come up with as coolers and pantry are literally emptied, right down to the bare shelves. As one of the town's favorite restaurants prepares to close for the season, their generous donation of the proceeds from this event will help to support an important community resource.
In the average winter season in Provincetown, SKIP (the Soup Kitchen In Provincetown) serves more than 10,000 hot, hearty meals to folks from Provincetown and beyond. This year, the number of meals, served at SKIP each weekday from November through April, is rising. Lack of employment opportunities, coupled with the outrageous rents charged by many landlords, results in more people helping to make ends meet by having some, or all, of their lunches at the Soup Kitchen.
Located at the United Methodist Church on Shank Painter Road, SKIP is also simply a welcoming place for people seeking community, and the chance to socialize at a time of year that can be a bit bleak for many of us. All are welcome, whatever the reason they come for lunch. No questions are asked. Housing outreach and assistance are also available as a state housing expert shares SKIP's office there on Thursdays.

From upscale delights to home style comfort foods, Tin Pan Alley serves some
of PTown's best meals, complete with live music in a welcoming atmosphere.

So turn out tonight at Tin Pan Alley, across from Town Hall, for one last great meal before they fold up for the winter.
If you've been very good, eaten all your vegetables, and played well with others all year, you might be lucky enough to taste TPA's wonderful seared scallops, or maybe a steak from a grass fed cow, or their lovely roasted local chicken.
Chef Raul likes to spice things up a bit as well, so I'm always eager to try any unusual dish he might whip up. You know, though, one of my real favorites here is Jack's own recipe for turkey meatloaf, made with a little dried fruit and a few surprises mixed in, and one of the greatest comfort foods ever. That's a meal many of us miss when the place closes for the season.
Tin Pan Alley has also brought back the "supper club" aesthetic to Provincetown, offering live music just about every night of the week, and tonight will be no exception. There will be entertainment, of course, beginning at 6 PM.
Come and enjoy Tin Pan Alley's closing party, do a little good for the community at the same time, and wish all of the friends you'll find there a happy and prosperous new year.

Provincetown's 2nd Annual "First Light" Celebration Rings In 2017!

Happy New Year!

It's out with the old and in with the new as First Light Provincetown continues to herald the coming year with celebrations of music, food, art and community here at the very tip of Cape Cod. Be sure to get to a harbor beach by dusk to enjoy the fireworks that will cap the festivities. I wish us all a joyous new year, and may we all survive and prosper!



Fireworks photo courtesy of noppasinw at FreeDigitalPhotos.net. Thank you!

A Bonfire at Herring Cove is Quietly Exhilarating, Even in December

Dressed for the occasion, you can still enjoy a bonfire with a
winter sunset on spectacular Herring Cove Beach, in Provincetown.

That warmish winter weather we've been having lately has been attracting folks to Herring Cove for a bonfire at sunset, despite the ever-present breeze along the shoreline. This always puts a smile on my face.
This little band of hardy souls typically piles out of a couple of vehicles about an hour before sunset, dressed to suit the bracing weather in hats, gloves and parkas, with a blanket or two to wrap up in if they need to.
While the water and clouds begin changing colors, a couple of folks carry a wood box, along with a few tools and various impedimenta, to the sandy shore, and someone begins setting up beach chairs while a couple of others dig a little fire pit and coax a tiny flame and a bit of kindling into a small but satisfying blaze.
A stroll on the water's edge, a conversation and a laugh around the fireside, and gazing alternately between the flickering firelight and a glorious sunset… What better way to end a wintery afternoon in Provincetown?

If you decide to try this yourself some evening, it takes just a bit of planning. Remember to leave the beach exactly as you found it, and don't forget to get your bonfire permit and rules from the park ranger ahead of time. Bon lumière!

Spindler's Restaurant Celebrates Their First Anniversary on Thursday, Dec 29th

Spindler's restaurant, at 386 Commercial Street, will celebrate
 its first anniversary on Thursday, December 29th, from 4 till 7 PM

Spindler's restaurant opened their doors at this time last year, giving Provincetown a brief preview of the great food they would begin offering in the following spring. They will celebrate their first anniversary tomorrow, December 29th, which also marks the 94th anniversary of the sinking of the ship Annie L. Spindler, which would become the namesake of this wonderful new restaurant in PTown's Gallery District.
She was a British schooner that Provincetown folks had dubbed the "Rum Runner," regularly carrying contraband to this vicinity during the era of Prohibition in the United States. The manufacture or sale of alcohol on American shores was outlawed from 1920 to 1933.
At that time ships would bring rum up the coast from the Caribbean, distilled spirits like gin would be carried across the Atlantic from England, and champagne would find its way here from France. Ships would wait far offshore, out of local jurisdiction, for boats that would venture out in the middle of the night to strike a deal on as many cases of illegal hooch as they could afford or carry.

The Annie L. Spindler, aground at the Race Point Coast Guard Station, 1922.

The Spindler, having sailed out of Nova Scotia loaded with Canadian whiskey, famously ran aground on Race Point Beach, within a few yards of the US Coast Guard station.
The schooner had been powerless against the high winds and heavy seas of a nor'easter, as the crashing waves of that brutal winter storm tossed the boat up onto the shoreline early on the morning of December 29th, 1922. Read my original article The Wreck of the Annie L. Spindler and learn more about the humorous side of this event, and about the rescue of the crew by breeches buoy.

I try to order something new every time I eat out so I can tell you
about it, but Spindler's charcuterie board is so good that it will be very
hard not to order it every time I go there. It's the best in Provincetown.

Since I eat at every restaurant in town every summer, I only made it to Spindler's once during their first season. So I looked them up on Yelp today to read comments other diners had made. They scored a solid four-star rating. I left my own review there as well, reading something like this...

Spindler's Charcuterie Board is the very best in Provincetown, right down to their house-made mustard, which is the best I've ever tasted. Generous servings of premium salumi include chef's selections of handmade regional specialties like Genoa salami, tartufo, prosciutto di Parma or chorizo Seco, the dry-cured spanish style chorizo.
The chef will also choose a couple of pâtés or terrines for you, such as a house-made pâté de campagne, a duck rillette or a wonderful chicken liver mousse. Each is delicious. Crusty French bread is accompanied by the chef's exceptional hummus. Garnishes and accoutrements like tiny cornichons, perfectly pickled red onions, and that superb grainy mustard I mentioned, complete the board. You can also order a board of selected cheeses, or the chef will choose an assortment of meats and cheeses for you.
I had a nice roasted chicken entrée that night as well, and excellent service. My visit was during their opening week, and my waiter and other staff ran to the kitchen several times to find answers to all my questions, without a hint of aggravation.

Join Spindler's 1st anniversary party Thursday, December 29th,
from 4 till 7 PM. Free admission includes tastes and tidbits,
with a cash bar for you to enjoy one of their fine libations.

Spindler's is a great addition to PTown's list of very good restaurants, and, happily, we can look for them to soon begin operating year-round under their new license, recently approved by the Town. With luck, everything will fall into place somewhere in the early part of January, so keep an eye out for their upcoming 1922 special, celebrating that year's "landing"  of the Spindler on Provincetown shores.
Watch for an Early Bird dinner special that will offer a three-course meal, served at a bargain price in the early evening. A salad, followed by an entrée, as well as dessert, will be offered for only $19.22.
I can't wait!

Also, click the link below to visit Spindler's website and find out about all the New Year's festivities they have planned, like their six-course tasting menu and dinner party with champagne toast on New Year's Eve. There will be two seatings. On New Year's Day they'll present their Bloody's and Corpse Reviver Brunch. Call 508 487-6400 for reservations for these two events.
Go to www.spindlersptown.com for tickets to Sparkles@Spindler's, a cocktail party from 4 till 9PM on New Year's Day, serving plentiful hors d'oeuvres and Spindler's "Rum Runner" punch, and promising "an evening of music, fireworks, fun and friends." Tickets for this event are limited, so hurry.
In the meantime, be sure to stop in at Spindler's 1st Anniversary Party on Thursday, beginning a 4 PM. There will be free hors d'oeuvres and tastes, and all are invited. A cash bar will also be in operation, so beer and wine will be available, along with their lineup of specialty cocktails. The chilly weather will keep the party from spilling out onto the outdoor patios, so it's bound to be a bit crowded, but be patient. If you come by and can't squeeze in, come back a little later and try again. It'll be worth the effort.
Find Spindler's is at 386 Commercial Street, at the Waterford Inn. See you there!