Tag Archives: Provincetown

Getting down to the business of vacation.

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After a truly crazy last few months; traveling between San Francisco and Washington DC on the assignment I am on for the Presidential Commission for the Study of Bioethical Issues the last week of getting ready for our annual Provincetown vacation almost put me over the edge. Luckily the knowing that in a few short days we would once again be in one of our favorite places to essentially do little else than relax, eat, ride bikes, catch up for pals and in Paul’s case, sleep. But before I could leave; finish a few work projects, get the house cleaned, Dino had to be taken to Hightail, finished laundry, write the “house rules” up for a guest house-sitter and pack.

Getting an early start on Friday, I took off out of SFO on a 7:00 am Virgin flight, and while a crowded flight, it was essentially uneventful. I made sure I have my treats for the ride and enough juice on the Kindle Oasis that I recently acquired, with its extended batter cover – I was all set to go.

The nice thing about the west coast to east coast flight is that if you leave early enough, you can get in mid afternoon and have enough time to settle in. After getting my bag, I grabbed a cab over to meet Paul at the Residence Inn Marriott’s Downtown/Seaport facility. The renovated urban building, is clean, bright and well worth its hefty night fee – but its no more expensive than other hotels in the area. Figured I earned all those points, might as well get some use of them. We also found that by staying in Boston overnight – we can take the Saturday afternoon ferry to P’town and already be on the way to relaxing.

Once we got settled – the unspoken plan, is pizza! One of our favorites is Regina’s Pizza. This little, mad-house is not for the “faint of heart”. It’s busy, the wait staff robust and full of personality and the pies rock. The other best part is after, you get to walk the neighborhoods and hit some of the older Italian pastry shops for some regional fav’s I miss, not to mention the occasional “on no they didn’t” item…

One that we often stop at is Brova’s Bakery, with it’s wide assortment of cookies, cakes, and cannoli’s as well as savory treats like stromboli’s.

 

Waking up early, had a lazy morning with breakfast at Flour, and I stopped next door to check out the Bees Knees Supply company, we packed up and took a nice walk over to the ferry. Couldn’t ask for a better travel day – the weather in the east coast has been hot and sticky but it broke the other day and we lucked out with sunny, humidity in the 60’s and temps in the 80’s.

Once getting getting into P’town and checking in at the Fisherman’s Cove, our home away from home” for the next two weeks; we were unpacked, sorted out and “living” as if we hadn’t ever left. After running a few errands, like getting some “hair of the dog” coffee at Wired Puppy; we figured it a good time to eat before the crowds hit and we went with our old standard, Local 186 for burgers. Eating early meant that “someone” would be ready for an evening walk that was sure to include ice cream.

 

If you are interested in my  actual comments on the actual places; I generally review them in greater detail on my Yelp page and/or on Trip Advisor and when I can remember, I cross post here.

A crowd sourced multi-media portrait of 24 Hours of Life in Provincetown #Ptown24 ; over 2oo hundred photos, 48 videos all in the same 24 hours.

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Each year we head back to Provincetown for a few weeks to see old friends and chill. We usually go when the big events have passed and before the last big theme party hits. This past summer Provincetown TV (PTV) launched its own version of a crowd-source “day in the life” called #Ptown24 asking for folks to share images from throughout a 24 hour period using the hashtag #Ptown24 (which happened to occur while we were in town).  Below is the summer version and happy to say several of my shots made it.

A crowd sourced multi-media portrait of 24 Hours of Life in Provincetown; over 2oo hundred photos, 48 videos all in the same 24 hours. Heather Reed of Provincetown Television got the ball started.. and I’m hearing a winter version of #Ptown24  is brewing now too. See the message post below.

You can see some of the great work of PTV on Facebook at: https://www.facebook.com/provincetowntv/ or visit the website http://www.provincetowntv.org

Below is the summer version and happy to say several of my shots made it. 

 #Ptown24

In fact – are you going to be in Ptown in February? Help document 24 hours of life in the winter in Provincetown!

Everyone who lives here in the winter gets asked (like a million times) “What do you DO all winter?” It’s time to stand together and ANSWER BACK! With beautiful little videos and photographs of our lives in our beautiful town when most people are elsewhere.

From 6 am 2/24 to 6 am on 2/25, PTV and LIPTV ask EVERYONE in Provincetown to shoot and post short videos and photos of your day to the first WINTER #Ptown24! Invite your friends to join the #PTown24 Facebook group and contribute videos and photos or follow along as the day unfolds.
facebook.com/groups/ptown24

We encourage you to post and tag your posts with #Ptown24 everywhere on this day, but we learned A LOT about Facebook and Instagram’s privacy settings last time. That’s why this time we’re asking everyone to join the #Ptown24 group and post contributions here. That way your beautiful post doesn’t show up as a white box that says “Attachment Unavailable.”

Questions? Contact [email protected].

PTV is a 501(c)(3) non-profit contracted by the Town of Provincetown to provide a community media center for local residents, and non-profit and educational institutions. PTV is also contracted to provide unbiased cable and webcasts of all Provincetown Regulatory Board Meetings. (Follow PTV GOV here to stay up to date on the latest Government video postings: https://www.facebook.com/ptvgov)

PTV Members have free access to cameras, editing bays, lights, microphones, studio space, and hands-on training classes and workshops. Join or renew your membership here: http://provincetowntv.org/membership/

PTV cablecasts on Provincetown’s Comcast channels 18 (Government) and 99 (Public), with selected programs available on our Vimeo channel www.vimeo.com/provincetowntv.

Local 186 still rocks on

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Yes – sometimes I just don’t fight it and will eat at the same place several times on a trip. I think Local 186– has become that place for me since its launch. Again this year I’ve already gone twice! Its a great place to go for lunch or dinner, with friends or a date. From its pretty stellar line of burgers to a solid assortment of salads Local 186 doesn’t disappoint. This year so far its been all about burgers with the exception of one meal when I went with a lighter side meal and opted for a Tuna Nicoise salad.IMG_1647 IMG_1648 IMG_1649

Go big when you go to Local – try something new; tackle your way through the side dishes.. you will be back. This year we’ve had so far the fried artichokes, the cheese plate (which is big enough for a meal),  and the fried avocado.

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As for taste – they seem to nail it each time with the burgers – the tuna Nicoise was good and large but its blended style dressing while good – was muted and needed some sharpness in it to really pop the dish.

I also find that the service at Local is always some of the best in town,

located at:

http://www.local186.com
186 Commercial St
Provincetown, MA 02657

Phone number(508) 487-7555

Relish Still knocks it out of the park

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Relish
hits home and continues to bring it solid to those that make the walk to its west end location in Ptwn. Great sandwiches, salads and assorted treats. This is a sure hit with the picnic and beach set with its fast order system and “grab and go” mentality – while at the same time offering top notch take home dinner quality dishes for casual home meals. They have an assortment of dishes that should satisfy many food needs and tastes.

The Baked goods are some of my fav – the recent chocolate chip coffee cake, and its older brother espresso cake (can you see a theme here) were worth the walk alone. they can get busy at main meal times for plan ahead for when yo9u stop by on the way to the beach etc. If you are a cupcake fan – its a great place for a fix as well.

Relish offers a full line up of foods – Check out the website for whats on deck for them or to place orders. http://www.PtownRelish.com

Located at:

93 Commercial St, Provincetown, MA 02657 –

Devon’s Deep Sea Dive

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Devon’s Deep Sea Dive

We rolled into the Deep Sea Dive last year when Devon took it over from its previous incarnation. After several good breakfasts and dinners during our last stay – we knew it would once gain be on our food plan for this trip.

We tend to eat in during the busier days when the day-trippers descend on Ptown so we looked forward to our mid-week visit.

For the first visit we went for breakfast this year and once again ran into the whirling dervish himself (we had met Devon earlier in the week at his other location in the East End; Devon’s or read my comments on it here; http://wp.me/s4hbkV-devons ).

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Devon was working  that morning and greeted us with a warm, cheerful welcome. The ever handsome and man about town, Chad was our waiter, presenting us with several breakfast specials in addition to it’s regular menu. After grabbing a much needed coffee for Paul and a green tea for me– we went with the house made sausage scramble special, a house made pesto, cheese and tomato omelet with homemade English muffin and a short stack of gluten free Maine blueberry buckwheat pancakes – well just becuase for that short stack!IMG_1778 IMG_1779 IMG_1780

When our meal arrived, and quickly at that, one bite and we both knew that ordering the specials were the right choice. The scramble was the perfect combination of cheesy, smoky, mild spicy gooeyness that I love in a breakfast. The omelet was light and well cooked with a filling that made each bite a complete taste.

You can always tell when someone is using a homemade recipe for pesto over a store produced one,. The home version almost always has a little extra depth that comes from using native fresh ingredients that just can’t hold the same taste in a jarred version. I love the fact that in both of Devon’s restaurants they are stressing homemade foundations of flavor that really makes it an adventure.

FYI: Deep Sea Dive also offers a full dinner menu which we will be taking on later this week. You can also find them on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/DevonsDeepSeaDive

IMG_1783From its website – which reminded me to mention

“Devon’s Deep Sea Dive serves organic fair trade coffee, espresso, and teas. Local and organic produce, meats, and seafood are utilized as much as possible. The menu includes several vegan and gluten-free dishes. The menu is complemented by a concise wine list featuring domestic and imported wines available by the glass and bottle, regional micro brews, and specialty cocktails. Devon’s Deep Sea Dive is also open for breakfast, serving specialty omelets, such as truffle cheese and baby spinach, pancakes, and French toast, as well as several vegan options, such as tofu scramble with oven-roasted roma tomatoes, mushrooms, and caramelized onions, and vegan French toast with fresh strawberries. Devon’s Deep Sea Dive is open May through October. During the high season (mid-June through mid-September) Devon’s Deep Sea Dive is open for breakfast and dinner seven days per week.”

 

 

Devon’s Deep Sea Dive:

508-487-​0266

31 Bradford Street

Provincetown, Ma., 02657

 

Dinner at Devon’s

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Devon’s

We stopped by Devon’s for dinner recently when wanting dinner before we took in one of Ryan Landry’s & the Gold Dust Orphan Sunday show Snow White and the 7 Bottoms.

While we had an early seating – from the moment we entered we were made to feel welcome without any fussiness. Devon himself was on deck that night pitching in on the floor, which added its own special energy to the place.

With a nicely diverse menu, we opted for starters of organic Chicken Liver Pate ($13), the Mizuna Lettuce with Shaved Fennel, Radish and Carrots, Shallot -Thyme Vinaigrette salad ($10) and the house special soup being offered that night, which was a melon based puree with candied cashews. The starters had that perfect blend of savory, sweet, and crunch that opens up a meal.IMG_1757 IMG_1758

For entrees, two of us went with the fresh halibut with roasted corn relish, cherry tomatoes on a bed a pepperonchini mashed potatoes.

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I’m a huge fan of monk fish (aka poor mans lobster when I was a kid) so went with the Pan Seared Monkfish Medallions, Mojo Isleno Sauce, Creamy Polenta –($27) – an earthy, rustic dish that took the monk fish and paired it with a salty, spicy caper, olive and roasted pepper stew reminiscent of a puttanesca style, but with such a nice balance that it took on its own complex dimension that clearly made it its own dish. They serve is on creamy grits with the “stew” ladled around the mountain of grits like a castle surrounded by its moat.

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All the dishes that night rocked our praises. Nicely portioned and with clear intentions that Devon’s and his chief is enjoys an understanding that comes from the love of blending clean fresh flavors with rustic and hearty delivery. Well worth the walk to the East End for those West Enders that never seem to get much past the Boastslip. They offer both and indoor and outdoor seating option. Heat lamps are available as well as offering a rain covers on its outside deck for those adventures souls who want to eat outside during some of Ptowns occasional showers.

 

Devon’s:

401 1/2  Commercial Street

Provincetown, Ma., 02657

Call for dinner reservations

Devon’s: 508-487-4773

You can also follow them on Facebook; https://www.facebook.com/devonsrestaurant

Changes… even on vac a with @PopandDutch

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Pop+Dutch (@POPandDutch) rolls out in the West End.

One of our fav “goto” spots for breakfast sandwiches had been the Angel Grocery at the corner where we stay while in Ptown. But this year the place had both a new vibe, with a new name and menu. Now called Pop+Dutch they offer a simple clean fresh take on sandwiches (regular, breakfast and gluten free) snacks and fresh in house made cookies and salads and fresh brewed teas and lemonade. The new folks working in this pint-sized general store, which some other reviewers label as a gourmet sandwich shop are friendly, easy going and fit the “go with the flow” vibe of Ptown while also not using that as an excuse for poor service a few other similar places lean towards.

They also came out with a cute reusable shopping bag with a fitting theme that caught my eye at day one.IMG_1645

 

 

Pop+Dutch

http://popanddutch.com
147 Commercial Street
Provincetown, MA
(774) 538-6472

Twitter: @POPandDutch
Facebook: Pop+Dutch
Instagram: POPANDDUTCH

Nutritional “Crack” – as addictive, just better for you

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When I travel – I tend to eat regionally. My Sister turned me on to these folks a few years back when I was out in Provincetown for  a summer trip. The Fairway Resturant and The Hole In One in Eastham has an incredible group of granola mixes that I think is some of the best I have had. It essentially is nutritional “crack”. I like it so much I tend to order it and have it shipped all year round. Located on Route 6 in North Eastham, this 20 year old, family run shop, specializes in fresh, hand-cut donuts and warm, friendly service and a way about granola that is dangerous..

They have a “know how” with  chocolate and peanut butter in a way that makes it addictive and not just “tossed in” for those that are attracted it it. The two that I tend to eat the most is Midnight and Muddy Beach Nut but truth be told – they are all great. So good that I eat them out of the bag like cookies, on ice cream and even on occasion as cereal…

Really – you have to try it! you can find the website  here,  online Facebook or located in two spots;

The Hole in One Restaurant
98 Cranberry Highway
Orleans, MA 02653Phone: 508-255-3740

The Hole in One Donut Shop4295 US-6
Eastham, MA 02642
Phone: 508-255-9446