Let’s face it: the summer of 2009 was a bona-fide bust.
There was too much rain, and when the clouds finally moved out, the crowds
moved in, clogging everywhere you wanted to be. But there’s new hope for a
second hit of that summery fun we got so shortchanged on this year. On November
6–12, in time for the three-day Veterans Day weekend, you can eat, shop, beach
walk, and dune buggy your way through Provincetown’s first annual Restaurant
Week. During this week, P-town is for all of us, and her best dining
destinations will be offering up three-course prix-fixe dinners for a piddling
$25 or $35 per person. And just to make sure that the whole town turns bright,
many of P-town’s approximately 100 galleries will be open late, serving wine
and cheese to warm up the weekend strollers. Shops getting ready to shutter for
the winter are in deep discount mode, and God knows that goods for sale in
P-town are six steps closer to edgy than anything you’ll find in Beantown. It’s
a homage to the great success of Restaurant Week in Boston and elsewhere, and
if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, I like it, especially when it
means that I get a bargain.
Like Nantucket, P-town is known as a dining destination, with a
score of great restaurants that are consistently on everyone’s “Best of” lists.
“Eclectic” is the word that springs to mind. There’s great local lobsta and
seasonal seafood, natch, but also standout fare in the form of everything from
sushi to Southwestern cuisine. In the summer months, though, the problem for me
(and maybe you, too) is that it can be impossible to get in the door. No one
gets a choice weekend table unless you’ve got a friend with a home on the dunes
who plays tennis with the chef or owner. For foodies, this is our chance to eat
a like a local. Drop your duffle, stroll over to one of the galleries for a look
and a snootful of red, and slide into your seat at one of P-town’s hot spots
(20 top-notch restaurants are participating in promotion). The next day, get up
and do it all over again.
It’s a getaway without the hassle of the away part, your best bet
until ski season starts. Hop on the bus or pile in the car, rocket down Route
6, park your stuff once, and you’re set for the weekend. (Sorry, the ferries
will have stopped running by then, but if this week scores, they could be on a
special schedule for 2010.) Score charming accommodations at one of the 80
local guesthouses, many of which are converted sea captains’ homes with
fantastic harbor views. And rather than confronting the “I’m sorry, we’re
booked until Labor Day” or “We have a three-night minimum” replies that plague
the summer months, this time of the year you’ll find that the hosts are truly
gracious and grateful — and the rooms are all on sale, as low-season prices (in
the range of $75 to $150 a night) are on average one-half of the high-season
rates.
While everyone else is scrambling to book country inns in
Vermont, imagine yourself smugly reserving the best harbor view, dining at the
best tables on the Cape, and scoring the best bargains of the year. Let others
compete for a view of the last golden leaf up north; you’ll be sliding your
toes (or, at least, your seasonally appropriate shoes) into the golden dunes.
Don’t you deserve to be on the beach, one last time before the snow falls?
For information about participating
restaurants, accommodations, and activities, go to the Provincetown tourism
site, provincetowntourismoffice.org, and click the tab for Restaurant Week.
