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Provincetown: Sal's Not the Place

July 17, 2006 at 11:37 AM | 3 Comments



Part of our job is to protect you, the unsuspecting traveler, from B.S.: Overhyped destinations, crummy food, and cramped hotels are no fun, and we suffer so you don't have to. One of the problems that we had in Provincetown was with the restaurants. Because of the rapid turnover of visitors, there's not much reason to improve the quality of the food or the service if repeat customers aren't an issue.

That said, we should place the blame squarely on our own shoulders for the dreadful meal we had at Sal's Place, on the water by Commercial Street in Provincetown's West End. We ignored our travel instincts, seduced by the promise of eating tasty Italian food al fresco by the water.

Sadly, none of those things would come to fruition. Spotting an empty table right by the ocean on the balcony, a large coughing man wearing a stained apron told us it was already claimed. Presumably, this was Sal himself, and it occurs to us now that he bore more than a passing resemblance to Barth from You Can't Do That on Television. It didn't escape our notice that our dream table sat empty the rest of the night.

Not that it would have mattered; Sal's overpriced home-style Southern Italian cooking was as bland as it could be. Linguine with clams was flavored with butter alone--there wasn't even garlic--and the spaghetti with tomatoes and mushrooms tasted suspiciously like Prego.

Related Stories:
·   Jaunted Field Trip Provincetown [Jaunted]

Where: 99 Commercial St [map], Provincetown, MA, United States

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Author Photo: AVB by AVB

3 Comments

Return to » Provincetown: Sal's Not the Place

  1. carolthomas

    Jaunted Member
    May 13, 2007 at 3:54 PM




    dinner on the water

    SAL'S Place in Provincetown on the water is the best Italian food I 've had outside of Italy.
    I usually ask to sit either outside or in the room inside on the water where I can see the Long Point Lighthouse.
    Last time I started with a huge fresh salad with their homemade dressing and then had the broiled salmon with capers and balsamic and tons of green bean.  My partner had the spaghetti carbonara with crispy bacon and an amazing sauce, we shared that and finished with two great desserts, a hazelnut gelato from Italy and a homemade chocolate mousse in a cookie crust that was incredible. I will always send people here as my first choice in Provincetown for Italian food- actually best all around food there.

  1. carolthomas

    Jaunted Member
    May 13, 2007 at 4:00 PM




    Don't forget to try the Brodetto on Fridays

    I think if you're in Provincetown on a Friday that you should try the Brodetto or Spaghetti with clams sauce at Sal's  PLACE.  The Brodetto has a huge serving of mussels, clams, shrimp and broccoli in a marinara broth that is amazing and my sister had the Clams over pasta with parsley, tons of fresh garlic and a lovely broth that tasted like the sea.  We had sides of beans that were steamed perfectly, not overcooked and finished with cannolis- a crispy homemade shell loaded with ricotta cheese and not too sweet, really amazing.  Sometimes in summer it's hard to get a seat outside, but if you call ahead they always do it by reservation and it's worth calling ahead to sit by the water - check the tide calender so you can be there when the water is coming in- it's great then especially, you'll love it like we do.

  1. dominicofnewyork

    Jaunted Member
    July 19, 2008 at 4:08 PM




    BEST ITALIAN, WATERFRONT LOCATION

    Six of us had dinner here last night,it was fantastic. We loved the mussels as an appetizer, and the cheese plate with fruits and crositini- excellent. We followed with salads, had stuffed flounder with a vegetable rich marinara sauce, 2 had veal parmigiana, we had a broiled salmon with capers and mahi mahi broiled - all superb. We shared two large orders of pasta for the table, a carbonara- creamy with bacon and cheese- all loved this one, and one with fresh tomatoes and garlic, would have liked a little more garlic, next time will ask for extra.
    We had a few bottles an excellent well priced Greco de Tufo and finished with 3 desserts, mousse pie, tirame su and an almond cake , first class dining experience, all on the waterfront, will definitely go back here next time in Provincetown

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