We had committed the ultimate sin - we arrived on a Saturday night without a dinner reservation! After checking into our hotel, it was my job to secure a table, somewhere, anywhere, in Proviencetown for that night. Okay, it sounds like an easy chore, but it was not. I went down the phone book and was laughed at, groaned at, and even hung up on. Finally, my luck changed when I got to the M's in the book and called The Martin House. They had a lovely table just cancel in the garden at the time we desired. The Martin House is a historic P'Town house. It's one of the few buildings that still faces the Old Shore Road, not Commercial Street. It's a classic 18th-century home that was once a safe house during the abolition movement. It even has two secret rooms to hide former slaves. The house has five fireplaces.
It's lovely. It has many small rooms, many with fine art hanging on the walls. The garden is breathtaking. It has some wonderful flowers and soothing fountains. We got a nice table in the garden.
The patio was fun to sit in, as it was filled with other gay families who were starting out their Family Week adventure. Everyone got talking and the kids all met one another.
I ordered a pork chop and Chris had a steak. It took forever for the food to come out of the kitchen. My pork chop was very good, but Chris's steak was way overdone. He mentioned this to the waitress but kept it, as food was taking way too long to come out. She was really sorry and offered us a free drink or dessert.
The one downer was the other waiter on the patio that night. Another table of gay men asked him what was up this week. Why are there so many kids in P'Town? The waiter rolled his eyes and in a very loud voice said "Oh, it's Family Week, or as we call it, Nightmare Week." I didn't think this was so cool announcing his disdain for kids in a patio full of kids and families.
We have friends who go here every Valentine's Day, as it's very romantic and just love it. I could see where it could be a good place; however, this night the vibe was just off. The food took way too long, the steak was overcooked, and the staff seemed snobby. The mojo just wasn't there that night.