Chilmark Chocolates (Martha's Vineyard)

On our yearly trip to MV, ABF & I met his family for a quick trip to Chilmark Chocolates. It was our first time there, but the rest of the clan had already discovered the delicious bites and was going back for Round Two!

It's a tight fit inside, with room for a quick single file pass by the glass cases. There wasn't too much time to linger, but there were so many possible choices!

I ended up picking a few random bites that sounded good, starting with the dark chocolate/GrapeNuts combo. My mom used to make this crazy-good GrapeNuts pudding when I was a kid (note to self-- make that pudding soon!) and I figured it was probably a great crunchy add to chocolate. I figured right. This was one of my favorites, and I didn't even stop to take a picture.

Every bite was delicious-- their toffee was crunchy, sweet, and just salty enough.

I was planning to bring back a bunch of chocolates for my coworkers, but Chilmark was closed that Tuesday, so we'll have to wait until our next visit. We know better-- this is the time of year when most places are shutting down for the season! Either way, we know now that Chilmark Chocolates is a must-stop the next time we come visit the Island.

Chilmark Chocolates

19 State Road

Chilmark, MA 02535

(508) 645-3013

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Offshore Ale Company (Martha's Vineyard)

ABF got a lovely present from a colleague this year-- Deb knew of Kevin's & my love for New England and gave him a gift certificate valid at numerous merchants on Martha's Vineyard! We decided to use this at a restaurant we hadn't tried before-- Offshore Ale Company, in Oak Bluffs.

You can help yourself to bunches of raw peanuts while you wait, and the floor is littered with shattered shells. I never really got the appeal of that, personally, but people seem to love it. To each his/her own!

We started with a bowl of chowdah for ABF, and he generously shared with me. This was tangy, creamy, and the perfect start to a meal on a cold winter's night.

I ordered a glass of Malbec, one of my go-to wines when it comes to reds. I wasn't sure yet what I'd order, but I usually enjoy Malbecs.

Offshore Ale Company brews their own beer (and offers tours!), and ABF tried one of their stouts. He really liked his stout, and thought it went perfectly with the chowder. I tried a sip of the stout and liked it okay, but still prefer wine. I'm just not a beer person, remember?

ABF's main was the Italian Sausage Alfredo pizza, with a white sauce base, slightly spicy sausage, caramelized onions, and spinach. I had a bite and this was delicious! Offshore makes their pizzas in a wood-fired brick oven, and this pizza was excellent. Chewy but crisp crust, not the least bit greasy, and everything tasted delightfully fresh.

I felt a little overwhelmed with all of the options, but ended up picking fried chicken. I can count on one hand the times I've eaten fried chicken over the past few years, but I got roped in by the promise of a fluffy biscuit and some mashed potatoes.

The biscuit was fantastic, the mashed potatoes were perfect, and the chicken was crunchy, crispy, and very well-seasoned. There was also a HUGE amount of it. We both took home leftovers, and both dishes got even tastier over time.

We made sure to save room for dessert (which is why we packed up about five pounds' worth of leftovers!) and ABF's brother and his family had raved about the warm chocolate chip cookies that come with ice cream. One serving comes with 3 cookies, each about the size of my head, and a dollop of vanilla ice cream.

These were good, but I would skip these next time. If you have little ones with you, I think they'd love the wow factor of gigantic cookies, though.

Service was excellent, the mood was upbeat and energetic (a bit loud but in a fun way), and they have so many options you'll have a tough time settling on just one thing--what a delicious dilemma! I would definitely return here--and thanks again to ABF's colleague, Deb-- we quite enjoyed your gift!

Offshore Ale Company

30 Kennebec Ave

Oak Bluffs, MA 02557

(508) 693-2626

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State Road: Revisited! (Martha's Vineyard)

A highlight of November's trip to Martha's Vineyard was our meal at State Road, recommended to us by the fabulous couple behind Hungry Native (click to go visit them--I'll wait here!) Our breakfast was jaw-droppingly good and we still talk about it from time to time. On our random, extra trip this April, we absolutely made time for a visit, this time for dinner (and apparently just a day after their opening for the 2012 season!)
Also, we quickly noticed that every single table brought wine with them, as West Tisbury was still a dry town (the vote to approve beer & wine has since passed--cheers!), but considering I was driving us back to Edgartown, it wasn't that big a letdown. We had some Clovis Point Merlot waiting for us at the hotel. ;)

I started with the garlic soup. We had the same server as last time (Caitlin) and she told me the soup had a poached egg (!) from Grey Barn Farms, a chicken broth base, puréed bread crumbs for thickness, and oodles of garlic, plus a ramp-butter crostini. Done and done. I like ramps (some people, especially in NYC, go insane for them), so I figured it was a perfect taste of spring flavors. This was BEYOND good. I have to figure out how to make this! It must have been roasted garlic, because the flavor was slightly sweet and mild, nothing raw or pungent about it. ABF had more than one spoonful of this because it is THAT GOOD. That egg--look at the gorgeous yolk!

ABF sampled the bread basket while I ate my soup--delicious.

ABF ordered the steak dish, which came with sautéed spinach and buttermilk-onion rings. I loved the onions and sneaked a good 2 mouthfuls of the crunchy bits. The steak was super tender and wonderfully seasoned, and the garlic was just right. ABF was hoping for MORE of it, but he did enjoy it. It also came with these fabulous pasta pockets filled with short ribs. Melt-in-your-mouth good!

I went in determined to save room for dinner, so for my entrée, I ordered the Menemsha Lobster Spaghetti, which had pasta made from Grey Barn Farms eggs, roasted tomatoes, local pea greens and asparagus. This was beautiful, but I felt like something was missing and it fell a little flat with me. It was very good, I just didn't fall in love with it like I did with the breakfasts we had last year. Still, a tasty, decent-sized portion that left me with plenty of room for dessert!

And oh, this dessert was worth it. Salted whiskey butterscotch pudding. So many awesome words in that title! YES! It had a great tang of salt, creamy butterscotch flavor, and sublime peanut brittle on top. When did I start liking peanut brittle? Oh right--the SECOND I tried the peanut brittle at State Road.

ABF ordered the flourless chocolate cake, but this didn't win over either one of us. It had a crumbly texture and made me think of more of a semolina cake than the dense, fudgy, richer version we were both picturing. If you want something very light, though, this would be a good pick. I'd rather have more more more of that butterscotch pudding. A lot more!

We saw a final sweet treat arrive with our check--2 delicious, light-as-air macaroons. I don't really care for coconut's texture, but for some reason I love it in macaroon form. These were great!

While the dinner still didn't surpass our remarkable breakfast from last fall, we still highly recommend State Road. Great service, fresh, local food, and love in every bite. Enjoy!

State Road Restaurant
688 State Road
West Tisbury, MA 02575
Phone 508-693-8582

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Linda Jean's (Martha's Vineyard)

A great hotel deal & some stunning weather were more than enough to lure ABF & me back to Martha's Vineyard this April. A favorite spot of ABF's on MV is Linda Jean's, which is in the Oak Bluffs area(home to the gingerbread houses and more). We didn't make it there last trip, so we made sure to stop by this time!

They'd stopped serving breakfast, but I had just heard (via my Facebook page--go there and like me, won't you? Aww, thank you so much!) that their chowder was some of the best on the Island. Done! ABF & I each got a bowl. I am always impressed how such a simple dish can be so vastly different from place to place. This WAS good, but I think my heart still belongs to the chowdah at Newes from America pub, at least in a MV chowdah ranking.

ABF ordered Linda-Jean's steak sandwich, a play on a philly cheese steak. This was a lot of food and chock full of delicious mushrooms (yes, I said MUSHROOMS--and delicious--in the same sentence!). I took TWO bites of this. The roll was perfectly soft and everything--tender beef, melty cheese, yummy mushrooms, was seasoned just right.

I ordered the grilled Rueben on rye bread. I love me some sauerkraut and it just jumped out at me. I was glad to see it was not a ridiculously huge serving (like you might find here in NYC). This was a normal person's sandwich--and I still couldn't finish it. But oh was it yummy. The bread was perfect, the meat was easy to chew but not mushy, and the melty cheese and sauerkraut were the perfect combo of gooey and crunchy. I didn't really use the Russian dressing on the side (very sweet and kinda not my thing anyway).

The fries were good, too--I ate more than I planned to eat!

Linda Jean's is open all day--next time I'm aiming for breakfast, because I remember having some pretty fantastic pancakes there a while ago. They're located smack in the middle of Oak Bluffs...and let me know what you get there!!

Linda Jean's
25 Circuit Avenue
Oak Bluffs, MA 02557
(508) 693-4093

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Martha's Vineyard: Water Street Restaurant

On our last morning on Martha's Vineyard, I persuaded (cajoled?) ABF into joining me downstairs at the Harbor View's restaurant, Water Street. The dining area is just gorgeous--white beadboard, dark wood chairs/tables, and a lovely wood floor. We were the only 2 people in there at the time, so we got the primo seat facing out onto the Edgartown Harbor and, of course, the Edgartown lighthouse!

We got tall, stately cups of coffee right off the bat. Smooth and strong--not as strong as State Road, but still good.

My rye toast was delightfully sour and fluffy--hooray!

We each ordered the 2-eggs-any-way breakfast. I got mine poached (of course--have you met me?), with home fries and a sausage patty.

ABF ordered his eggs scrambled, and he also had the home fries & sausage patty. His eggs were expertly-seasoned and fluffy, and we both looooved the home fries! I normally pass on heavy, starchy home fries, but these were great.

My eggs, sadly, were terribly overcooked, as in almost hard-boiled. This is NOT poached. If we hadn't been in a rush to catch our ferry home, I would have done something I rarely ever, EVER do: send them back to the kitchen! We were the only 2 people in the restaurant at the time, and making poached eggs takes three minutes tops, but at that point I didn't want to bother. I ate all the whites and let ABF have the hard yolks (which I just don't like. Bleah).

The view was lovely, the decor was divine, and the home fries were finger-licking-good, but the Water Street restaurant failed to wow me this visit. To be fair, I also didn't give them the chance to fix the mistake, but the clock was ticking. There's always next year!

Water Street at the Harbor View Hotel
131 North Water Street
Edgartown, MA 02539
(508) 627-3761

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Martha's Vineyard: State Road

Thanks to my new interweb/fellow-food-fan-friends at HungryNative.com, ABF & I learned that our beloved Zapotec had closed (o, fish tacos, I hardly knew ye). Where could we go for an amazing meal now on Martha's Vineyard--where we trek every year after Thanksgiving in NY? HN peeps suggested State Road, a restaurant on, well, State Road, in the West Tisbury area of the island. I checked out their review (go here), and the pictures alone told me this would be THE place for us.

First things first--ABF & I are not kidding around when it comes to coffee. Our server brought us steaming mugs of it--fresh, hot, dark roast. And I mean dark. As dark as ABF makes it on his own, and that's a pretty big compliment from our coffee camp. We both make mean pots of coffee in a variety of ways, and I think it's safe to say we both give the State Road brew two mugs up!

Brunch here goes from 8am-2pm. YES! We were up pretty early every day on our trip, getting the most hours of sunlight we could. Getting up early also builds quite an appetite!

Everything on the menu sounded delicious, but I kept going back to the bacon-cheddar-jalapeno grits ($12).And I don't even like grits.

ABF got the one item we agreed SOMEONE had to order: the cod cakes special ($15), which also came with arugula and a fried (local) egg. We were super-happy to see that it came with THREE cod cakes...each one jam-packed with flaky fish, fresh herbs, and a serious kick of lemon. The lemon-dill sauce that came with it had me coming back for 'just one more taste' a few times. I'm lucky he's such a generous guy. ;)

Check out those gorgeous slices of their house-made multi-grain bread. Each piece had real heft and weight to it--the mark of a serious piece o'bread. The housemade preserves were splendid--chock full of fresh blueberries--hardly anything extra needed! I could have eaten a lot more of this bread. It tasted like the kind your mom would make on a cold winter day. Le sigh.

I had more than enough grits to share--they're still not my favorite food in the world, but the way they make them at State Road is definitely worth trying, and it's an incredibly generous amount! Our server, Caitlin, also brought us a small bowl of sriracha sauce to dot over our food--which of course it didn't need, but sure was a nice addition. Yum. The sautéed spinach was scrum-diddily-umptious, and the local eggs from Grey Barn Farms (perfectly, perfectly poached!) are well worth the extra buck per egg. No anemic, pale yolks here!!

The service was great here--friendly, welcoming, efficient, and we enjoyed every moment in that warm, open restaurant. We wanted to go back again (and again) before we left, but time just wasn't on our side. I'd also love to see their backyard herb garden in full bloom--I'll wager it's a beauty. Next time!! And next time, honestly, can't come soon enough.

State Road Restaurant
688 State Road
West Tisbury, MA 02575
(508) 693-8582

----> Hot coffee + great food = Happy LKP

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