Atlantic Fish and Chop House, Edgartown, Martha’s Vineyard
Edgartown is arguably the biggest town on Martha’s Vineyard, home to streets of pretty shops with cottagey wares, as well as the usual tourist paraphernalia.
The architectural style across the island is very consistent. Like most buildings, the Atlantic Fish and Chop House features the signature untreated timber shingles and it’s a picturesque place to sit, relax and enjoy a good feed.
It’s down on the waterfront at Edgartown (the water literally laps at the edges of the restaurant building), near the main car parking for the area and the marina. It’s obviously well patronised by locals and no doubt is incredibly busy during the summer season. We were lucky to visit reasonably early in the evening.
This is a big restaurant, with a homespun style to it; lots of timber, lots of windows and lots of people enjoying a beer and a snack. It’s not fine dining by any means. Martha’s Vineyard is one of the few places Greedy Girl and gluttonous husband have visited where they’ve not really considered fine dining. We figured that the abundance of seafood (as well as an ambitious eating tour elsewhere in the US) meant plumping for decent local produce was the way to go.
And that’s what we got at Atlantic Fish and Chop House. It seems an odd name, but early on, we saw one of the long-bone veal chops being taken to the table next to us, covered in a slather of porcini and cognac cream sauce. It reminded Greedy Girl of the brontosaurus ribs favoured by Fred Flinstone. She popped down from her high perch next to the windows overlooking the water and asked the very accommodating diner if she could take a picture of his dish. The picture doesn’t really do the bone’s length justice.
Long bone veal chop
As we sipped our drinks – a very fine cosmopolitan for Greedy Girl and another of the local beers for gluttonous husband, we perused the menu and gazed out at the bobbing boats. The constant lapping of water was a little disconcerting but nonetheless a pleasant spot.
They make a fine cocktail
Getting down to the business at hand, Greedy Girl couldn’t go past one of her favourite items – tuna. This was Ahi tuna sashimi with a garlic and ginger ponzu. The tuna was a beautiful deep red colour and Greedy Girl lapped it up – all except the pickled ginger which went over to gluttonous husband.
Ahi tuna sashimi
We opted for another snack to start – guacamole with corn chips but, given the location, this had a small twist – King crab and mango had been mixed through the guacamole, giving it additional depth. An enormous serving, it was a great dish to share.
King crab guacamole with corn chips
Next up were our mains. Gluttonous husband took a special – perfectly seared scallops served on a bed of crushed peas and white beans. The combination worked a treat and Greedy Girl was allowed to sneak a scallop.
Perfectly seared scallops
Greedy Girl took the shrimp, served with aioli toast, grilled tomatoes and a chorizo ragout. If she’d known she had to peel the prawns, she might have ordered something different. Gluttonous husband to the rescue.
Roasted shrimp
These were all ‘appetisers’ but the we were more than satisifed by sharing these four plates. The serving sizes are generous and the bigger plates looked absolutely enormous. The menu has an incredible array of seafood (as you’d expect) but also plenty of American cafe/diner fare, such as pizzas, steaks and even mac and cheese.
Edgartown is an attractive spot. We went back the next day to have a walk around and try to find some decent coffee (which admittedly was a little bit of a struggle) but it’s a quite enjoyable place to pass the time. We saw a few tourist buses which made the little streets that much harder to navigate but Greedy Girl was very happy she’d avoided the height of the season and could experience the island in a leisurely and less crowded manner.
Atlantic Fish and Chop House
2 Main Street, Edgartown
Comments