Lately food trucks are all the rage but they’re hardly a new idea. Cowboys driving cattle in the 1800s had what were probably the first food trucks – they called them chuck wagons. In the 1890s lunch wagons did a good business catering to late-night workers. And of course mobile food trucks have been around for years, serving up food at construction sites.
Dining Out
Crisply cooling and refreshing with the added “medicinal” benefit of the quinine in tonic, this most patrician of drinks evokes the most patrician of Island towns: Edgartown. In summer. On a dock. Under a flag. Wearing pink.
“It’s crispy and delicious, almost a little sweet,” says Tim Broderick, a man who knows his fluke. The Chilmark fisherman was the host of last year’s fisherman’s fish fry, an annual tradition to mark the end of the commercial fluke season and a chance for the fishermen to slow down and enjoy this summer specialty they unload daily on Menemsha docks. Their method was simple and classic: they rolled the fluke in flour seasoned with just salt and pepper and plunged it into the deep fryer, serving it alongside fried clams, garden salads, and other potluck dishes.
This spring’s Martha’s Vineyard Wine Festival offered plenty of new tastes to try, and several Island restaurants and package stores made discoveries that they’re now offering customers. The spirits we sampled inspired us to share some lively summer drink ideas.
For the last thirty-five years, Jean Dupon has owned and operated Le Grenier at 96 Main Street in Vineyard Haven, serving French cuisine in the second-story restaurant and cultivating a devoted clientele. But now he’s ready to say au revoir to all that – the restaurant industry and its fifteen-hour days. “I’m sixty-nine years old,” he says. “It’s time to relax.”
Many books address local and seasonal foods with an emphasis on quality and freshness. Few offer insight into why supporting local farmers and fishermen is vital to our existence, including the history of where we have been and what lessons we’ve learned along the way.
There are many places where you can buy chocolates. But when you mention Chilmark Chocolates, people tend to get weak in the knees.
