As the rain came down hard on the Vineyard Haven waterfront, Charlene Douglas, Elena Grinblatas, and I found comfort in the warm meal provided by Black Dog Tavern.
Douglas is nothing short of a celebrity at the restaurant, or as she calls herself, the “Big Shot.” Alongside her husband, Capt. Bob Douglas, she opened the restaurant in 1971 to provide a place for people to gather and eat year-round. “Robert always said we don’t do this because we need the money,” said Douglas; “we do this because the town needs a place to eat.”
Before the Black Dog Tavern, there was no year-round restaurant on the Island. Captain Bob, eager to remedy this, began sketching out his plan: a small gambrel-roofed building, located on Vineyard Haven’s waterfront, overlooking the harbor, and open to Islanders and visitors alike. The concept began in 1969 on a couple of napkins, and two years later the tavern opened, with encouragement and help from the Island community.
As we sat at the table alongside the windows, Charlene pointed around the restaurant, describing the history that was displayed on the walls. The wooden beams holding up the restaurant were sourced from a shipyard in New Bedford, and according to Douglas, they are the last of their kind. Photos of timeless ships, hand-carved signs, curved wooden ribs that built the frames for the sailboats that were tied up in the harbor outside –– history and memories came together within the tavern.
The day of our visit was coincidentally the first day of the new fall menu, so we were the first to try some of the new, cozy dishes. As we browsed the menu, we each ordered a glass of wine. Grinblatas and I ordered the Cabernet Sauvignon, a red from Black Dog California, and Douglas ordered a Sauvignon Blanc.
The restaurant was kept warm by a small furnace, but Douglas remembers a time when it was a roaring open fire constantly being fed wood. Although reduced in size, the fireplace still lights the restaurant and warms the surrounding tables.
We started with the Onion Rings, beer-battered and served with Buffalo ranch, and Jalapeño Popper Puffs –– a standard jalapeño popper wrapped in a delicate puff pastry. The Buffalo ranch had a nice kick, and the pastry wrapping the jalapeño was a fun twist on a tavern classic.
For our entrées, Douglas had a Harvest Salad –– roasted sweet potato and carrots, goat cheese, walnuts, and apples, served on a bed of mixed greens tossed with lemon thyme vinaigrette. I had only met Douglas a handful of times, so I wasn’t sure if we were at the friendship level where I could stick my fork in her meal and take a bite, but I definitely wanted one.
Grinblatas ordered the Beef and Mushroom Pot Pie served with mashed potatoes and Guinness mushroom gravy. As we’ve swapped plates before, I had no qualms about eating some of her dinner. The beef was rich and warming, a perfect meal for the weather we found ourselves dining in.
I landed on Sausage Broccoli Cavatelli, which had chorizo, sweet sausage, and broccoli, all served over cavatappi pasta. The meal was brightened up with fresh lemon and a topping of Parmesan cheese.
Other notable mentions which hopefully I’ll be back for are the Rosemary and Apple Cider Braised Chicken, Butternut Squash Ravioli, and Drunken Sailor Shrimp.
We slowly finished our wine as Five Corners increasingly flooded. Full and a little sleepy, I felt it was clear why the Black Dog endures — the history in the beams, the open-arms atmosphere, the comfort of dishes meant for dark weather: It all adds up to more than a meal. As Douglas sat with her feet up on the bench talking to an old friend, she embraced the warmth of the tavern. “That’s what I like about this place, no one tells you who to be,” said Douglas as the rain pattered against the window her back rested on.
The Douglas family has built a place where the Vineyard is held with care. More than 50 years after those first sketches on a napkin, the Black Dog hasn’t lost its sense of purpose. On a night when the wind pushed waves into the harbor, the tavern offered exactly what it was intended to — warmth, good food, and a seat at the table. As we made our way out into the storm, Douglas approached the kitchen window, thanking each chef for the meal they had prepared, and wishing them a good night.
