A toast for the holidays
In preparation for going back to visiting Island bars, I have been going through many different mixed drinks to try out during quarantine. I discovered this drink by accident, mixing a small nip of...
Let them eat pumpkin cake!
When quarantine started, I occupied my time cooking more meals for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This year's Thanksgiving has many firsts, and I decided to contribute by making a dessert with a nutty twist.
I...
Little house, big flavor
Brook Katzen is a man with a mission to make sure an Island staple keeps on going. Little House Café, founded 10 years ago, continues to be an asset to year-rounders when many other...
Broccoli-palooza
My obsession with finding the best broccoli salad began shortly after I discovered Cronig’s had closed down its salad bar due to COVID-19 some months ago. Remember their broccoli salad, teaming with bacon, blue...
Turkey and sides and pies, oh my!
Imagine: Thanksgiving Day, 2020. You've just woken up to the coziest of autumn mornings — a crisp breeze in the air, a hot mug of coffee in the works. You'll spend the day surrounded...
Caesar pleaser
Who doesn’t love a Caesar salad? It’s one of my favorite things to order when we eat out, and then I can pretend like I “forgot” to tell the server to hold the croutons,...
Every day is a salad day
Beautiful red cabbage (which is actually purple) will brighten any dish. This recipe is a version of a salad that I used to make at the Roadhouse. It’s important to use a great blue...
Groovy smoothie
Remember the days when smoothies were a whole lot like a milkshake with a little fruit thrown in? Apparently those days are long gone. I’ve tried green smoothies, brown smoothies, pink smoothies, white smoothies,...
Tackling meatloaf sandwiches
Whenever we go to an old-time diner, the first thing I look for on the menu is a meatloaf sandwich. To me, it’s better than a burger because of the peppers and onions cooked...
Home cooking at Pawnee House
When you find a restaurant that appeases all the diets, you’ve stumbled into something special. So when rumor had it that an “all vegan” restaurant was opening in Oak Bluffs where the old Park...
Harvest of the Month: Tomatoes
One ubiquitous fall smell in my house is of simmering tomatoes. All week I pluck tomatoes from my garden as they ripen, and collect them in a bowl. I also go to local farms...
Homegrown hops
It's nice to know that COVID-19 hasn't wreaked havoc on this year's local hop harvest, and it's even nicer knowing that Hopps Farm Road Pale Ale will be available at Offshore Ale around Sept....
Fall fresh
The touch of cream in this soup is what makes it a bisque. There’s only a small amount, but it adds a smooth and velvety texture. Butternut squash — grown on the Vineyard and...
Try this $9 recipe: Focaccia
The Vineyard specializes in gourmet and interesting foods. Culinary experiments are encouraged, if not demanded, especially in the summer. While restaurants strive to new heights, however, so do their grocery bills. So here we’re...
That’s a spicy o’meatball
As a young man who still cooks and eats like he’s in college, these meatballs were a big step for me, but they’re relatively simple to make for everyone else.
Now you might be wondering,...
Summer ceviche
There is absolutely nothing I love more than Island seafood — freshly shucked oysters, buttered lobster rolls, fresh scallops, you name it. After spending a few summers here, however, it’s important to learn how...
Dishing: Finds
M.V. Smokehouse was started in 2014 when friends Chef Nathan Gould and Island native and fisherman Gus Leaf went fishing and caught a bluefish. Nathan smoked the filets, and gave them to Gus. “Gus...
Harvest of the Month: Summer Squash
“Don’t leave your car unlocked in August — someone might fill it with zucchini.” When summer squash is in season, it’s really in season. You won’t be able to get away from it, and...
Fly to the Coop this summer
Beloved Island restaurant Coop de Ville hasn’t missed a beat this pandemic as they continue to serve up their famous wings, and offer some great new additions, like their new Shuck Shack raw bar.
It’s...