Visiting The Black Dog on Martha’s Vineyard has become something of a cliché now that it’s changed hands, and its logo is seen on t-shirts and tote bags from coast to coast. You can’t go more than a couple of blocks in any town on the island without running into one of the outlets for their non-food products. And the restaurant itself is the subject of some vituperative fights on various eaters’ websites. But on the last morning of our recent visit, Joe’s cousin, who’s lived on the Vineyard for most of the last 25 years, brought us for breakfast before we caught the ferry.
Now Joan, like most of Joe’s kin, understands the art of the meal. She steered us right the entire visit, so when she pulled up next to the Dog, we just nodded. And it is in a lovely place, right on the water, a couple of tall ships, also part of the Dog empire, at anchor at the dock. It’s been a quiet summer on the island, so at 8:15, we could walk right in.
A rustic interior not much changed from the early days, nothing fancy, just feels right. And the breakfast menu is just stunning. Decisions were harder than we’ve had for morning food in a long time.
Probably the star of the table was Martha’s Thank George’s Bank, two poached eggs on a fish cake, all topped with hollandaise. A good hollandaise, properly cooked eggs, and an assertively seasoned patty of white-fleshed fish with a good dose of pepper absolutely sang.
We had some caramel apple pancakes, immense, plate-sized discs, very light, topped with chopped fresh apple and a drizzle of caramel sauce. We’d have been happier with more caramel sauce, to be sure, but made do with the maple syrup on the table. We saw plenty of pancakes topped with fresh berries and chocolate chips flying by, too.
And an El Paso omelet was basically a Denver or a Western or a St. Paul, ham, cheese, peppers and onions, topped with salsa, nicely spicy and carefully made. We also knocked back a side order of the housemade corned beef hash, moist and slightly peppery, both from the chopped peppers in it and a dose of black pepper as well.
Zippy service, good coffee, and we were even fortunate enough to score a table by the window to enjoy the water view. Apparently your mileage may vary, but it’s a quiet summer on the Vineyard, and we certainly had a good breakfast.
The Black Dog Tavern
21 Beach Street Extension, Vineyard Haven, MA
508-693-9223
Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner daily
Credit cards: Yes
Wheelchair access: Good
Smoking: No
Entrees (breakfast): $6-$11
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By “Changed hands” do you mean passed on to the the next generation? Because the Douglas family still owns and runs the the Black Dog, just like they always have. Thanks for checking out our island, glad you enjoyed it!