Late fall! Brunch-time at the Black Dog Tavern on Martha's Vineyard

Black Dog Tavern: where Martha's Vineyard locals go to brunch on the familiar.

There’s a fabulous familiarity at the Black Dog in Vineyard Haven, MA. It’s fall, almost winter, and the wood stove at the end of the dining room casts a warm, almost-winter glow. The Girls and I sit on their “porch”, basically a covered deck with picnic bench style seating, and look through the full glass windows that frame Coastwise Wharf and the Vineyard harbor. The picture speaks for itself.

Looking out the window at Black Dog Tavern, Martha’s Vineyard

“The Girls” are my besties from high school. We’ve been friends for (gulp) 45 years. And whenever we brunch, we go to the BDT (Black Dog Tavern). It reeks of comfort and laughter and views of the water drifting to infinity.

Now, being that The Girls Who Brunch have eaten at the Tavern, I’d say, a minimum of 1000 times, we know the menu. That’s what it means to be a local. You know stuff, cuz stuff doesn’t change much. There’s comfort in that. We know what’s coming. We don’t need a lot of the bright, shiney and new. We like what we like, the trued and true.

A cool thing about Black Dog is that all the names mean something. Today, I splurge on the Thank Georges Bank. The name is a reference to the incredible fishing on the seafloor of Georges Bank, off of Cape Cod. My meal consists of 2 poached eggs sitting on a fishcake and topped with Hollandaise. Decadent for sure, with eggs cooked to perfection, and the fatty, buttery, oh-so-rich-and-delicious Hollandaise oozing off the top. The tasty fishcake on the bottom (thanks to the bottom of fish-a-luscious George’s Bank!) is the foundation of this dish. And the Hollandaise is the icing on the proverbial cake.

Thank Georges Bank at Black Dog, Martha’s Vineyard

The Hollandaise brought me back to 1980 when my brother Michael owned a bike shop right behind the Tavern. His best friend Jamie Norton worked on Coastwise wharf, right next door. The two of them would frequently meet up for breakfast. Their favorite was the Egg McDog, a take on the classic poached egg, ham and cheese on an English muffin. But they would only order it on Thursdays and Sundays, the 2 days of the week when the chefs made Hollandaise. Today, the Egg McDog (now called Coastwise) is still available. Every. Single. Day. With. Hollandaise. It’s the comfort of the familiar.

Here's the recipe for the Hollandaise, if you are interested:

2 egg yolks
1 Tbl fresh lemon juice
1/4 pound/ 1 stick of butter melted
splash tabasco sauce
dash cayenne pepper
dash salt

Combine egg yolk and lemon juice in a food processor. Turn on and slowly pour in the melted butter. The sauce will emulsify. Season with Tabasco, salt and cayenne pepper.

Speaking of the 80s on the Vineyard, locals would often choose an off-the-menu-known-only-to-Vinyarders special called the Loretta. The Loretta was named after Loretta Balla, the owner of the then-grand Seaview in Oak Bluffs. Loretta ran the Seaview with gusto; attracting musicians and entertainers. She was notorious for threatening customers with a bat and breaking up fights by banging a small billy club against a metal pot! Her partner in crime was the infamous Johnny Seaview- a story for another time!

Today, the Loretta is officially on the menu. In 1980, your 2 eggs, toast and home fries cost $1.50. Today it’s $18.

We also ordered the Green Monster (that’s a Boston Red Sox reference for those not from New England) and Back to the Capital (no idea what the reference is here)

brunch at the Black Dog Tavern

If you want to more tastes of the Black Dog Tavern in your own home, check out Anne’s post featuring the hilarious Kate Morris demonstrating how to make the famous Black Dog Clam Chowder. The video is funny and the recipe is awesomely good and easy to make if you are in the mood for New England chowda’.

What we spent: $74, including tip, for 3. about $27/person

Thank Georges Bank
Green Monster
Back to the Capital
Tea
Endless cups of coffee

Where to find it:

Black Dog Tavern
20 Beach Street Extension
Vineyard Haven, MA
508-693-9223
open breakfast, lunch and dinner

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