Our vote for best diner of 2024: Art Cliff on Martha's Vineyard:
A vintage diner where everybody knows your name and they're always glad you came.
Art Cliff is contemporary retro (yup, that’s a thing). It's quirky. It's friendly. It’s a “best diner” for three simple reasons:
1. The Food: a modern spin on traditional diner.
Let’s talk avocado toast first. You may love it or hate it – but I know you’ve had it. It’s ubiquitous. I’m an unabashed lover. I order avocado toast all the time. I also make it at home almost every morning. Call me an avocado toast expert. And I award the Art Cliff Diner Avocado Toast a golden ticket to the finals, a 10 on that 1 – 10 scale, a winner in the best avocado toast in the universe contest.
The ArtCliff version scores so high because it’s got it all: presentation, taste, uniqueness. It arrives looking all bright and red and yellow and cheery. It just made me happy to look at it.
The warm toast had a smear of goat cheese. Sliced (not smushed) avocado and those luscious tomatoes sat on top of the cheese. The uniqueness came from a dribble of nut pesto. Nut pesto is a bunch of nuts (in this case, Brazilian, walnut, almond, I think) ground up with oil and salt and used like salad dressing. I’d never heard of nut pesto but I am now a fan. It gave the avocado toast this slighty nutty undertone. 10 stars for sure.
Next up: grilled corn beef sandwich with fries.
The traditionalist at our table ordered this classic. I’ve never ordered a corn beef sandwich in my life. I think of them as salty and fatty and just plain bad for you. But this one was – not that. It tasted of the cured beef but was neither salty nor fatty. And the rye bread wasn’t too rye-y. The fries…well, it’s hard to go wrong with fries. These are the skinny kind. They weren’t crispy but they were hot and perfectly salted.
Looking for healthier options? The resident health nut at our table was overcome with a case of “Back-to-School” syndrome, i.e., a yearning for routine and better health after a summer of too much fun. The Andean B-Vitamin Recharge hits that spot. It’s quinoa, sweet potato, red pepper, broccoli and Swiss with two eggs. It’s all things good for you in a bite.
The final touch for everyone was the peach scone: tender, flakey and moist with a golden crust and a small melon-ball scoop of soft butter.
2. The Vibe.
It’s retro, it’s artsy, it’s got a rebellious diner charm; it feels like it’s been around forever, yet still knows how to keeps things fresh and unexpected. There’s quirky art, a satisfying energy and a funky, slightly offbeat attitude. It’s got the soul of a retro roadside joint mixed with artsy island grit and a sense of fun and adventure. I love it.
The place has been around since the 1940s but Gina, the current owner/chef, just renovated it to reflect her indomitable spirit.
3. The Chef
Gina Stanley is a classically trained chef with a presitigious resume. Trained at the Culinary Institute, she continued her education working at LesPinasse, the most expensive Washington DC restaurant AND the Blair House, where all dignitaries visiting the White House stay. Looking for a new challenge, she started looking for a diner to buy on Nantucket, where she had cooked for four years. She found her diner, but it was on a totally different island, visited in winter, and bought into the place.
What I love about Gina is her willingness to follow her instincts and try new things. For example, she recently saw an 8 foot tall spruce tree at a garden store. She loved it and bought it for $300. It’s sitting in a pot outside the diner. Now she wants to bring it inside. Why, you think?
A: “It will be fun to decorate for Christmas.”.
Q: But how are you going to get it in, Gina?”
A: “I don’t know. We’ll figure it out”
That sums up Gina – her creativity (let’s just try this…or that…), her world view (so full of possibilities!), her aesthetic (eclectic with a twist of vintage) and food (just damn good. Better than good actually. The kind of great that makes you want to go back again and again.)
It’s the creativity that drives her to create new menu items, continually improve the diner and bring cheer to so many people.
She certainly made my small group of eaters extremely happy!
Plates and Prices: $94.05 (including taxes/tip). $31.35/person
Grilled Corn Beef with fries
Avocado Toast Special
Andean B-Vitamin ReCharge
Peach Scone
3 Ice Teas
The Particulars
Art Cliff Diner
38 Beach Road
Vineyard Haven MA
508-693-1224
artcliff@msn.com
Want more like this?
Here’s a link to a post about another great informal diner-ish spot on Martha’s Vineyard: Mo’s Lunch. Check it out!
Love finding cool restaurants where the food and vibe make you happy? Trusted Tables gives you the inside scoop. Now from Miami and Martha’s Vineyard.
Leave a comment to tell me what type of food and restaurant ideas you are looking for.
Know someone with a “thing” for great diners? Share this article.
 | A guest post by
|
makes me want to go right this minute and have a meal there.
thanks for the fun and interesting review
Yes yes yes! Wonderful choice, Anne--though I must ask: What about the almond-crusted French toast!?