Al Dente: Al Dente: Mahhtha's Vineyahhd Edition

I was lucky enough to spend the last week of summer in Martha's Vineyard with my family. We rented a house in Edgartown. Best week spent with the fam. It was wonderful, it was beautiful, it was tasty. Martha's Vineyard is the picturesque type of place that is the epitome of postcard-perfect. One of the streets was actually named Chowder Kettle Lane. Chowder. Kettle. Lane. No joke! They don't even have any TRAFFIC LIGHTS on the island. There was some construction along one of the main roads, and there was a sign that WARNED drivers of a traffic light (gasp!) that was up ahead. The horror!

Moving on, most of the food was great. Some of it was not the best, but that opinion could stem from the fact that I, sadly, am allergic to shellfish. Tragic, I know. It's been about ten years now and it's something that I struggle with every day. I really think the gods are punishing me because I used to be quite a hefty lobstah and crab eater in my single digit/teenage years.

BUT I did allow myself to try a couple lobstah rolls (the big deal in MV), spread out over the week I was there. I am happy to report that, despite the small sample sizes, I had no gastrointestinal issues. Perhaps I'm allergic no more? People grow out of shellfish allergies. Can it be?

Here's one of said lobstah rolls that I tried.

Now, lobster rolls are serious business. There's constant hubbub over what makes a perfect lobster roll. Even Corton's Paul Liebrandt has weighed in. Celery or no celery? A lot of mayonaise or just a little? Additional seasonings and bread crumbs or just plain 'ole lobster? Hot dog bun or roll-esque bread? After lots of poll-taking from friends and family, and consulting with a couple of Martha's Vineyard locals, the preferred crustacean creation is on a hot dog bun, lots of lobstah in chunks (not minced, tuna fish style), and very little mayo (excessive mayo just masks poor quality lobster. If the lobster is fresh, there should be enough mayo to only act as a binder).

It was delicious. One (small!) bite of it, and a wave of nostalgia washed (or, crawled) over me, along with the feeling that I should've been wearing some Vineyard Vines pants with whales or lobsters on them and eating along a marina like this:

Oh wait, I was! About the lobstah roll: it was very fresh, meaty, and the good kind of fishy that you want from fresh lobster. Not enough mayo, as preferred, just enough to keep it all together. Bread wasn't the best, so it wasn't overall the best, but it was substantial and a taste that will live on in my mind forever!

I also had the pleasure of enjoying Mad Martha's ice cream five times while I was there!! And let me tell you, it was worth every spoonful, every lick. It's the local ice cream "chain" in MV (I put that in quotes because the island is so small and charming, it's hard to associate the connotations that come with "chain" with anything Martha's Vineyard.) Alex told me about, that it was a local fave, and boy was he right. My flavor of choice was the mint oreo and cream. But it wasn't vanilla with pieces of oreos; it was actually a light brown color, I guess oreos were mixed in from the beginning. Super rich, buttery creamy, and DELICIOUS!