by Marisa Iglesias
The Vineyard prides itself on being made up of nearly all local businesses.
The exceptions, some of which are Stop & Shop and Dairy Queen, can be quite hard to come by and are obviously the minority.
Boasting is common among Vineyard natives who have sampled the daily made cuisine at Edgartown Meat & Fish, a local eatery. They tout the island favorite, and with good reason. Walking into Edgartown Meat & Fish is enough to whet the innocent bystander’s appetite, but the selection is the real hook, reeling in customers and making the store impossible to resist. With the bakery serving freshly made bagels, breads and pastries every day, and the deli and sushi bar making your lunch right before your eyes, it is easy to see why Edgartown Meat & Fish is the talk of the town.
Despite its hometown roots, Edgartown Meat & Fish offers a cherished commodity found nowhere else on the Vineyard: Starbucks Coffee. That wonderfully familiar, siren-emblemed cafe keeps us energized just about everywhere. Thanks to Edgartown Meat and Fish, even the Green Lady’s delicious tendrils have found far-off escape in Martha’s Vineyard. There is comfort in the routine. It lends the island a greater sense of home to have your usual Starbucks caramel macchiato accompany one of Edgartown Meat & Fish’s deliciously warm breakfast bagels. Or perhaps a Starbucks iced coffee with a traditional BLT or veggie wrap for lunch. With a little help from an obliging mermaid, you have a taste of home and the best that the island has to offer, all packed into one storefront.
But you’ll need a pastry to go with that coffee. The freshness that the bakery offers is unparalleled in a typical chain bakery, ensuring that any bread you order will impress. Breakfast is served early at the deli, with offerings that range from breakfast sandwiches to bagels, pastries and more. Edgartown Meat & Fish knows that it isn’t called “The Most Important Meal of the Day” for nothing, and opens its doors bright and early at 6:00 AM to get your day started right.
How about lunch? Relax.They’ve got you covered. Take their BLT, for example. Sure, it’s hard to do the famous bacon, lettuce and tomato combo wrong. But it is also quite easy to do it mediocre. Edgartown Meat & Fish passes this hard-to-master test with flying colors and produces a sensational BLT. With one bite, each ingredient is perfectly highlighted. The salty bacon on the bottom, covered in a layer of crisp lettuce with a juicy tomato topping it off and dressed with the right amount of mayo, and you’ve got yourself one heck of a BLT.
The Veggie Wrap, though a different plate entirely, offers the same satisfaction. Made on a wheat (or white) wrap, this healthy option consists of cut cucumber, tomato, avocado, sprouts, red onion and hummus. On the outside it is your typical vegan entrée, but once consumed, it enters your tastebuds into another world of superb quality. Such fresh flavors far exceed your average veggie lunch. With the relaxing taste of Starbucks, the warmth of a fresh baked bagel, and the variety of a classic deli, Edgartown Meat and Fish Market has the one-stop shopping that will complete your Vineyard vacation. All that’s left to do is walk through the front door.
