Snapshots: #MVWF

It’s a tad belated, but I wanted to share with you some snapshots from my adventures at the Martha’s Vineyard Wine Festival last weekend. I love those amazing days at the office when you get to travel to somewhere awesome and eat deliciousness all in the name of work. I dragged my self-employed friend Sarah along with me for the ride. We stopped along the way in Providence at one of my favorite brunch spots, Nick’s on Broadway. Once senior year rolled around and I had a car on campus, my friends and I would scoot over to Nick’s at weird hours so we could get a table. After my poached eggs over seasonal veggies and a side of hash browns, I must stay: you still got it boy.

We arrived on island by mid-afternoon Thursday and headed straight to a welcome event at Atria Restaurant. Despite our gorging that morning, we still managed to put away many little crab cakes with harissa aioli and several glasses of Provencal rose. Then, feeling tipsy and full, we decided to swing.

One of my favorite parts of being on the vineyard is cooking. So we made sure to squeeze in a little of that in between the oyster eating and wine tasting. The first night, I made my mom’s classic vineyard dish: fried yellowtail flounder. You can’t find little fishes this delicate and fresh anywhere else. They are perfect for frying, and anyone who’s been paying attention to my philosophy on gluten-free flours knows that no one does the job better than millet flour.

Friday was the only sunny day of the weekend, which isn’t a terrible thing when your primary activity is drinking wine. Our tour guide, Marnely of Cooking with Books, made sure we made the most of our good weather fortune. First, we trekked up-island to see how Chilmark Coffee Co roasts their beans. It was amazing to see the machines in action and hear how the owner went from painting coffee to actually making it. We learned the art of “cupping” and sipped and spat out 6 different coffee varieties. I am officially not a super taster when it comes to coffee.

Next we headed over to the Farm Institute in Katama to visit with some furry friends. By the end of the walk-through and sustainability talk, I wanted to eat all the cute animals. Sorry I’m not sorry.

The following day we went to the grand tasting and drank like lushes. Then we napped. And finally we went back up-island to Tea Lane Farm for a wild foods dinner. The setting was beyond spectacular. The farm owner runs her own flower business, which meant the table was laid to perfection, and the few of us food bloggers were left to drool over her wall of props. The menu was all locally sourced meat and produce. I sat next to the chef’s wife, Sarah, who made the pot de crèmes and also foraged all the greens for our wild watercress salad and nettle soup. The chefs slaved in a tent outside, which proved problematic when it started to downpour. Even with the weather, the whole thing was very vineyard. Which is to say: magical.

Have you ever been to Martha’s Vineyard? I’m going to put together a hungry girl’s guide to the island at some point this summer. Let me know if you have any favorite spots or dishes. I couldn’t believe how many gems were uncovered this trip that had been eluding me for all these years!

Have a great weekend!

Xo
Phoebe