Peter Vandall

Review of Atlantic Fish and Chophouse

My wife and I were looking for a place to eat dinn...

My wife and I were looking for a place to eat dinner in Edgartown last night. Most of the restaurants had hour waits or more. Without a reservation during the high season, this is normal when dining on Martha s Vineyard.

Expecting a similar wait, we tried The Atlantic. We were seated immediately. I was thankful, but it seemed odd. With beautiful views of Edgartown Harbor, the Atlantic arguably has the best location in town.

You know those menus that are so vast, you read through it a few times and you still don t know what s on it? That s The Atlantic menu. There are steaks and fish, but there were also random dishes Greek and Mexican dishes that didn t seem to fit with the venue. The server was very nice, but when we asked him what he would recommend, he said the Osso Bucco was good. Then he said everything else was very nice .

We ordered chowder, which was nothing to write home about, and a wedge salad. To preface what I ll say about the salad, countless Vineyard restaurants boast locally grown ingredients. The lettuce and tomatoes in the salad looked and tasted like they were from Stop and Shop. The blue cheese dressing I swear looked and tasted like it came from a bottle with Kraft on the label.

It then took over an hour by the time our dinner came out. It was so long I was about to tell the server that if our dishes weren t prepared yet, to just cancel the order. We ordered a burger, crab cakes, and Brussels sprouts. The Brussels were overcooked, and the rest were just average. The burger, which was 22 dollars, was not worth the money. It was something I could have ordered at Red Robin or Friday s for 8 dollars.

My overall takeaway is the Atlantic is cutting corners. The food is overpriced and average. The decor is tired and is in need of a refresh. For a restaurant on the water, the menu needs a larger focus on fresh seafood and locally grown island ingredients. I would not be surprised if the place closed or changed hands soon. It s clear why the place had no wait.