by Courtney Taylor
Pirate Jack’s is far from your typical island restaurant. Known for their southern fried chicken and flame-broiled burgers, Pirate Jack’s supplies the Vineyard with mouth-watering comfort food that gives us a piece of home. The restaurant offers an exceptional meat selection, importing top quality meats from farms that practice humane animal handling. The produce is pure, free from growth promoting drugs and containing zero added hormones or antibiotics. Burgers are made with 100% Black Angus beef, providing customers with a tender mouthful. Even local chefs have been known to stop by for a bite. The fried chicken is cooked with a special Cajun recipe brought all the way to the island from New Orleans. The menu also includes a vegetarian medley, turkey burgers, wraps, and their famous Belgian style French fries with a rich variety of delicious dipping sauces. Located only feet away from the Oak Bluffs’ harbor, order to go and enjoy your meal on the beach!
Pirate Jack’s returning cook, Yilmaz Bingol, plays a major role in the restaurant’s success. Ambitious and full of creative ideas, Bingol is devoted to pleasing his customers. Pursuing a master’s degree in Global Business and Finance, Bingol plans to open a Pirate Jack’s in Manhattan within the next five years.
Join This Week as we step into the kitchen to ask Bingol a few questions.
TW: Where are you from?
TW: What brought you to the island?
YB: When I was in school at the American University in Bulgaria, many of my friends were spending their summers here on the island. I decided to do the same.
TW: Where did you learn to cook?
YB: I learned to cook here in the U.S. In 2008, I moved to West Tisbury to work for a catering company, and that is when I really discovered food.
TW: What is your go-to piece on Pirate Jack’s menu?
YB: For a burger, I like the Captain Sam Bellamy. It comes with bacon, bleu cheese, our special garlic sauce, and I love to add pickles. I also like our fries. As for dipping sauces, my favorites are spicy ketchup, curry, garlic cream, and sweet chili.
TW: Is there a meal that you miss from home?
YB: I miss everything; especially my mother’s cooking. She makes Sarma, which are stuffed grape leaves. She fills the leaves with rice, meats, onion, spices, and special sauces, and then rolls them like a wrap and boils them.
TW: What would you cook to impress a date?
YB: That’s a good question. I like to make Borek, a Turkish dish made with thin, flaky dough. It’s a layered pastry that is filled with cheese, meat, potato, or spinach.
TW: What do you normally make for yourself at home?
YB: I don’t really have time to cook at home. I am here at the restaurant the majority of the day, so I like to order pizza or pick something up from the Stop&Shop.
