By: Nick Macksood
Quarterdeck, located next door to the Seafood Shanty by the docks in Edgartown, delivers two highly compelling narratives for anyone looking for reasonably priced food on the go.
One: let’s go back to when you were a kid. Maybe you were hanging out at club during summers reluctantly taking tennis lessons and thinking about the swimming pool the whole time. But even if you were a youth golfer spending days at the muni-track like I did, there was only one way to finish these strings of endless summer days–the snack shack.
Quarterdeck is exactly that. Its seating is Edgartown’s seating, picnic tables and benches beside the harbor. The kitchen is stocked full of old carnival standby’s like hot dogs, burgers, mozzarella sticks, and onion rings. And of course, since we’re on the water, Quarterdeck offers coastal favorites like lobster rolls and mahi tacos in addition to fried staples like fish and chips or whole fried clams. Even better, Alexander Hamilton’s green visage will buy you just about anything on the menu.
During the day, I went for Quarterdeck’s burger and fries–a classic choice. Charred on the grill for a nice texture, the burger with gooey American cheese was the only way to go for a man without a grill this summer.
Narrative number two: Quarterdeck is open late. Like, 10pm weekdays- 1am weekends, late. So whether you’re out enjoying a night on the town right in the middle of things, or you’re getting out of work late and trying to escape them, Quarterdeck has got your stomach covered. Either way, my night choice had to be the fish and chips and the fried clams. Why? Well, let’s just say I didn’t have to work that night. You do the math.
The clams were inebriately exquisite. The saline pop of the whole bellies always makes for a nice addition to the crunchiness of the clam strips. And the fried haddock was just the way late night fish and chips ought to look and taste: the light, almost-curry colored batter insulating the fish in the fryer so that it renders the fish so moist you’d think the flesh was steamed, not fried.
Of course all advice is, essentially, bad advice and so you, reader, must determine whether it is for you to decide if fried food ought to be eaten under sunlight, and burger, vice versa. What should be remembered regardless, however, is that Quarterdeck’s options and hours beat the daylights out of any competition offering classic summer eats on a dime.
