CUISINE
At 94 Years, and Still Going Strong
The Homeport Celebrates Summer, Seafood, and Sunsets
By Lisa C. Belcastro, Photos by Elissa Garza
Do you remember your first visit to the Homeport Restaurant in Menemsha? My daughter Kayla is turning twenty-seven this summer, and she sat in a highchair staring at the stuffed fish on the wall before her first birthday.
For Islanders and summer visitors, the Homeport is often synonymous with summer sunsets. Whether dining on the Homeport’s spacious deck, relaxing in the dining room, or purchasing food to go and eating on Menemsha beach, we have collective memories of Homeport’s seafood dinners and orange/pink skies.
I’m thrilled to say I’ve made it up to the Homeport twice this month. One afternoon I sat on the deck enjoying the gentle ocean breezes and chatting with new owner Seth Woods and the Director of Culinary Operations, Dolly Bourommavong.
Seth, an avid fisherman, started the Aquitaine Group in Boston in 1994 and owns multiple restaurants in and around the city. Seth knew the Vineyard well before he became an Island business owner. “I grew up vacationing on the Cape with my family and have always loved summers in New England. As a young adult, a friend rented a house on Oxcart Road in Aquinnah and invited me for a long weekend. When we got to the house and I walked over the dune, the view changed my life,” said Seth of his first trip to MV in 1999. “I did everything I could to buy a house on the Island.”
A few years later, Seth did purchase a small Island home on Lighthouse Road. As his family grew, he bought a different home and his connection to community deepened, but he never wanted to own a restaurant on Island because “I didn’t want to bring business to my sanctuary,” said Seth.
Despite many requests and sug-gestions to do so, he resisted…until, during Covid, he and a good friend and fellow Aquinnah resident, Eric Berke, were sitting on Eric’s deck looking out at the same view Seth originally fell in love with, lamenting the closures in Menem-sha when Eric said, “what do you think about the Homeport? Want to buy it?”
“The Homeport felt different. It needed love, someone to take care of it. It was 92 years old,” said Seth, adding, “And it needed to be the Homeport. We had to develop our own stewardship of this restaurant. We had to do right by her history and everyone’s long connection to it.” Seth and Eric purchased the Homeport in the spring of 2022 and opened that summer. Seth knew immediately he wanted chef Dolly Bourommavong overseeing the kitchen and back of the house. “When I thought about this project, I was thinking this is Dolly’s next step. She is an operating partner now. I don’t run the day-to-day. Dolly does,” said Seth. Dolly, who was 23 when she started working for Seth at his Union Bar and Grill, grew up in Falls Church, Va., with both her parents working in the hospitality business. Dolly trained in culinary but majored in graphic design. “I thought culinary would be a backup, turned out to be the bulk of what I do.”
Dolly progressed from sous chef to chef de cuisine to the Director of Culinary Operations for the Aquitaine Group. She and Seth created a fabulous menu for the Homeport that includes plenty of seafood options as well as vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free offerings. “The food is refined but not precious,” said Seth.
“Lunch is a great deal for people. They order at The Back Door and can enjoy it on our deck or take their food to-go. They can bring their own drinks and they don’t have to pay a corkage fee. They don’t get table service, but they get this,” Seth said extending his hand to the fabulous view of the water, dunes, and Menemsha.
One of the best reasons to go to the Homeport’s Back Door for lunch is their fabulous lobster roll. First, it’s only available at lunch time. Second, it’s filled with chunks of lobster. Third, did I mention a great lobster roll with chunks of lobster only available at lunch?
“We use the entire lobster. We cook and shuck the lobster that day. Its fresh,” said Dolly, who’s shared her recipe with VINEYARD STYLE. “We cut it into 1-inch chunks. It’s chunky but manageable. We add a touch of mayo and lemon juice, and freshly diced celery for crunch. We finish the lobster roll with a sprinkle of furikake over the top.”
I’m definitely making Dolly’s recipe. I’ve already order some furikake from Trader Joe’s. That said, I have family visiting next week and we’ll be heading to The Back Door for lunch one afternoon specifically for the chilled lobster roll.
The dinner menu at Homeport is prix fixe and “you’re not leaving hungry,” said Dolly. I can attest to that. When I went up last week with some girlfriends, we brought leftovers home.
Dolly and Seth have graciously shared recipes from some of their featured menu items. There are two great shellfish recipes. My favorite is the Ginger & Yuzu Mignonette. “The yuzu is a cross between a really tart lemon and a sweet tangerine,” said Dolly. She spoons the mignonette over chilled oysters before serving, but she shared that it also makes a great salad dressing. I’m not an oyster fan, so I’ll be making this tomorrow as salad dressing for a garden party. My friend Leigh ordered the coconut steamed mussels as an appetizer and loved them. “They were perfect,” she said.
“The sweetness of the ginger pairs so well with the coconut milk and mussels,” said Dolly. “There’s a little zing with the hot cherry peppers, but it doesn’t blow your top off.”
Dolly suggested home cooks, “shake the pan once it’s covered. You want to move the mussels around.”
Leigh ordered the fried fluke for dinner. We all sampled it. Sooooooo good! I asked Dolly what her secret is. “The breading is what makes it. We use finely ground breadcrumbs and a fairly light coating,” said Dolly. “The fish is deep fried, not shallow fried. When the temperature is right – 350 degrees – the oil seals the juices in. If the temp is too low, that’s when it gets oily.”
I started with the Bass & Clam Chowder. I’ve never been a huge fan of thick creamy clam chowders. This one intrigued me with the addition of bass and a lighter broth. I’m so glad I ordered it. I loved the rich, buttery flavor, and I’ll be bringing my dad for his birthday. He loves clam chowder, and he needs to try this one.
Dolly shared one secret to their chowder – they use North Country bacon. “The high smoke, less salt bacon is a good balance. The flavors of seafood, smoke, and thyme in the thin broth tastes like the ocean,” said Dolly.
My friends all ordered seafood for dinner. I love eggplant and couldn’t pass up the Miso Glazed Eggplant Bowl. I enjoyed every bite. The blend of flavors and textures was a true taste sensation. A great option for vegans and vegetarians.
We also ordered a skillet of cornbread for the table and a round of lavender lemonades. I recommend both. Kathy took the extra cornbread home and her husband Dave enjoyed it too. I’ll be ordering the lavender lemonade every time I go. It was delicious, not too sweet and not too tart. Simply delish!
What is your favorite summer dessert? As my friends and I sat at our table watching the sky fade from orange to streaks of pink, we debated how to order dessert quickly deciding that ordering four of the five options on the menu would us a great sampling. Maddie ordered the peach pie, appreciating and enjoying a gluten-free option. Kathy relished every bite of her blueberry clobber, and “HIGHLY recommends” VINEYARD STYLE readers try it.
Key Lime pie, to me and many others, is a quintessential summer dessert. Leigh wanted the Key Lime, so I ordered the Burnt S’Mores Pie. I loved it, though Leigh loved the key lime as much or even more.
Dolly has shared Homeport’s recipe, which she assures us is super easy to make. “It’s a great combination of salty and sweet with a tang of key lime,” said Dolly. “This is a very easy recipe. You bake the pie just enough to set. Once it’s cool enough to cut, dig in.”
Summer has begun. Don’t miss a trip to the Homeport. They are open daily from 10 am to 3 pm for breakfast and lunch and then from 5 to 10 pm for dinner through September. Reservations are suggested for dinner. Menemsha is a dry town, so don’t forget your adult beverages if you’d like alcohol compliments to your dinner.
Be sure to check out the Homeport website at: thehomeportmv.com. And let us know what your favorite recipes are.
Key Lime Pie
Yield: 1 Pie
Ingredients:
1½ saltine cracker sleeves
½ cup butter, softened, unsalted
3 tsp. granulated sugar
1 - 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks, large
¼ cup lemon juice
¼ cup key lime juice
16 oz. whipped cream, unsweetened
1 Lime, zested
Method: 1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 2. Crush the crackers finely but not to dust (use your hands), add the butter and sugar, then knead the mixture until it comes together like a dough. Press evenly into an 8” pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes then bake for 18 minutes or until crust is golden brown. 3. While the crust is cooling beat the egg yolks into the milk and then beat in the citrus juices until fully combined. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. 4. The pie needs to be completely cold when served. Garnish with freshly whipped unsweetened cream and grated lime zest.