Phantom Gourmet: The Jetty In Marshfield

MARSHFIELD - When it comes to stuff like tacos and surfing, they say the west coast is the best coast. But what if you could get all of those great eats back east? Located in the Brant Rock section of Marshfield, The Jetty is a unique spot with the laid back vibe of Southern California, paired with a menu of fresh fare.

"It's a casual beach atmosphere. It's kind of a Jimmy Buffet feel to it," said owner Richard Vaughn. "When you walk in the front door, we've got bike racks on one side, we have surfboard racks on the other side. You come in, you see the beach on the cameras. We have a lot of live music here. The music's always a little bit louder than people would expect. The food's always a lot better than people would expect."

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Richard and Tracy Vaughn set up the surf-inspired space with a menu that offers a little something for everyone.

"It definitely has a little bit of a Southern California feel with the fish tacos, but people are also looking for the staples," said Tracy.

So they've lined the menu with everything from juicy burgers, to brunch dishes, to big plates of pasta. But the quintessential experience at The Jetty has to include one of Executive Chef Scott Thompson's tacos, whether you indulge on the Lobster Taco topped with grilled corn, cotija cheese and Mexican crema, or the always popular classic fish taco.

"We do a number of tacos here," the chef said. "Obviously it's a surf shack. The fish taco's a real classic. Really that Baja style taco."

"It's fried cod. It's in a light beer batter. It's got some cabbage that gives it a little bit of crunch on the bottom and a spicy mayo. The combination of the hot fish in the beer batter along with the crunchy and the spicy mayo is a really nice mix," Tracy described.

From there, you can try the light and flavorful bruschetta, topped with thin slices of avocado and a smear of goat cheese, and served with a charred lime; or house made dumplings stuffed with pork and served alongside a soy ginger sauce for dipping.

"I am a big dumpling fan. I'll eat anything with meat in it," Richard shared. "They're not like a dumpling that you'd get at a Chinese food take out place. They're more a dumpling that you'd get at an upscale Asian restaurant, where the shells are very thin, hand pinched, with a soy based sauce over them. It's a very light, petite dumpling and it's absolutely delicious."

Nothing provides the fresh taste of the southwest better than some Mexican Street Corn, which happens to be a favorite of Tracy's.

"I love grilled corn, then adding the sauce to it. It's awesome," she said.

These cravable cobs are served on a skewer and topped with flavorful garlic aioli, parmesan cheese, chili, cilantro and fresh lime.

"It's not messy. You grab it by the skewers. We serve it screaming hot and it's just a very good dish, very good appetizer," Richard added.

If you're looking for a burger the Jetty has you covered, whether you want a turkey burger spiked with zucchini and served on brioche, or something more classic, like one topped with lettuce tomato and cheese. But if you want all the great taste of a burger in bite form, get one of The Jetty's so-called 'flat patties'.

"They're small, four ounces. They're more of a two, three bites," Tracy said. "If somebody is just looking for a quick bite, the flat patty is a great alternative."

Since the chef grew up in Boston's North End, there are Italian influences throughout the menu, like golden fried calamari served with sweet vinegar peppers and garlic aioli; or just some good old home style meatballs, presented over marinara with toast points.

"It's an honest scratch meatball, pork and beef and a quality cheese. We're hand making them. We're hand rolling them. If you start from that, you can't go wrong," said Chef Scott.

You won't go wrong if you follow those meatballs with some pasta, specifically the Jetty's Short Rib Mac and Cheese.

"The Short Rib Mac and Cheese is one of my favorites," Richard confirmed. "It's a light cream sauce. It's the orichette pasta with the short rib in the middle, and then two or three big, thick cut, onion rings on them that are delicious as well. The juice from the short rib flows into the cheese sauce and it is just spectacular."

So there's plenty to keep you interested on the lunch and dinner menus, but brunch might be even better, because that's when you can feast on some of their Crème Anglaise French Toast.

"He layers the French toast with Applewood smoked bacon in the middle, and then a crème anglaise, which is a little bit sweet. That gets poured over the top and then a few blueberries mixed in," Tracy described.

With dishes this tasty, you'll probably just want to keep them to yourself with you dine at The Jetty.

You can find The Jetty at 278 Ocean Street in Marshfield, and online at thejetty-marshfield.com.

Watch Phantom Gourmet on Saturdays and Sundays at 10:30 and 11 a.m. on myTV38.