Is there life after lobster rolls?

Two foods are almost inescapable on Martha's Vineyard: lobster and ice cream. Thankfully, no one has tried serving both at once (unless Mad Martha's, one of the premier homemade ice creameries, is experimenting with a diabolical new flavor). Still, you could probably close your eyes, walk 12 paces in any direction in the business districts of Edgartown, Oak Bluffs or Vineyard Haven, and the odds are excellent you'd wind up within arm's reach of a place that served ice cream or lobster.

Saturday evening, I was sightseeing in Oak Bluffs when I nearly walked into a sign that had been set up outside of Sidecar Cafe and Bar. "Lobster Mac is Back!" it announced, and evidently this was bigger than the return of McRib a few years ago. Three women who happened upon the sign gasped and gushed with excitement and dropped in to take advantage of the special -- they'd obviously been regulars at the restaurant, since the staff seemed well-acquainted with them. I hope they enjoyed their bowl of lobster macaroni and cheese as much as I did: What an inspired combination. The chef had tossed generous chunks of lobster meat with an exceptionally creamy macaroni and cheese (made with all white cheeses, so it didn't have that unearthly yellow color we often associate with mac and cheese) and topped the dish with a dusting of toasted bread crumbs. It was served with a side of tender, subtly seasoned asparagus and a small salad of greens. If I don't go back for more one of these days it will be because A) Sidecar has gone out of business, or B) because I have been thrown into a maximum-security prison that does not permit days trips for fine dining.

But man cannot live by lobster alone, can he? So, when I returned to Oak Bluffs Sunday afternoon, I bypassed the assorted seafood houses and headed to a quiet-looking cafe/bakery called Slice of Life (their motto: "We love food"). On their sign, a robust tomato, a garlic bulb and a pear -- that sounds like the set-up for a joke, doesn't it? -- are lined up. I love all three of those ingredients, so why not drop in?

I did not find any one dish that combines tomatoes, garlic and pears (that might be as hard to digest as lobster-flavored ice cream, come to think of it), but I did find something even more intriguing: the fried green tomato B.L.T., an astonishing and hearty sandwich made with applewood smoked bacon, basil mayo, arugula and thick-sliced, perfectly prepared fried green tomatoes. It's served on toasted rosemary bread, and the meal smelled so splendid when it arrived that I almost hated to eat it. If one of the Slice of Life chefs came up with Fried Green Tomato B.L.T.: The Fragrance, I would happily spray myself with it daily.