SISTER RAIN NANTUCKET WEEK X2
5 / 10
There are no chain eateries on Nantucket. Although my husband and I are not fancy people, especially when it comes to food, we were not looking for fast food anyway during our time there. Mister Rain is a meat and potatoes guy, I am not far behind. I love seafood, he will have none of it. I had read about all the wonderful restaurants on Nantucket, making note of them on my list of things to see and do, but many of them were not our cup of tea. That, coupled with the fact that some establishments had already closed for the year or now had limited hours, did cause us some difficulty in finding places to eat dinner. To some who know the island, this may seem absurd. Not the case. We did what we always do: we did it our way.
Boat House
I love seafood but I had heard about the fried chicken sandwiches here. They were all they are fried up to be. We had them for a late lunch one day, school had just let out, and some older kids were there. It is always interesting to see folks living their daily lives in a place they call home but to you is a vacation destination.
Crosswinds Restaurant
We decided to go to this airport restaurant for dinner, quite honestly, for lack of options this particular evening. The place was packed with not just passengers, but locals. We sat at the bar and watched football, the food was very good. There are pictures all around of the cast of the 1990’s TV series, “Wings,” which was based on Nantucket Airport.
The Downyflake
Perhaps the place I most wanted to experience of the entire island was The Downyflake, the site of countless scenes in the Nantucket books I have read. When we sat down at our table and were handed menus, I looked around, trying to take as much of it in as I could. And I simply could not believe I was there. One fun fact is that in addition to offering you toast with your breakfast as is the norm, you are also given the option of one of their own freshly baked donuts instead. The giant donut on the outside of the building is the opposite of false advertising.
Fusaro’s Homemade Italian
We ate dinner twice at this wonderful Italian restaurant. I highly recommend the parmesan crusted haddock atop crab risotto.
Henry’s Jr. Sandwich Shop
Here we bought sandwiches to eat on the drive home after we got back to the mainland so we wouldn’t have to stop for food. I have been trying to recreate their roast beef sandwich ever since.
Island Kitchen
We had our first Nantucket breakfast here, a restaurant frequented by year-round residents. I liked hearing their conversations held in their Massachusetts’ accents. I asked our server where she likes to go or do on her time off from work, she said Cisco Brewers, Corner Table Cafe, the beach and to walk in town. In the parking lot of Island Kitchen is a giant Jenga game to keep people busy while waiting for a table.
Jack + Charlie’sIce Cream
They make their own chocolate waffle cones that taste like a brownie. It is an invention to rival electricity. And the ice cream is top notch.
The Juice Bar
This extremely popular ice cream shop has lines across the street in the summer months but on a rainy October afternoon, we walked right in. They make their own delicious ice cream and waffle cones.
The Nantucket Lobster Trap
I had my first aperol spritz here, feeling very “Real Housewives of Nantucket.” Unfortunately they were closing for the season in a few days and were out of a lot of items on the menu. I had calamari and clam chowder, both were excellent.
Something Natural
In my reading experience, sandwich shops are big business on Nantucket. Headed to the beach? Stop at one to pick up lunch for the entire family. Although not headed to sun our buns in the sunless sky, we stopped at Something Natural for lunch. I had half a turkey salad on rye. I had not heard of turkey salad, where I am from it is all about chicken salad, which did not seem to be available on Nantucket. The turkey salad contained raisins and apples. Mister Rain had a full sandwich and it was as big as his head! They do not have seating inside but there are picnic tables scattered across their pretty, large lawn. The other item we do not have in my area is Portuguese bread, but all the sandwich shops as well as bakeries on Nantucket carry it. I had been told it makes outstanding toast so before we headed back to Pennsylvania, we purchased a loaf. It did not disappoint. Many attempts to find it at home have been unsuccessful.
Sophie T’s Pizza
It was our first night on Nantucket, a rainy Tuesday evening. We were only one of two tables eating in, but the takeout business was constant. The place was cozy with red and white checkered tablecloths. The half plain / half pepperoni was so large that Mister Rain had to stand up to further cut the slices for us. It was delicious. I rarely go into our favorite home pizza place without thinking about Sophie T’s. (Photo at top of this story.)
Wicked Island Bakery
Their morning buns are infamous. In the summer they make 300 a day, they could make 1,000 and it would not be enough. It is first-come, first served. You can only buy six at a time. We also purchased two of their highly recommended ham and cheese croissants, chocolate croissants and a t-shirt that reads, “NO BUNS FOR YOU. UNLESS YOU’RE WICKED EARLY.”
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