First real vacation in about 3 years, and it’ll be in our own backyard. 
. Long overdue for me to tour the islands. The last thread on Nantucket was 6 years ago. Any more recent thoughts or updated recommendations that have survived the pandemic? I’m aware of the lux prices for dining out there. Would like to try to get two nicer dinners out, and then also any recommended moderate and casual spots. The house will be right in town.
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Since no one had any recommendations, here’s a report out of a few places we got this past week.
Dune (dinner) - new American cuisine with some global influences. Really enjoyed our dinner here. The menu has a something for everyone, but I especially liked the seafood dishes (I’m definitely biased towards seafood). The starters included raw local oysters and also grilled asparagus with crab. I love asparagus especially when it’s in season. It highlighted both flavors really well.
I had seared tuna, and my DCs had the veggie tasting course and the seared scallops. All were a hit, especially the sides it was prepared with. Probably my favorite dinner meal is the week. The only miss was a very loud party standing at the bar who were hooting and hollering. Since most Nantucket establishments area converted houses, dining rooms are very intimate. We could barely hear anything until their table was ready and they were ushered upstairs.
Ventuno (dinner) - solid, rustic, traditional Italian food. One of my DCs’ faves, so they wanted to come back. Excellent homemade pastas. I missed having some texture contrast in my primi pasta with crab, but they’re tomato and pasta sauces are super tasty. A grilled lamb dish got raves, but I’m not a fan person so didn’t try that. I ended up with a risotto that was really cheesy and delicious, and just enough acid and a hint of lemon to not make it feel too heavy. A good option if you like old school rustic Italian.
The Beet (dinner takeout) - this was my unexpected gem. My DCs opened to grill and eat in, and I decided on takeout. They’re menu looks fun and fusiony, but with a healthy spin on the food. One is the owners and chef is Filipino, so there is a lot of Asian influenced in their menu. Got a crispy cod on a more healthy fried rice with woodears, edamame, and Thai pesto. This was delicious and a generous portion. I couldn’t stop eating it, when I should have really split the meal into two. This is a place I would love to go back for a dine in experience.
Some quick lunch hits:
Nativ Made - several lunch hits here. A grab and go spot that focuses on locally grown, organic foods. Excellent fresh pressed juices, healthy salads, and fresh pasties! Definitely a hit.
Juice Bar - good smoothies and ice cream. The lounge for ice cream is usually quite looking, especially mid-day. A few fun flavors, but nothing really new or creative. Good fresh waffle cones. The one oddity - we asked for our ice cream in cups and then inquired about lids. The teen said we had to ask for to go cups when we bought this, because apparently to-go cups vs cups is different. 
Jack & Charlie’s - coffee and ice cream shop. Again, a lot of fun flavors, but not anything too original (I’m still dreaming of Salt and Straw coming east). I liked their ice cream texture a bit better than the Juice Bar ice cream, but both were good. Juice Bar always has the longer line though.
Handle Bar Cafe - small, tucked away coffee and Cafe. Really good coffee drinks.
Wicked Island Bakery - DCs took three walk out for their morning buns. Delicious and with the trek. I’m personally not a big fan of the final sugary finish on baked goods that some items tend to have, and this didn’t need it IMO, but it was a nice nugget of vanilla, cinnamon, and sugar.
Probably a few more places that I didn’t really have much to say about. If you know Nantucket, then you probably know all these places are relatively expensive vs mainland food, so we’re talking about 6-7 dollar ice cream scoops, and sandwiches that easily run 10-15/each. Dinner at most places easily run 30-50/entree. Beautiful island and a great place for a relaxing trip.
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Nice report. Thanks.
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