What’s new on Nantucket

The Nantucket Poke food truck offers Hawaiian poke bowls with stainable sushi-grade fish and fresh produce.

You’ve heard that Nantucket is getting Goop-y this summer, thanks to the opening of Gwyneth Paltrow’s pop-up shop, Goop MRKT Nantucket, on Centre Street. But Goop’s lifestyle products (think blush-colored cookware and malachite-
enhanced cleanser) aren’t the only recent wash-ashores on the island this summer. Here’s a look at a few more new and notable arrivals on Nantucket this season.

For those savvy types who favor the off-season, and don’t haul a car to Nantucket, here’s good news: the NRTA Wave bus (www.nrtawave.com) now operates year-round, woo hoo. And let us take this opportunity to give the bus a shout-out — it is truly the easiest way (along with biking) to get around on the island. During the summer months, there’s fixed-route service to Madaket, Sconset, Surfside and Jetties beaches, the airport, downtown, and the mid-island area. Fare is $2 to $3, depending on the loop. Kids six and under are free. (Tip: Bring exact change if you can; the buses use electronic fare boxes and drivers can’t make change.)

The island takes plenty of heat for its lack of affordable eats, so the arrival of Pizzeria Gemelle (508-901-5958, www.pizzeriagemelle) is notable. Pronounced “Gem-el-lay,” it means “twins” in Italian; chef/co-owner Andrea Solimeo has twin girls. These hearth-fired 12-inch Neopolitan pies ($12-$22) incorporate the best of Nantucket, like Bartlett’s tomatoes and Nantucket Bay scallops (scallops top the Capesante, along with pecorino, pancetta, and arugula.) They’ll stay open late, too.

Hawaii, like Nantucket, is a pescetarian’s dream, so you knew it was bound to happen: a poke place would open on our island paradise. And so it has: the Nantucket Poke food truck. These Hawaiian poke bowls ($10-$16) are constructed with sustainable sushi-grade fish and fresh produce. Chef Alla Rockwell uses a century-old recipe for her rice base. Look for them at Nobadeer and Cisco beaches and at Cisco Brewery. Open seven days a week. 508-321-3064, www.nantucketpoke.com.

A newcomer to the local dining scene, or The Whale features a daily brunch amid a dining room designed by Marla Mullen Sanford of Marla Mullen Designs.Matt Kisiday

Literary types will recognize the inspiration for the name of a new American bistro on Main Street, or, The Whale — it was one of the titles that author Herman Melville mulled while naming his novel, “Moby Dick, or, The Whale.” These restaurateurs chose the latter. This casual spot serves brunch daily (who doesn’t love brunch?), dinner, and light bites in between. In the a.m., consider their house-made doughnut-of-the-day, or perhaps the bistro-style open-faced ham and cheese, a fiesta of flavors, with Benton’s country ham, Brie, roasted pear and frisee on brioche. Sandwich options for brunch include blackened swordfish with roasted garlic mayo, the classic pastrami on rye, or a lobster roll. For dinner, you can’t go wrong with the roasted halibut served over coconut rice with escabeche (ceviche’s first cousin) and arugula puree. Entrees at brunch and dinner range from $12- $36 at this time. 508-825-5897, www.otwnantucket.com.

At Saltbox Tavern & Table (774-333-3814, www.acksaltbox.com), out by the airport, you can go casual, and order a plate of fried pickles ($10) and pork sliders ($14) for the table, or splash out on a 16-ounce rib-eye steak with pomme frites ($37) or seared sea scallops with truffle honey risotto ($29.) Either way, it’s a cool spot to unwind with your nearest and dearest and a pitcher of sangria. Hold out for a seat at the patio bar.

Tucked inside the Greydon House B& B, overlooking Broad Street, is the newly opened Via Mare (508-228-6100; www.viamarenantucket.com). Venetian-style seafood from terra and mare dominate the menu at this dinner-only eatery, helmed by Chef Sarah Todd and a sister restaurant of Ventuno. Adventurous eaters will love selections like baby octopus confit ($18) and braised rabbit pasta ($20); Chef Todd also elevates standbys like risotto, making hers with almond milk, bergamot, and royal red shrimp ($26.) Via Mare is open for dinner only (nightly, in season.)

At the ACK 4170 store, you’ll find all things Nantucket, from caps to coasters.

Share your love for all things ACK (that’s Nantucket’s airport code) with a little something Nantucket-y from ACK 4170 (508-680-1777, www.ack4170
.com), a recent arrival to downtown’s retail scene. (The 41 and 70 stand for the island’s latitude and longitude, dontcha know.) This woman-owned preppy brand was created in 2016 and sold online; now, it’s a brick and mortar store. Forget the Nantucket-emblazoned hoodies; here you’ll find cotton twill commuter bags and totes printed with Nantucket maps from the early 1900s (and made in the United States) and logo-ed merch. Seashell wreaths, serving trays with maps of Cape Cod and the islands, and ACK marble coasters — they’re all here, to add some island style to your home and your look.

Stylish gals of all stripes know from Veronica Beard, two sisters-in-law who launched their collection in 2010 with the Dickey jacket and never looked back. This summer (late April through September), the label is partnering with Nantucket’s Perch boutique, on Straight Wharf, for a collaboration, Veronica Beard + Perch. If you like the idea of stepping out in flirty little numbers that you won’t see on everybody else this summer, make this one a must-do. Perch, which also has a shops in Colorado, carries other in-demand labels like See by Chloe, Derek Lam 10 Crosby, M Missoni, and Rag & Bone. 508-680-1707, www.perchvail.com/nantucket/. (Note to self: Finish up that Mad Martha’s cone before rifling through those $700 jackets.)

www.nantucketchamber
.org.