On Nantucket, price and innovation make two spots local favorites
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Type: American, eclectic
Prices: Appetizers: $6.50-$13.50; entrees: $16.50-$24; desserts: $4.50-$6.50.
Hours: Seven nights, 5:30-10p.m.; fewer nights offseason.
Reservations accepted. No smoking.
Credit cards: American Express, Visa, MasterCard.
Access: Fully accessible.
Other establishment listed in this review:
BRANT POINT GRILL
50 Easton St.
(At the White Elephant)
508-228-2500
Prices: Appetizers, salads: $8-$14; entrees: $22-$32; desserts: $7-$9.
Hours: Seven days, breakfast, 7:30 -10 a.m.; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; dinner, 5-10 p.m. Reservations accepted. Smoking in bar.
Credit cards: All major.
Access: Fully accessible.
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MOONA GRILLE
122 Pleasant St.
Nantucket Town
(508) 325-4301
Restaurant reviewed 06/16/97 by Alison Arnett
Dinner table talk on this idyllic spit of sand in the midst of the Atlantic is of $15-an-hour teenage babysitters. Of a restaurant buying a $625,000 house to bunk employees because of the high cost of summer rentals. Of multimillion-dollar homes being bought, then torn down to make way for even costlier palaces, in dove-gray shingles, of course. This is Nantucket, the island that eats money, as a columnist once put it. It's also a 14-mile island with an incredible array of restaurants, where eating out is viewed as passionately as sunsets and those lightship basket handbags. Moona Grille, opened last year, is a local favorite, several several residents tell me as we settle in for dinner, because the cuisine is innovative but the prices are more moderate than many other places and it's open year-round. The room is funky, in green and earth tones, the floor handpainted and the irregular space decorated with whimsical folk art. When we ask for bread, the waitress puts down a tall cast iron urn, so heavy it can barely be budged. The bread is delicious, though, so we pass pieces of pencil-thin crunchy bread sticks and floury French ficelles as we look through the menu. Linda and Everett G. Reid, who own Moona, previously owned American Seasons in Nantucket. The menu form is similar, with the dishes arranged in categories such as The Plains and Head of Harbor that denote areas of the island formerly known for fishing, farming, and hunting (the American Seasons menu is divided into areas of the country). Everett Reid, who is chef along with Jean Dion, packs a lot of strong flavors into the dishes, which are served in abundant portions. A mushroom soup had a deep, rich woodsiness without any cream or heaviness, just the essence of porcinis, morels, and portobello. A special appetizer of scallops sauteed with prosciutto was simple and delicious, saltiness against sweetness. Warm spinach and frisee salad had so many elements that the overall result was difficult to process - bits of smoky pancetta in the sherry vinegar dressing, sauteed wild mushrooms, a mound of greens covered with both fried onion strings and a few homemade potato chips. One wanted to cry ``enough already'' and concentrate on the crisp-edged fried oysters on the sides, the highlight of the dish. It's difficult not to gravitate to fish when one is on Nantucket. A dish of East Coast halibut filet with a black olive and arugula pesto balanced piquant tastes beautifully with the creamy smoothness of the fish and a mellow yellow tomato tapenade. Maine black pearl salmon, with its rich flesh, held its own through the combination of small white beans and oven-dried tomatoes and a sorrel aioli so that one could separate out all the flavors. Despite the fish temptations, I really liked peppered rib eye of beef, a tender, thick cut with a perfect complement of sweet and rich in foie gras butter set off by a wild mushroom marmalade. All the dishes are accompanied by beets, snow peas, sweet potatoes, and more, again almost too much to process. The excess translated into indulgence in a chocolate tower of mousse, intense and satisfying with layers of chocolate genoise, dark mousse and ganache. Cherry empanadas were more restrained with a delicious pineapple sorbet bouncing against the tartness of the fruit. Moona's wait staff was friendly with a good sense of timing, allowing our party time to chat but prompt when we were ready to order or needed guidance. The only drawback in the room was noise, bouncing off the hard, painted surfaces, making us strain to hear. Moona Grille is slightly off the beaten track and in casual spirit and pricing, a departure for Nantucket. It's well worth seeking out, though, for those reasons and for the food. Brant Point Grille is brand new, having opened May 23, and is also a departure for the island, although the prices reflect current trends. Carved into the old dining spaces of the cavernous White Elephant Resort, the restaurant has a distinctly Manhattan flair to its menu. That's not surprising since the Myriad Restaurant Group of New York, of Nobu and Montrachet fame, is consulting and the chef, Pat Trama, formerly was at Tribeca Grill there. Walking into the light-filled dining area, one immediately notices the captivating view of the harbor (somehow water views are difficult to come by even here). Our visit was so early in the restaurant's life that the wait staff seemed to stumble over procedures, repeating information, insisting on sending over the wine steward and greeting us repeatedly. But once the dinner got under way, they seemed to relax, so we could, too. Trama has an elegant line to his dishes, letting flavors display themselves, not overdoing saucing or embellishing with too many accompaniments. However, there was some unevenness, possibly again due to getting started. Bay scallops with foie gras was an unsual pairing but successful, the sweetness of the shellfish matching the earthy foie gras. Oysters just barely poached with only lemon, herbs on a bed of coarse salt and pepper were terrific, the simplicity showing off the briny delicacy of the oysters and the salt giving a kick to the oysters' natural broth. Two salads were less refined: one of baby greens with tiny potatoes and beets just needed fresher lettuces, the other of a whole head of Bibb lettuce hollowed to hold Roquefort cheese and bits of bacon was old-fashioned in presentation and taste, as though it had been borrowed from a previous restaurant life. The entrees moved back into today. Wok-fried lobster, a customer favorite, Trama said in a phone interview, startles the diner when first presented. It positively sizzles, studded with spices and quickly fried in olive oil in a very hot wok so that the bright red shell glows. The taste is a bright melding of spice and the richness of lobster meat, along with bitter broccoli rabe and slivers of garlic. It's a great change of pace. Pan-roasted chicken captured the opposite prize, homey and gentle yet with an impressive depth of flavor along with the musky aroma of morels. Moist red snapper was another subtle dish, although the creamy polenta sank into a mild pistou broth, and came out too mushy. Although I like the broths popular now, especially with fish, it seems odd to put something that soft into a liquid; within minutes, the polenta had dissolved. Very rare yellowfin tuna made a strong and most delicious statement against garlicky pesto and a mash of smoked onions, probably the best dish on the menu despite its simplicity. Desserts range from elaborate, like one called hot deep-dish apple pie that was actually apples in a cage of pastry, to very rich. All-American chocolate cake with chocolate sorbet was classic and certainly chocolatey but thick layers of buttercream made more than a few bites too much. The chocolate sorbet with it, though, was very good. And the simplest dessert, lemon curd chiffon mousse, had some density along with a lovely tang, fitting to end the evening. Brant Point Grille may still be taking its first steps but the talent in the kitchen and its lovely setting should guarantee its future.
Alison Arnett
date:
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