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Now, fans can get total EH immersion in the Elin Hilderbrand Room at Nantucket’s newly-reimagined 76 Main Ink Press Hotel (www.76main.com; from $395). Elin-themed art and framed articles hang from the walls, and the design motif recalls her book covers: a string of miniature flip flops festoons the window, while fabrics lean to crisp beach-towel stripes and ocean blue.
If your literary tastes run to, say, Nathaniel Philbrick’s “In the Heart of the Sea,” you’re in luck; the hotel also has a suite devoted to the author (who happens to live nearby). The hotel, built as a sea captain’s home in 1883, pays homage to Nantucket’s media history. Each of the 20 rooms features a famous author, a story, or an island tradition that has been featured in the news on Nantucket. It only makes sense that this concept is the brainchild of N Magazine and Nantucket Current publisher Bruce Percelay, the hotel’s owner.
Located on Main Street, a block away from Nantucket’s town center, the hotel offers nice perks like a BYOB mixer bar in the afternoons, complimentary breakfast, and a pretty courtyard where guests can gather and share hot goss or tips on where to go for dinner. If you need a lift — say a ride from the ferry or a drop-off at the beach — they’ll transport you in the house Jeep. Nice.
Getting around
A pedicab service, NanTukTuks, (nantuktuk.org) is a great way to navigate Nantucket’s cobblestone streets if you’re wearing heels and don’t feel like limping back from dinner. In other transpo news, the WAVE Trolley, our go-to for getting around the island, is free from now through September. We say this every time we write about Nantucket: Please don’t bring a car to the island in high season; the traffic is terrible as it is. Now there are no excuses. PS: The trolley is equipped to transport bicycles.
Treats and eats
“We want to be the Cisco Brewers of chocolate on Nantucket,” says Andre Marrero, owner/chef of Faraway Chocolate (www.farawaychocolate.com), the island’s new bean-to-bar chocolatier, open year-round. Cocoa is sourced from around the world and the chocolate is produced on Nantucket. Marrero operates a tiny shop on Old South Wharf and offers 90-minute chocolate-making classes at the Nantucket Culinary Center. Participants will temper, mold, and enhance their chocolate with dried fruit and other ingredients, tasting as they go. “I’m a chef — we never eat a meal, but we taste constantly,” he says. Works for us.
You may have already seen these chips in stores; Nantucket Crisps (nantucketcrisps.com) also has a brick & mortar store near the Nantucket Atheneum. Who would dare compete with the beloved Cape Cod Potato Chip? Two local folks, it seems, who make a thinner, crispier chip, including a hot honey chip and one that tastes like cocktail sauce. Flavors are named after Nantucket locales — think Brant Point Black Pepper and Madaket Sweet Onion. Bring some back home on the ferry (they also stock them at the snack bar on the Hy-Line Cruise’s Island Ferry).
Speaking of ferry snacks, Snackle (acksnackle.com) recently opened in the old Oath pizza spot on Straight Wharf. Owned by chefs Shaun and Amanda Riley (from Foggy Nantucket, now closed), the bill of fare ranges from salads and fruit and veggie cups to Wagyu hot dogs, breakfast sandwiches, and burritos. On the sweet side, they offer Belgian chocolate-covered strawberries, cake and cheesecake slices, cinnamon buns, ice cream sundaes, milkshakes, and frozen lemonade. Not bad for a tiny space. Prices for breakfast items range from $9 to $13 or so — cheap for Nantucket.
Dining out
The big news here: The long-awaited opening of Straight Wharf Fish (www.straightwharffish.com), a clam shack and fish store featuring elevated and traditional seafood dishes by Chef Gabriel Frasca with partner Kevin Burleson. Fabulous harbor views (from an open deck) meet island favorites like fried clams, clam rolls, lobster rolls, onion rings, chowder, and butterscotch pudding. One we can’t wait to try: the caviar sandwich on a King’s Hawaiian roll topped with red pepper jelly and a Funyun ($32). They don’t take reservations, although they do maintain a waitlist. No doubt that a seat at Straight Wharf Fish will be a hot ticket this summer.
If you’re a fan of bar Yoshi on South Wharf (and the long lines indicate that many folks are), you’ll be happy to learn that there’s a sibling across the street, O Bar (www.bar-yoshi.com). Conceived as a bar/raw bar, O Bar now offers the entire bar Yoshi menu, and serves as an overflow space. There are a few tables outside, and bar seating inside.
Did you like The Beet? We did, too, but alas, it’s gone. In its place is Misogi Noodle Bar (www.misoginoodlebar.com), by Felino Samson, former chef/owner of The Beet. His new concept highlights the cuisines of the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Japan. It’s upped the “swanky” level, with an Asian-themed lounge motif and a seven-seat bar. It’s open for lunch and dinner; lunch is where you’ll find old Beet favorites like the Hulk kale salad and bao buns. At dinner, the menu ranges from Chicken Adobo to Szechuan Broccoli Tofu.
Authentic Latin food on Nantucket? You got it, thanks to Salvador Aguilar and Mayra Escobar, who recently opened Casa Real (www.casarealrestaurant.com), a sit-down Mexican-Salvadoran-style restaurant. The menu covers a wide geography, with pupusas, ceviche, fajitas, and more, at reasonable-for-the-island prices. They’re open daily for lunch and dinner, and breakfast on weekends.
Sushi Sean is an island fixture; he’s operated out of several locations on the island, including a food truck. He’s got a new project at a new home, 11:11 Market and Bistro, (www.sushisean1111.com) at 130 Pleasant St., across from the large Stop & Shop, mid-island. Think sushi, sashimi, poke bowls, noodles, and a selection of Japanese pastries.
Shopping
The LA-based lifestyle brand Staud (staud.clothing), worn by Selena Gomez, Sophie Turner, and other A-listers, now has a Nantucket outpost. The island shop will be open from May through October; the wicker bags are big sellers here, along with linen pieces, we’re told.
Located upstairs in a building on Centre Street, For Now (itsfornow.com) sells clothing, beauty goods, and eclectic, not-found-elsewhere-on-Nantucket gifts and home goods. We’ve heard rumors about a secret coffee bar.
By the time you’ve finished reading this, there may be additional new openings. For more, including listings of upcoming events, visit www.nantucketchamber.org.
Diane Bair and Pamela Wright can be reached at [email protected]
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