This is the final report on our annual visit to Nantucket (click here for part one and here for part two).
Unlike the first three days here, Saturday began gray with only an early glimpse of the sun.
A few days ago, a My Buzzards Bay follower emailed me to tell me there was a group from Kingman Yachting Center coming to Nantucket. Joe and Sue invited me to stop by and just before the rain began I did.
They are serious cruisers and they asked me to look over their itinerary for their upcoming three-week cruise to Maine.
It was a great plan, but I warned them about the visual of entering Kennebunkport at low tide.
They cruise in The Grand Finale, a very solid East Bay 38.
The rain was never heavy, but there was enough to make it a stay indoors kind of day. Accordingly, we decided to visit the Nantucket Whaling Museum.
The admission ranges from free to $25 depending on your age or status.
The Spotlight and Life Aboard a Whaleship presentations are very well done and extremely informative.
I learned that Nantucket was the Whaling Capital of the World in the mid-1800s and everything that went with that.
The three things that jumped out to me were:
- Just how difficult it was to catch a whale and extract its valuable oil.
- That a Whaling Expeditions took four years or more. Old sailing boats would leave Nantucket and sail around Cape Horn to fish in the South Pacific.
The other thing that jumped out was a video presentation about the Great Fire of 1846. Not only did downtown burn to the ground, but so did all the food, water, and provisions on the island.
Most people don’t know that 12,000 years ago the sea level was 400’ lower than it is today. That meant that one could walk from Woods Hole to Martha’s Vineyard and on to Nantucket.
At 12:30 the rain was getting heavier, so we ran into Cru for lunch near the Boat Basin.
The only IPA draft they offered was Jai Lai from Miami, but it was very good!
Peter ordered the burger without the bun.
aged cheddar, smoked onion mayonnaise
lettuce + red onion
Mrs. Horne went light and ordered the Smoked Fish Dip.
purple carrots, radishes + japanese sweet potato chips
The dip was good, but the Japanese Sweet Potato Chips weren’t firm enough to dip without crumbling. The veggie selection was rather flavorless.
I did the fish sandwich.
shredded cabbage + tartar sauce
It was well executed, but too much lettuce and not enough tarter sauce.
I’ve eaten at Cru a few times. The first was excellent, but lunch for two was $200. The last time the menu was lame and the noise was off the charts!
According to the National Hearing Association, 93 decibels is above the point where permanent hearing damage can occur (90 dB).
The menu is okay, but given the noise and the prices, Saturday may have been my last visit to Cru!
By the time we returned to the boat, the weather had definitely gone down the toilet!
This meant movie time!
If you haven’t seen the original accountant you are missing a very good movie. That said, I think the sequel is better.
Holding Court With JT
A few years back we dined at the bar at Queequegs (locals call it The Q’s) and met JT who tends the old bar. One of our Nantucket traditions has become to dine at the Q’s bar while JT “holds court,”
I say he holds court because he was once a very successful attorney. I also say it because of the way he orchestrates the guests who sit at his bar to ensure a special evening is had by all.
We were reacquainted with John and Lisa. We also met Mike, Eddie, and Liz.
I was sipping the killer martini JT had made me when John’s Korean Ribs arrived.
Dry Rub, Creole BBQ, Pickled Fresne, Scallions
John offered me one, but I declined. That said, I may well order them next time.
John also ordered the Pork Chop that looked as good as the one I had at Straight Wharf.
Grilled, Potato Leek & Lardon Hash,
Roasted Cauliflower, Chimichurri
Peter ordered the Bologanaise.
Veal, Pork,Beef, Crispy Pancetta, Pecorino, Pappardelle
Mrs. Horne had sushi (sorry, no photo) and shared some of my fried rice.
Peas, carrots, onion, eggs, diced thigh, scallion, yakitori sauce
It was excellent and artfully assembled. The yakitori sauce was an unexpected surprise.
As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m very happy to see that fried rice is no longer just an Asian dish. I’m seeing in all sorts of cuisines.
Sunday – Leaving Day
We had high hopes for the weather on Sunday and Monday. Alas, it was not to be. Sunday morning was gray as we watched True North and Grand Finale head home.
When True North went by Joan shouted “We may be back,” but texted me an hour later reported one-foot seas off Edgartown.
Father’s Day 2025
We headed off for Brunch around 11:30. The wind was blowing out of the Northeast and the docks were raw. Once we passed Straight Wharf it felt comfortable and as we turned down Easy Street we could see some blue skies amid the clouds.
We returned to the Easy Street Restaurant for Father’s Day Brunch. The food was good, there were a lot of eclectic breakfast dishes on the menu, and they took reservations on Opentable.
Peter and I kicked off the festivities with a couple of Bloody Marys.
The flavor was good, but there was no garnish. Typically I would expect lime, lemon, and olives. To make matters worse, they ran out of tomato juice after the bartender made ours.
Eighty-sixing Bloody Marys before noon on Father’s Day isn’t a good look, but they’ve only been open a month.
Nevertheless, the food was consistently good.
curry ketchup, coriander, local bread, fingerling home fries
Mrs. Horne isn’t big on Brunch and she ordered the burger.
4 oz angus beef, new american cheese, shredded lettuce, caramelized onions, Pickles, Russian dressing, English muffin, hand-cut fries or tater tots
They serve a unique burger – English Muffins and Reuben flavorings.
I went old school with the Benedict…
English muffin, Canadian bacon, poached eggs, hollandaise
Great eggs and hollandaise. The only criticism would be that the English Muffins are the oversized version and a little big for the rest of the dish.
Also, the fingerling potatoes were well underdone. It looked like they were a little understaffed, and again, this was their first Father’s Day brunch.
After lunch, we did a little shopping as the day continued to improve.
Peter was coming down with a cold and the forecast for monday was a little cool for biking, so we decided to leave on Monday.
The six-foot tidal range on Nantucket made loading the ebikes into the lazerette a little tricky. The crane will only reach the dock when the tide is nearly high, so we loaded the bikes around the 4:00 PM high tide.
Brandt Point Grill
Whenever we’ve been on Nantucket for a Father’s Day dinner, we splurge at Brandt Point Grill. Its the top end restaurant for the White Elephant Resort.
It’s about a fifteen-minute walk from the Boat Basin. It was dry, but chilly.
The main dining room is the outdoor covered patio with a view of the harbor.
They were setting up the outside lawn for a wedding, so our view wasn’t what it should have been. The restaurant was apologetic, but it was fine with us – we were there for the food.
The food and service is always four-star
As I’ve mentioned before, the quality of the bread service often sets the stage for an impressive dinner.
The Brandt Point Grill Bread Service is a work of art.
artisan foccacia & lavash bread, umami truffle
butter, confit garlic, confit garlic extra virgin olive oil
The killer ingredient turned out to be the umami truffle butter on the lavash cracker.
The oysters were just the right size for the perfect single bite.
cucumber mignonette, cocktail sauce, lemon
The cucumber mignonette was unique and excellent
Mrs. Horne went with the seafood pasta.
Brandt Point Grill Seafood Bucatini – $52
nantucket bay scallop, shrimp, little neck
clams, calamari, lemon & garlic butter, fried
shallot
We had a lot of great meals over the past week, but Mrs. Horne declared this the best of them all!
Buerre Blanc, Brocollini, grilled squashes
I went 100% steak…
usda prime 30 day wet aged
The flavors were spot on, but I would say it was closer to Medium than the Medium Rare I requested.
Overall, it was a great meal and totaled about $50 less than the meal we enjoyed at Straight Wharf.
On the way home a man shouted out “Yeah Maritimo” as Peter and I passed in our HH Maritimo jackets. We stopped and chatted with him about the brand.
He had an MJM that has had problems. He asked about the difference between the M55 and the M60. I gave him my card and told him I’d connect him with Sheryl when the time was right.
What’s Up With Weather Forecasts These Days?
I woke up Monday to thick fog 😩.
I immediately opened the My Buzzards Bay New England Webcam page and saw clear skies and sunshine in Woods Hole.
We had targeted a 9:00 AM departure, but even before that, there were signs of the fog lifting.
By the time we cleared the breakwater, it was 64° and a full-on bluebird day.
I considered turning back, but remembered Peter wasn’t 100%. When we got to the Cape Cod Canal, all I could think of was how bad New England weather forecasting has been this season.
Next Up: Celebrating JAWS 50th Anniversary in OB!