Galley Beach is our final night tradition during our stay on the island. It is the best combination of food, ambiance and service on the island. What makes it particularly fun is that everyone seems to know everyone, or you do by the time dinner is over. One night Stiller and Meara sat at one table and worked the room on their way out, only to encounter John O’Hurley (J. Peterman from Seinfeld) at another table.
When we made our reservation we were encouraged to make it for just after sunset and to come early for a drink first. When we arrived we were escorted through the restaurant to a deck out on the sand. With two glasses of champagne, we watched one of the most amazing sunsets we have ever seen, including Key West…which seems to be everyone’s standard for sunsets. The colors in the sky lasted almost an hour after the sun set.
The restaurant has a barrista coffee bar and a fantastic sit-down cocktail bar steps from the sand. The open air dining room has views on three sides of the beach and harbor and if it gets windy, rainy or cool see-through flaps are lowered to protect the diners and radiant heat lamps add warmth. Banquettes line the walls, tables are surrounded by blue and natural wood resin wicker chairs and set with crisp linens. A single red Gerber daisy added a dash of color.
Dinner began with two delicious appetizers; jumbo lump crab cakes and a special lentil soup. The crab cakes had little filler and were served with a cucumber, tomato and mint salad and a lemongrass beurre blanc. Jen, who has crab cakes everywhere we go, thought it was the best she ever had. My lentil soup was delicately seasoned, served with a touch of bacon and perhaps a hint of balsamic.
My entree was an amazing veal chop, simply grilled with mushrooms. Jen’s steamed miso marinated halibut was served with sweet potatoes, tatsoi (also known as rosette bok choy) and a lemongrass vinaigrette. A terrific meal in a wonderful setting.
The 4,000 bottle wine cellar has a French bent and while the pricing is on the high side, we found some good choices under $60. Service was excellent with many of the staff returning year after year. Unusual for a resort restaurant
ROMANTIC QUOTIENT: If you find sunsets and rolling waves steps from your table romantic, this is the place.
WHAT OTHERS SAY…
“Breathtaking” sunsets visible from a wall of windows in the dining room or the “wonderful” beach bar (“literally in the sand”) make for “quite the experience” at this “magical” Nantucket place with an “excellent”, “carefully selected” New American menu; service is “attentive without being overbearing”, and while the “expensive” tabs seem to be “only for the one-percenters”, they’re “worth it for a special occasion”; P.S. summer only. ZAGAT