The Galley did not disappoint
By Peter Sutters Jr.
Independent Writer

Editor's note:

It is a Coof Café on a grand scale. The writers at The Nantucket Independent took part in this year's Restaurant Week, which ended last Sunday. Each writer dined in a restaurant that was new to him or her.

It is not often that a starving writer gets a chance to frequent one of the more posh restaurants on Nantucket. So when my bosses informed me they would be picking up the tab for me to go to any of the restaurants taking part in Nantucket Restaurant Week, I raced to the Internet to see which of the high end eateries I would be gorging myself at as soon as possible.

 

I quickly pulled up the Web site and scrolled down the list, looking for the most expensive place I have never been. The Galley was always a place I wanted to go and had heard rave reviews about.

I arrived promptly to get my reserved table at 7:30 p.m. and before ordering drinks and hearing the specials, I could not help but notice another sign that the summer season was over. Outside of the dining area was a lifeguard stand, lit by a spotlight. It sat in the middle of the private beach, with nary a footprint on the sand. Yes, the high season is over, but I guess it had not struck me until I peered at the lifeguard stand, isolated and watching over an empty beach.

The Galley PHOTO PETER SUTTERS JR.

Before I was able to dwell for too long on the impending Nantucket winter, my waiter approached and took my drink order. Nothing like a little vino to wash away the blues. He then presented me with the special Restaurant Week menu, which consisted of two appetizers, two entrees and two desserts.

Looking at the list, I chose the jumbo lump crabcake to start, the Miso Marinated Halibut for an entrée and decided to hold off on ordering dessert until I was sure there would be room.

The crabcake was outstanding. This was not your garden-variety crabcake, normally dominated by breadcrumbs. It lived up to its name. Giant lumps of crab melted in my mouth, sweetened by the champagne buerre blanc sauce. The portion was just large enough to hold me over until the halibut arrived.

When it did, it also did not disappoint. At first glance, the large piece of white fish stood out, as it should, as the center of the dish. A few fingerling potatoes and a diakon, carrot and tatsoi salad seemed to be there more for aesthetics than for substance, but I would soon discover they served a distinct purpose.

The salty miso marinade gave the sometimes bland halibut all the pizzazz it could handle, and the potatoes filled in nicely as a starch.

But the salad stole the show.

Half way through the meal, I couldn't help but notice a large amount of extra marinade pooling at the bottom of my plate. I thought to myself, if only there was a way to enjoy that without picking up my plate and drinking it like a caveman.

Then it hit me. The salad, it was like a sponge, soaking up all the extra juice. I dug in, nearly forgetting about the halibut.

A tear nearly came to my eye when the plate was empty. I was full, yet my taste buds craved more. Just as I was pondering how to satisfy my craving for more deliciousness the waiter returned to explain the dessert menu to me.

He had me at "warm chocolate brownie."

When it arrived, the dish was almost too beautiful to eat. A round brownie, topped with a perfectly round scoop of ice cream with a drizzle of chocolate sauce decorated the plate. It was almost gone before the waiter left the table. It was that good.

Sitting back in my chair, no longer starving, I once again peered out to the beach at the lifeguard chair and thought to myself, the season may be over, but the luxuries that make Nantucket a special place continue, even through the off-season. I