In This Issue

Atlantic Cafe - The Downtown Eatery for Good Food, Good Drink, Good Fun

There’s always something going on at The Atlantic Cafe on South Water Street.  They host the 5-day Annual Hooked on Nantucket Bluefish Tournament and Award Party every year during Memorial Day Weekend; this month they’ll be celebrating Clamfest 2008 (watch for details coming soon); and come July, the AC is the start and finish-line of the ever-popular Waiter-Waitress Race.  In the fall it’s the venue for the People’s Choice judging for the Yesterday’s Island photo contest. 

The AC is the perfect spot to watch the game on multiple tvs—especially this month if you’re a Celtics or Red Sox fan.  They have 20Q, “Shut the Box,” cribbage, and other New England pub games, and there’s always a great story to hear at the bar.  Toast your friends and family back home via the Atlantic Café’s live web cam, just ask bartenders Melissa, James or Candy where to look.

In the midst of all this festivity, the Atlantic Café serves terrific libations and fabulous pub fare at prices that will leave you smiling.

The fun begins every day when the AC doors open at 11:30 a.m.  Owners John and Kate O’Connor are there to offer a hearty greeting and a friendly word, and their well-trained staff is skilled in accommodating all their guests—even during busy times.  If you prefer a quiet meal, ask for a booth; if you like to be in the thick of it all (the AC is a terrific spot for people-watching), then ask to sit up front or grab a seat at their enormous, carved wooden bar.  The walls and cathedral ceilings are covered with nautical whimsy:  port and starboard lights, harpoons, block and tackle, ships wheel, and even a number of boats.  The bartender rings a ship’s bell every time a notable tip is given. 

As expected with any fine pub, The Atlantic Cafe serves tall, cold beer from classic favorites to microbrews—they have more than a dozen on draught and even more by the bottle.  They can mix up a refreshing frozen drink, a variety of margaritas, a selection of Café Elixers, and any classic cocktail you can name.

Their selection of pub food will please any palate.  Whether you stop in for lunch, a late afternoon snack, dinner, or for a fun evening, they have what you’re looking for.  The AC does the classics very well:  juicy Burgers, a thick Café Reuben, hearty Roast Beef Dip, tangy Campfire Smoked Pork Sandwich, and a spicy Buffalo Chicken Sandwich.  And their New England fare includes a Fish Sandwich with beer-battered local scrod, a fresh Salmon B.L.T., and a traditional New England Scallop Roll. 

	Don’t leave Nantucket without sampling some of The Atlantic Café’s famous handcut Onion Rings, thick and crispy, hot and sweet.  And this is just one of their many finger food favorites.  Their Zucchini Sticks (also handcut) are a fun way to eat your veggies that even the kids will love.  The horseradish dipping sauce adds just the right amount of zing.
	We adore their Calamari, its beer-battered rings and tentacles coated in a deliciously crunchy herbed panko.  We devoured half of these tender tidbits before we even tried the tasty cajun dipping sauce.  Also fun for sharing are the AC Shrimp Bites, succulent morsels of shrimp served with a garlic aioli.
	Come in hungry if you intend to order the Ultimate Café Fried Potatoes.  This truly is the ultimate bar food:  a bowl filled with tender potatoes with crisp skins, smoky bacon, rings of jalapeno pepper, chopped red onion, and plenty of melted cheddar cheese.  In case that’s not indulgent enough, it comes with a serving of chilled sour cream.  All you need is a tall beer and a Sox victory.
	A fine pub it is, but that’s not all that The Atlantic Café has to offer.  You can savor a multi-course meal from their soups, salads, appetizers, entrees, and desserts. All three of Chef Dante Benatti’s housemade soups are winners.  Their Quahog Chowder is a creamy New England classic with hints of salt pork; their French Onion Soup is thick with sweet caramelized onions topped with a thick slice of French bread and melted cheese; and their Tomato Basil Bisque is smoky, smooth, and full flavored.
	Every night their black board is a terrific place to look for fresh fish and other specials.  That’s where we found the Herb-Seared Day Boat Scallops, a creation of Chef Benatti that showcases succulent scallops atop a salty slice of prosciutto over garlicky arugula that is set on a very large and tender cheese-filled ravioli.  What a combination!  Cherry tomatoes add color and summery flavor, and the entire construct is served in a pool of beurre blanc.
	Another standout fish dish is the Pan-Seared Atlantic Salmon.  The meaty fresh filet is cooked to perfection, its exterior beautifully seared and its pink flesh moist and flaky.  The fish is served on a golden pedestal of polenta flavored with percorino-romano cheese, and it’s topped with wilted spinach and a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce.  Sweet roasted carrots finish the dish.
	You might think it a challenge to eat healthy when you’re eating out, but the AC has it covered.  Their  new Vegetable Lasagna turned out to be one of our menu favorites.  Thin sheets of pasta are layered with spinach, carrot, leek, tomato, and zucchini, and the flavors meld deliciously.  A pesto cream sauce and liberal shavings of parmesan add rich flavor.  This is a hearty comfort food meal and one of the best values on the island.
	Chef Benatti’s barbecue choices have earned well-deserved kudos for the AC.  We recommend his House Mesquite-Smoked St. Louis Louie’s Ribs.  This hefty plate full of meaty ribs in a tangy-sweet, smoky sauce will have you licking your fingers.  With the freshly baked jalapeno corn bread, cool and crisp coleslaw, and mound of mashed potatoes, this meal will inspire your barbecue dreams.
	If what you’re really hungry for is a good steak dinner, The Atlantic Café has that, too.  Their 12-ounce Choice Sirloin arrives at table beautifully marked from the grill, rubbed with garlic, sea salt, and cracked pepper that deliciously flavors the steak.  A pile of horseradish mashed potatoes catches the all beefy juices.  Even the vegetables—broccoli florets, carrot, and cherry tomato the evening we were there—were cooked perfectly.
	Desserts at the Atlantic Cafe are sweet and indulgent.  There’s the Brownie Supreme, the Huge Brownie Bonanza, and the Baby Brownie (if you’re trying to be good), the New York Style Cheesecake, a three-layer Carrot Cake,  and the Butterfinger Parfait (which we highly recommend).  If you don’t have room for dessert, stop in the next afternoon for a sweet mid-day treat.