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Volume 38 Issue 7 • June 12-18, 2008 now in our 38th season

	In This Issue

The Galley Beach
They Kept the Best & Improved the Rest

On a special occasion last November, we drove to Cliffside Beach to reminisce of warm summer days and sunsets at Galley Beach Restaurant, the closest thing to heaven on Nantucket.

It wasn’t there.

The beloved building with its low roof and stupendous views was gone.  We drove home muttering, as do all year-rounders, about change.

Six months later, just in time for the summer season, Galley Beach is back and better than ever!

The entryway is delightfully familiar:  the same low roofline, the dory by the entryway brimming with brilliant red geraniums, the dining room on the sands of Cliffside Beach with short walls on three sides to maximize the views.  But the roofline is adorned with wooden rafter tails, the dory is on other side of the door, and the awning over the dining room is now a wooden ceiling painted summer white.

Walk through the front door, and you’ve stepped into an elegant and exclusive speakeasy of the 1920s, the heyday of Cliffside Beach Club, complete with potted palms and exposed reclaimed brick walls from Chicago. Every detail has been well thought-out, from the warm glow of the polished floors and the curved and gleaming imported Ateliers Nectoux bartops in the the barrista and cocktail bars to the exposed wood of the original roof and the gorgeous fixtures hanging from it.

Clearly this renovation was planned to the smallest detail by owners David and Geoffrey Silva:  they’ve kept the best of Galley Beach and improved the rest.  As Geoffrey stated: “We’re all the same; the building is new.”

The two new bars—one devoted to lovers of coffee, the other to the cocktail set—are appealing new aspects to Galley Beach. In addition to being able to sit at the bar, there are cocktail tables indoors and outside on the patio.  Stop by for a cappucino or a specialty cocktail (we hear their “Back-of-the-House Mojito” with homemade mojito sorbet is the perfect summer refresher).

Galley Beach is still the place to go for the quintessential beach club experience without having to be a member. And it’s a fabulous first-choice for any “Save the Date” event.

The sophisticated alfresco ambiance of the dining room has been preserved.  The only noticable changes to this room are a more secure and level floor, replacement of the awning and paper lanterns with a high roof and chandeliers, and white geraniums in the window boxes instead of red.  And patrons who dine here during early summer and fall will be happy to know there is now radiant heat in the dining room.

Lunch is served from noon to 2:30 pm, with a menu featuring brunch and luncheon dishes such as Eggs Benedict, Jumbo Lump Crabcake, Cobb Salad, the amazing LoLa Burger with foie, and half a dozen other entrees and appetizers. New this season, from 2:30 to 5 pm, Galley Beach will serve from a Mid-Day Menu with a modest selection ranging from Lobster Salad to Black Angus Filet.  Very soon Executive Chef W. Scott Osif will introduce Raw Bar selections including oysters, shrimp, lobster, and caviar to be offered from noon to 5 pm and during dinner service.

For the first evening seating at 6 pm, guests enter the sunlit dining room caressed by ocean breezes in an ambiance of quiet elegance.  Galley Beach is the ideal restaurant to spark romance or to enjoy an evening with friends and family. Later seatings can be a little more celebratory.  If you’re lucky enough to get a later reservation for the Fourth of July, you’ll have fabulous views of the fireworks.

Chef Osif has returned for his fourth season at Galley Beach.  In keeping with the physical changes to the restaurant, he has made some impressive changes to the dinner menu.  Osif has said “taste is everything” and expressed the goal to offer his patrons “something they’ve never tried before and to keep their taste buds excited throughout their meals.” Bravo to another season of success!  Favorites such as the escargot, the crabcake, and the Flounder Meuniere are still offered.  In addition, he’s created several new and exciting dishes that are as stunning in presentation as they are sensational in their combination of flavors.  The only thing you have to be cautious of at Galley Beach is sensory overload.

Throughout the entire evening that we spent at Galley Beach, the renewed enthusiasm of the staff was evident on every level.  The professional service, always top-notch at Galley Beach, is smooth and well orchestrated. Sommelier Hieu Tran is available to offer his expert advise to guests who’d like to explore some of the more than 4,000 bottles on the extensive wine list and special cellar list.  The selection is primarily French and American, with some different and unusual varietals and a great selection of Red Cabernets and Burgundies.

	We began our meal with a classic favorite:  Pernod Scented Escargots.   These tender little morsels are served swimming in a sauce so seductive that we used the last pieces of bread to mop up every drop.  It is a bit rich for summertime, but it’s an appetizer we look forward to every season, so we were pleased to see it is still on the menu.  Suggested wine pairing: Saint-Aubin, Alex Gambal, “Le Mugers de Dents de Chien.”
	There are several sensational light appetizers new to the dinner menu this summer.  The Coriander-Crusted Yellowfin Tuna is a must for any sushi-lovers.  Seared to a sunset pink, the high-grade yellowfin is sliced, sprinkled with sea salt and sesame seeds, and served over hijiki seaweed in a chilled cucumber soup with chunks of fresh avocado.  The soup flatters the freshness of the tuna.  This is another appetizer that would inspire a return visit. Suggested wine pairing: Domaine Newman, Beaune, Red Burgundy.
	Fish is also showcased in the House-Smoked Salmon Flowers appetizer.  We’ve never been presented with a starter quite like this one—like many of Chef Osif’s dishes, it is as pretty as it is delicious.  Small herb and buttermilk crepes are wrapped around bundles of buttery smoked salmon and crunchy cucumber sticks.  The cone-shaped packets are served with a mellow parsley puree and a sweet and tangy pickled onion chutney for dipping. Suggested wine pairing: Comanderie de Peyrassoi, Cotes de Provence, Rose.
	Beets and salad are often paired on summer menus, and Osif’s new preparation of Roasted Beet Salad is again a winner. He uses both red and golden beets, roasted and chilled, to construct the salad, along with baby mache dressed in hazlenut vinaigrette, St. Andre cheese whipped into a creamy cloud, and garnishes of dried cherries and hazlenuts.  The assertive flavors and varied textures make this salad distinctive and delicious. Suggested wine pairing: Domaine Newman, Beaune, Red Burgundy.
	One of our favorites among the new appetizers is the Charred Octopus Tentacles.  Don’t let the name of this creative and multi-dimensional dish put you off: it is superb!  The tentacles (yes they look like what they are) are first braised in red wine, then marinated in EVOO and oregano, and then grilled.  The result is surprisingly tender morsels with appealing grill smoke flavor.  Stacked on top of the tentacles is a hearty ragout of oxtail and white beans, and, on top of that, frisee tossed with aged sherry vinegar.  The crowning touch is a dollop of tomato confit that brightens both the look and the taste of the dish. Suggested wine pairing: Pinot Noir, Angeline, Russian River Valley.
	Every season, Chef Osif presents a lobster entree that becomes the standard against which others are judged.  We thought nothing could improve upon his Chipotle & Lime Butter Poached Nantucket Lobster.  But we were wrong. He’s bested his own dish with Truffle Butter Poached Lobster.  This fresh two-pound beauty is perfectly cooked, plump and succulent tail and hefty claws doused in luscious truffle butter and presented in a pool of butter sauce with whole honshimeji mushrooms, English peas, and sweet kernels of corn.  Suggested wine pairing: Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Darviot-Perrin, “Blanchots Dessus.”
	The Miso-Marinated Alaskan Halibut also earns very high praise. The thick halibut steak breaks beautifully into large, moist flakes, the miso adding tasty hints of sweetness against the tangy Ching Xiuang vinaigrette it is served in.  On top is a mellow tomato relish and nestled alongside is a crisp salad of julienne carrot, diakon, cilantro, and tatsoi. Suggested wine pairing: Chablis "Fourchaume" 1er Cru, Domaine William Fevre.
	Chef Osif can please meat lovers as well as those fond of fruit de mer.  All eyes were on the Painted Hills Farm Skirt Steak with morel sauce when it arrived at a neighboring table, and we were well pleased with our poultry choices.  The Honey Glazed Grimaud Farms Duck is tender and flavorful without being gamey.  Kissed with honey that plays well with the port wine sauce, the duck is not overly sweet. A garnish of tangerine adds bright notes. Served alongside is a very well done classic Lyonnaise potato and haricot verts. Suggested wine pairing: Pinot Noir, Domaine Serene "Yamhill Cuvee" Willamette Valley.
	We don’t often order chicken when dining out because we make chicken dishes at home. But not this one.  The Giannone Farms Chicken Breast is firm and meaty yet juicy and impressively flavorful with irresistible crispy skin.  The chef stuffs it with a moist duxelle and serves it over leg confit and wilted chard in a lemon tarragon au jus.  Suggested wine pairing: Chardonnay, Ferarri-Carano "Tre Terre" Russian River Valley.
	Eating a little too well is a real risk at Galley Beach, so for a light finish to your rich meal order the Lemon-Lime Tart.  The creamy filling is deliciously tart-sweet, and the berry coulis around it adds a lucious burst of freshness.
	The individually sized fruity and flavorful Apple Tart on puff pastry with dulce de leche ice cream is another light choice.
	The classic Vanilla Creme Brulee has a satiny custard with perfectly caramelized sugar crust.
	Chocolate Mousse at Galley Beach is also very good, with a better defined chocolate flavor and less sugary sweetness than most.
	But if it’s chocolate you want then you’d better order the Warm Chocolate Brownie.  With its soft, warm center and crackly top and edges, this is like a cross-between a molten chocolate cake and a brownie.  No matter what you call it, it’s sensational, especially with vanilla ice cream melting lusciously over it and a garnish of toasted hazlenuts.