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In This Issue
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Dune
Day or Night, Dune is the Perfect Choice
 After a day at the beach on Nantucket, we recommend an evening at Dune. In its second season on Nantucket, this chic yet casual restaurant is the ideal spot to wine, dine, and wind down after a day in the sun. Now in its second year, Dune’s kitchen is firmly in the supremely talented hands of Chef-Owner Michael Getter, well-respected on Nantucket for his work at 21 Federal and American Seasons, and now for what he’s brought us with Dune.
Located in the center of town at 20 Broad Street, Dune is distinct for its beachy exterior: dune grass window boxes, potted palms, and market umbrellas are inviting adornments for the patio. There’s even an outdoor bar where you can enjoy the summer sunshine by day and the cool evening breezes in the evening while sipping wine and cocktails. It is quickly becoming a favorite spot for an alfresco lunch.
Inside there are dining rooms upstairs and downstairs that continue the chic yet casual ambiance. Soothing tones of tan, beige, sand, and foggy gray and fixtures with beautifully organic curved lines reminiscent of shells add to the beach feel. There are two rooms upstairs, either would be ideal for private celebrations. The bar area is dominated by a striking Brazilian quartzite bar with lovely swirls of color. And whether it’s Anna or Amanda behind the bar, they both add a bright spark of excitement to the evening.
Dune offers an engaging variety of specialty cocktails. Blue Bliss is a summery mix of blueberries, lavendar syrup, gin and soda...Between the Pink is a new way to enjoy watermelon and tequila... Manna from Anna is a special mix of bartender Anna’s featuring muddled peach and orange, Makers Mark, and peychaud bitters. If you really want to spice up your night, order the Hot and Dirty.
The wine list is also impressive. Arranged to be accessible for all, the list is divided into sections by flavor and style, such as Light & Crisp, Rich & Full, Fresh & Lively, Soft & Lush, and Big & Bold.
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Lunch at Dune starts daily at noon, and features several of the appetizers and entrees on the dinner menu, along with tempting midday fare like a Sirloin Steak Salad with feta, kalamata, and roasted eggplant, a Dune Burger, a Roasted Portobello Sandwich with caramelized onions, spinach, and goat cheese. One of our favorites is their Chatham Lobster Roll. This is a classic New England treat, kicked up a few notches by using freshly baked and toasted buttery “hot dog” rolls, a mound of fresh lobster meat stirred with lemon chive aioli on a bed of arugula, and housemade ketchup with thick-cut garlic fries piled alongside. |
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You can savor this fantastic lobster in the evening with Chilled Chatham Lobster Salad. For this evening appetizer, Chef Getter adds fresh kernels of sweet corn and herbs to the lobster salad along with avocado and bits of cucumber and cilantro. The salad is set on a ring of thinly sliced cucumber, and orange and lime vinaigrettes dot the plate for dipping. This lobster salad is fresh and clean-tasting — delicious on its own and also very good with the warm sourdough bread that is presented to each table by the basketful. |
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There are several cold appetizers on the dinner menu—very enticing after a hot summer’s day. The Wellfleet Oysters on the Half Shell are as fresh as they come, and the rhubarb and mint mignonette that anoints them adds just the right amount of flavor and tang.
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One of our favorite appetizers at Dune is the Roasted Beet Salad. Most of Chef Getter’s patrons agree because this salad often remains on the menu even when everything else changes! The presentation is colorful, the the flavors meld beautifully: golden yellow and purply-red beets, snow white goat cheese whipped till creamy, green pistachios and micro-greens, and drizzles of dark and puckery balsamic vinegar reduction. It’s no wonder guests return again and again just for this salad! It’s a perfect example of Chef Getter’s impressive ability to take very simple and very fresh ingredients and present them in a way that makes them very special! |
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Another stellar appetizer is the Crispy Leg of Duck Confit. We usually think of duck confit as a cold-weather dish, but this...this we’d order any time of year! House-cured and slow cooked in classic fashion, the duck is, as promised, covered in sinfully crisp skin, and the meat underneath is moist and flavorful. A gentle tug is all it takes to coax this tender duck off the bone. The duck is served on a cool bed of frisee salad tossed in molasses vinaigrette. Two thick slices of house-cured bacon are criss-crossed overtop. Slices of plum and candied walnuts add two types of sweet to the mix of flavors. |
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Chef Getter can be quite the tease! In addition to the appetizers we ordered, he brought to our table the Sauteed Jumbo Shrimp starter that has just gone off the menu...it will, he promises, be making cameo appearances as a nightly special. We certainly hope so, because this appetizer will be sorely missed! A pair of truly huge shrimp, perfectly grilled, are curled around each other and set upon a lemon arancini that is cooked just right so that the outside is crunchy-brown and the inside still has the texture of rice. The tomato-basil-roasted garlic butter around the shrimp is the final crowning touch. |
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Not only did Michael Getter tease us with shrimp, he also sent out the Pan Roasted East Coast Halibut that WAS on the early summer dinner menu. It doesn’t seem fair to our readers to offer too much praise to this entree, but we adored it! The halibut steak is served on a medley of corn, fava beans, peas, and carrot with chive gnocchi in a rich lobster broth. Hearty and substantial, this is a fish lover’s steak dinner! Perhaps this, too, will be offered this summer as a special...how about it Chef Getter? |
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Replacing the halibut is Crispy Arctic Char, which we enjoyed just as much! The fish is grilled just enough to give the Char a slight char and to cook it through, keeping the center very moist and flaky. It’s topped with a cold and crunchy salad of julienne cucumber, yogurt, and bits of almond. Underneath is well-seasoned and tender Israeli couscous with diced carrot, celery, and onion. Dabs of beet puree and yogurt and a generous drizzling of curry oil surround the dish and are delicious mixed into the couscous. |
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Also marvelous is the Seared Yellow Fin Tuna entree—a true taste of summer! The thick slices of sushi grade tuna are cool and dark inside, their seared exteriors warm and lightly seasoned. A panzanella salad is the base for the tuna, and this chilled Italian “bread salad” is just the thing to add texture and puckery accents to the gorgeous fish—the contrasting flavors, textures, and temperatures are delightful. The salad is composed from diced red tomato, mozarella, basil, and croutons that somehow soak up the basil vinaigrette without becoming soggy, like little pillows of flavor. Yellow tomato gazpacho is dotted ‘round the plate and very tasty with the tuna. |
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Chef Getter is just as talented with meats as he is with seafood, so if what you really want is a very good steak, Dune has one. The Thunder Ridge Farms Sirloin of Beef is a handsome cut, flavorful and tender. It’s served with smashed Yukon gold potatoes with mushrooms folded in and an arugula salad topped with plenty of broad shavings of parmesan cheese. Thin, sweet onion rings garnish the steak, and the au jus is enhanced with a touch of truffle essence. |
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The Grilled Double Pork Chop is also very tasty — the juicy smoked peaches spread overtop are superb with the tender and slightly smoky pork, and the cake formed from cheddar grits is perfect for mopping up the delicious jus. As with all Chef Getter’s entrees, the vegetable is carefully matched to the main event: this entree comes with grilled asparagus, the long, thin spears in perfect harmony with the dish. |
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Earning highest praise among the meat entrees is the Grilled Veal Porterhouse. This couldn’t have been more satisfying! The slab of veal is marinated in lemon, garlic, and olive oil and grilled till it is charred along the edges yet sweet and succulent along the bone. Slices of meyer lemon, grilled with the meat, add a slight bitter-tang that is a delightful counterpoint to the rich meat. A woodsy mix of tiny honjumiji mushrooms are tucked under one corner, and a colorful crisp-tender summer vegetable tian is served alongside. |
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Chef Getter chose well when he chose to work with pastry chef Melissa Feit. Her Chocolate Hazelnut Mousse is fantastically light and flavorful, making it a good end to a hearty meal. The mousse is piped between disks of phyllo, and their flaky crispness is sensational with the creamy, luxurious mousse. |
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Together the chefs create an imaginative assortment of ice creams and sorbets to offer their guests. Because of the tempting flavors (often as many as eight a night), we went with the ice cream. Our sampler included Green Tea, Nutella, Graham Cracker Honey, and their very popular Bacon Maple. All were distinct and very good! |
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The Warm Fig, Bread & Butter Pudding, has edged out the Sugar & Cinnamon Crusted Doughnuts & Fried Apples as our favorite dessert this season at Dune. This is no “cabinet pudding”—this dessert is moist and sweet (but not too sweet), warm and cozy. Pair it with one of bartender Anna’s famous Espresso Martini’s, and you have the perfect end to a perfect meal! |
Dune
www.DuneNantucket.com • 20 Broad Street
Reservations suggested: 508-228-5550
Lunch daily from 12 noon to 3 p.m. • Dinner nightly from 6 to 10 p.m.
Bar opens at 5 p.m., Cocktails served until 1 a.m.
Dinner entrees range in price from $25 to $34
Entire Menu available for takeout • Children accommodated
Full Bar • Indoor & Outdoor Dining • Major Credit Cards Accepted
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