In This Issue

Town -
Uncharted Territory You’ll Want to Explore

Spicy Indian curry, Japanese sushi, savory Southwest & South American specialties, fragrant Moroccan food, bright Thai dishes, French preparations, American fare...there’s one restaurant on Nantucket Island where you can enjoy a variety of international flavors in one sitting.  Global cuisine is the focus at Town.  Tucked away on a side street in the heart of downtown Nantucket, Town offers both indoor and patio dining.  Their brick patio has comfy couch seating with tables sheltered by market umbrellas.  Bamboo plants and tall trees add a garden feel, and the music is jazzy and eclectic.  During our balmy September weather, this patio is the place to be!  Inside, the decor is Southeast Asian, candlelit and casually stylish.  The tall lounge tables and cafe tables with cushioned benches and chairs encourage a relaxed mood.  There’s even an appealing corner nook that can accommodate 6 to 8. 

The long granite bar is a summertime favorite—it was hard to score a seat there during July and August, but now that September has arrived, there’s room to perch and sample the fun and unusual cocktails Town mixologists expertly prepare.  The French Ginger Snap is a refreshing taste of fall with citrus vodka, lemoncello, Canton Ginger Liqueur, and Triple Sec, rimmed with crushed ginger snaps.  And the Zen T, with Zen green tea liqueur, Zipang sparkling sake, and fresh lemon juice is bright and clean.  Bar snacks include spicy dusted frites, spiced warm olives, and spicy Sichuan Asparagus Spears.

Town also has a far ranging wine list created by Manager Jennifer Mandell to pair well with the eclectic food choices.  “I tried to include something from every region and every varietal.“  Selections are well priced, with wines by the glass from $8 and bottles from $30.  Town also serves a very respectable selection of sake, that in just four choices runs the gamut from unfiltered to filtered, crisp to full bodied.  Not only are the wine and sake lists thoughtfully chosen, but they are also presented with helpful descriptive notes.  Beers served at Town also follow the global theme—an international selection with local favorites.

Leading the kitchen at Town is chef Tom Walsh.  He arrived on-island four years ago:  “I was working for Tanglewood, and came out to Nantucket for a few days to visit a friend.  I said to myself ‘I’ve never lived on an island and I’d like to try it’...and I’m still here.”  And the island is better for it!
Walsh helped open Town two years ago, and is now at the helm.  He describes the restaurant as “a casual experience with food you’ll not see anywhere else on the island.”  And he explains:  “we’re set apart, truly global...We’re true to our nature,”  adding, “I take a lot of pride in what I do.  It’s my only artistic medium—I can’t sing, paint, or dance, but give me a box of food, and I can make just about anything.”

Whether you’re at Town for cocktails and a bite or for a full meal, there’s something to excite the palates of even the most jaded foodies.  Walsh’s creativity shows throughout the menu: appetizers, entrees, and dessert.

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	He’s even created a new sushi roll (there are four on the menu) that is a perfect introduction to this Japanese favorite.  He calls it the Tataki Surf Roll and it features thin slices of Angus sirloin, lobster meat, and cucumber.  Black and white sesame seeds and bright tobiko dot the outside of the roll, and the slices are topped with a savory red pepper mousse.  This is sushi for those wary of raw fish.  It’s a substantial roll and very popular for sharing with cocktails or as an evening snack. (Suggested wine pairing: “Kikusui in a Can,” a full bodied sake with a hint of sweetness)
	In addition to the sushi, Town serves eight appetizers that cover a broad range of tastes and styles.  Crisp and tender, salty and sweet, the Duck Spring Rolls are a delicious taste of the East.  They’re filled with housemade duck confit and carrot, red pepper, bok choy, and sesame seeds—the dipping sauce adds a sweet pucker and just a touch of heat.  (Suggested wine pairing: Jean-Luc Colombo, “La Violette,” Voignier, France)
	Bacon makes everything better, and when the bacon is the main event, you know the dish will please.  Nine Spiced Pork Belly comes highly recommended by Walsh and Mandell, and we agree!  The pork belly is seasoned with hand mixed spices and prepared in a classic French confit style, but the flavor is all Chinatown.  It’s meltingly tender and very rich.  The pork belly is slathered with a sweet barbecue glaze.  A side of kokuho rice, with its lovely nutty-sweet flavor, helps to cut the richness of the appetizer.  (Suggested wine pairing: Gouguenheim Malbec, Argentina)
	Another dish highly recommended by our team and by the chef is Captain Swain’s Stout Mussels.  Walsh skillet roasts the plump and juicy shellfish in this appetizer, then adds seasoning and deglazes the pan with the local brew.  The final touch is large chunks of cave-aged blue cheese.  This is a flavor combination that at first glance gives pause, but the eaten togther the flavors blend deliciously, with the taste ranging from the salty tang of the cheese to the rich, slightly bitter flavor of the stout.  We were divided over the whether the best approach is to stir the cheese into the savory sauce and spoon it up with a mussel or to pop the little morsels out of their shells and top them with the cheese.  You’ll have to decide for yourself.  (Suggested wine pairing: Tusker Beer from Kenya)
	Our favorite among the starters on Town’s fall menu is the Seared Sea Scallops.  Cooked just right with beautiful golden-brown crust and translucent centers, the scallops are sweet and succulent.  They’re paired with puckery pickled wild mushrooms—a tasty contrast to the scallops—and set on a creamy celeraic puree drizzled with a smoky bacon dashi.  In this dish Walsh achieves a superb balance of flavors: smoky, sweet, and tangy.   (Suggested wine pairing: Charles Smith, “Eve,” Chardonnay)
	Town has a well-deserved steller reputation for its Vindaloo.  Available with either chicken or lamb, this traditional curry dish is not so hot as to scorch the flavor, but the heat is cumulative.  Served alongside is a bowl of fragrant basmati rice, each grain separate and tender, and a dish of sour cream.  As the heat builds, you’ll find yourself spooning up more of the chilled sour cream. (Suggested wine pairing: a choice of two for this entree: Huia, Gewurztraminer from New Zealand or Schloss Reinhartshausen “Fountain Blue” Riesling from Germany)
	From another continent comes Carnitas con Arepas.  Walsh describes this entree as “peasant food adapted”—we call it very good comfort food.  The base is an arepa, its traditional maize flavor dressed up with piquant manchego cheese.  Piled high on the arepa is very tender braised pork, beautifully seasoned and pulled apart into mouthfuls of savory goodness.  The meat is topped with cool dollops of sour cream and avocado cream. (Suggested wine pairing: Vina Magana, “Dignus,” Tempranillo from Spain)
	Another of our table favorites is the Lobster and Shrimp Lo Mein.  The tangle of noodles is tossed with chunks of lobster, shrimp, oyster and shiitake mushrooms, edamame, carrot, and daikon in a plucky oyster sauce.  Each element retains its integrity and adds to the harmony of the whole.  (Suggested wine pairing: Gougenheim Torrontes from Argentina)
	Also well worth ordering is the Salmon Bruschetta.  Newly added to the menu, the taste fully lives up to the tantalizing aromas.  The salmon is cooked beautifully and lightly dressed with a fresh arugula pesto.  A stew of mussels, kalamata olives, capers, fennel and cherry tomatoes is poured around the fish, which is presented on a thick slice of baguette that slowly softens as it soaks up all the goodness.  The flavor of each bite is slightly different, depending on what you’ve scooped up, but it’s all very good.
	Desserts at Town change frequently.  We sampled a Dark and White Chocolate Mousse “Martini” that was luxuriously creamy, and we loved the surprise of a raspberry coulis in the bottom of the glass.
	The dessert we adored is Town’s Chai Panna Cotta.  This fusion of Indian flavors with an Italian classic is top notch and the perfect choice if you’ve indulged in one of Town’s spicier entrees.

Walsh is promising suprises for his winter menu, which will be unveiled after Columbus Day — “I have some tricks up my sleeve for that one,” he commented mysteriously, declining to elaborate.  We can hardly wait to see what uncharted territory we can try next at Town.

Town

4 E. Chestnust Street  •  508-325-8696  •  www.townnantucket.com
Open every evening for dinner from 5:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Bar open from 5:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Dinner entrees range in price from $24 to $28
indoor & outdoor dining  •  MC, Visa, Amex accepted