Sophie T's - So Much to Love

There’s plenty to love about Sophie T’s Pizza.

There’s the location:  Their spacious dining room is comfortably relaxed, complete with red-and-white checked tablecloths, fresh flowers and candles on the tables.  The restaurant is as welcoming to families as it is to couples.  It’s a favorite spot for work-day lunches and a beer and a slice after work.  And if you order takeout, their convenient mid-island location means you don’t have to circle town looking for parking.

Then there’s the price:  We can’t think of many places on Nantucket where 40 bucks will buy a hearty feast for four.  Even the half-dozen beers and wines by the glass and by the bottle are affordable.  And we’ve never left a dinner at Sophie T’s without enough for lunch the next day.

Best of all, there’s the fabulous food!  Owners Rob and Kelli Noll clearly love what they do, and it shows in every dish that comes out of their kitchen.  Ingredients are high-quality and their dishes are all made in-house.  The homemade soups are sensational and often sell out, with creative offerings that change daily and can include Roasted Garlic & Potato, Italian Wedding Soup, Split Pea, Kale, Pork with White Beans, or hearty Chili. 

During our meal last week, we sampled a generous bowlful of Seafood Gumbo worthy of New Orleans.  It was thick with seafood and had more flavor than heat, with just enough spice to make our mouths tingle.

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	Perfect for lunch and for dinner are Sophie T’s subs.  Their traditional Italian Sub and The Godfather (a combo of meatballs and sausage) are both very well done. If you’re missing fast food from America, a Sophie T’s Cheeseburger Sub will satisfy that craving with far better ingredients.  Laid acrosse a toasted sub roll, their burger is topped with fresh tomato, onion, lettuce, pickle, American cheese, mayonnaise, mustard, ketchup, and hot peppers.  And, we’ve heard from a very good source that, upon request, you can also get those fast food sandwich flavors on pizza crust instead of in a sub roll.
	Even the east PA natives in our group agreed that Sophie T’s did their homework when concocting their Philly Cheese Steak recipe.  Just the right roll is filled with shaved steak, cheese, onion, and pepper.  The only thing we missed was the pizza sauce, but of course, there’s plenty of that available at this Italian hot spot!
	When you go to Sophie T’s, either bring a couple of friends or make sure you're hungry.  When Jill brought Buffalo Wings to our table, we thought she had doubled the order.  But no, huge portions are the norm here.  We dug into the pile of large, meaty wings and were delighted that the chicken was moist and juicy beneath the crisp skin.  Rob’s wings aren’t slathered in messy sauce, in fact, we didn’t realize just how spicy they are until the second wing—the heat sneaks up on you, making a cold brew the perfect accompaniment.
	Another dish perfect for sharing is the Chicken Quesadilla.  Just one of the four wedges will satisfy, stuffed as this whole wheat tortilla is with cheddar, chicken (or beef), black beans, and tomato.
	Sophie T’s offers half a dozen salads to start your meal which are, in fact, nearly large enough to BE your meal.  Their Italian Caprese Salad is a delight to the eyes and to the palate:  thick slices of juicy red tomatoes (suprisingly tasty for this time of year) are alternated with rounds of fresh mozarella.  Drizzles of house-made pesto and balsamic glaze add color and flavor to the creamy cheese and sweet tomato.
	The Wedge is a classic.  It starts with what must be half a head of crisp, cool iceberg lettuce.  Next, they add a handfuls of thinly sliced red onion and diced tomato—very refreshing and a perfect prelude to pasta!  The cup of dressing is on the side, leaving it up to you to decide just how serious you are about chunky bleu cheese.
	Our favorite Sophie T’s salad for wintertime is their Goat Cheese & Roasted Red Pepper Salad.  It goes beyond substantial in size and is full of deep, warm flavors with plenty of crumbled goat cheese, mellow peppers, sharp red onion, and freshly diced tomato overtop mixed greens tossed in a puckery vinaigrette.
	“Italian comfort food” best describes the hot entrees offered at Sophie T’s.  Three dishes are offered regularly, and lunch or evening specials often feature additional Italian specialties (their Ravioli is particularly good!).
	Rob’s tender and toothsome Jumbo Stuffed Shells are chock full of a blend of cheeses and swimming in a tasty old-style Italian-American sauce, deep red and naturally sweet.  The arrive at table piping hot with a liberal dusting of parmesan and herbs.  Toasty garlic bread is served alongside for mopping up every drop of sauce and extra parmesan cheese and crushed red pepper are on each table, if you feel the need to customize.
	We were also very impressed with the  Housemade Lasagne.  Layers of cheese, pasta, cheese, seasoned ground beef and sausage, and more cheese are well balanced, perfectly seasoned and served in generous portion.  Even those in our party who pride themselves on their lasagna recipes agree that Sophie T’s serves a sensational version!
We can’t talk about Sophie T’s without raving about their pizza...Full disclosure:  Sophie T’s pizza has long been our favorite choice for takeout — their pizza is seriously good!  The crust is twirled to the perfect thickness (there are two choices) and customized with your choice of 30 delectable toppings.   There’s no scrimping at Sophie T’s:  if you order a pizza with toppings, it’s covered! We particularly like their thick crust, which is deliciously doughy with edges puffed into crisp bubbles.  Their classic Margherita is the best on the island, the vibrant flavor of Rob’s homemade tomato sauce combining with the basil and fresh mozzarella.  Also very good is the Meat Lovers’ Pizza, aptly named and laden with pepperoni, sausage, hamburger, and bacon.  A cold Stella or Sam Adams is the idea accompaniment.
	Seafood lovers will adore the Class ACK’d Pizza, which is topped with Nantucket bay scallops and bacon.  Sophie T’s menu describes this a “white pizza,”  but it’s not the typical “white” with just mozarella and ricotta — Rob makes his white pizza with homemade pesto, diced tomato, and mozzarella.  A glass of the house Chardonnay is the best choice to go along with this pizza.
	The Greek Pizza came closest to being a table favorite with four votes out of six.  This is another version that uses a white pizza base with its mozzarella, tomato, and pesto, and adds to it black olive slices, spinach, red onion, and lots of feta cheese crumbled overtop.
	If you can, save some room in your belly for Sophie T’s decadent and creamy  Ricotta Cheesecake;
	or if you're feeling ultra-Italian, choose their moist and fluffy  Tiramisu for dessert.  But if you absolutely cannot bring yourself to take another bite, tuck a couple of fresh-baked  White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies.  into your takeout bag.  They'll be a temping treat to enjoy alongside the heaping leftovers you'll love to eat for lunch the next day.

Sophie T’s Pizza

508-325-6265
7 Daves Street in Bayberry Court, Nantucket Commons
Full menu served continuously
Open 7 days: Tues-Sat from 11:30am-9pm; Sun. & Mon. 11:30am-8pm
closed Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, & Christmas Day
Large pizzafrom $16.75;
Small pizza from $10
beer & wine  • 
MC, Visa, Discover accepted
families welcome  •  plenty of parking