In This Issue

AK Diamond's
Island Favorite Offers Value and Fun

One of the best things about September on Nantucket is that those of us left on-island now have our pick of restaurants.  Even with all the eateries still open and fewer people to compete with for reservations, most islanders return to their favorite haunts.  Judging from the number of familiar faces we spotted there, A.K. Diamond’s is definitely an island favorite.

What draws them back to A.K.’s is simple:  good food and plenty of it at prices that remind you that there is value to be had on Nantucket if you know where to go.

While the weather stays warm and clear, A.K.’s brick patio is a beautiful spot.  Sheltered by an awning and surrounded by tall thick hedges and potted plants, this garden setting is a quiet place to sip cocktails and savor lunch or dinner basking in the sun-warmed September air. 

If you prefer a seat inside, you can sit at a downstairs table or booth or at their spacious wrap-around bar.  There are even a few intimate niches—the one next to the fireplace is in high demand when the weather gets cool enough to light the fire.  With three large screen tvs, the bar area is the perfect place to watch whatever game is on, and when the Pats or the Sox are playing it’s been known to get lively, especially if there is a Yankees fan or two present.  All are welcome to participate in the lively competition over the trivia question of the day and over who will win the next “shake.”  AK’s expert bartenders are warm and friendly and happy to chat over sports, local issues, or what’s new and happening around town.  From 3 to 5 p.m. appetizers are half price in the bar area. 

Upstairs, in the main dining room, are additional comfy booths and tables.  Here they can combine booths to easily accommodate large parties of 10 to 12.  If more seats are needed, AK’s has a semi-private back room.

Every day from 11:30 a.m., AK’s offers quick and hearty lunches featuring more than a dozen hot and cold sandwiches and wraps, freshly made soups, a variety of salads, finger foods, and different lunch specials every day of the week.  Their Cuban Reuben Panini features layers of corned beef, sliced pork, and swiss cheese with cole slaw, pickles, and thousand island dressing between slices of ciabatta, grilled till the bread is toasty and the flavors are warm and melded together.  Also highly recommended are the BBQ Chicken Sandwich (ask for extra napkins), the Philly Cheesesteak (order it with sauce and you’ll think you’re on South Street), and the Lobster Roll (a classic, very well done).  Sign up for the AK’s Loyalty Card program, and you’ll find out that there IS such a thing as a free lunch!

If you have a special request and they have the fixins’ for it, the kitchen staff at AKs is happy to accommodate.  We know a patron who is so fond of a luncheon special that he orders it every week.  They might just name it after him!

	AK’s serves all day long, so if you find yourself in need of a mid-afternoon refreshment, you can come by for food as well as for libation.  There are more than a dozen pub-style appetizers that go very well with a cold draft.  The Bacon-Cheddar Skins served here are the best on the island. They’re more like Stuffed Potatoes than “skins”—there’s actually potato left on the skin and wide strips of bacon are laid across each potato instead of the usual scattering of “bacon bits.”  The crisp skins arrive at table with the melted cheddar hot and bubbly.  Chilled sour cream is served alongside for dipping.
Peppery Zing Wings with sweet and tangy honey mustard dipping sauce, Mozzarella Sticks with their crunchy coating around hot and stretchy cheese, and spicy Buffalo Chicken Wings are just a few other tasty snacks patrons love at AK’s. For sharing, nothing beats the Artichoke and Spinach Dip with colorful red, white, and blue tortilla chips and the basket of habit-forming Killer Onion Straws, with their crunchy coating over soft, sweet onions.
	We highly recommend the Foccacia Bruschetta, new to the menu this season.  Triangles of soft homemade foccacia are topped with juicy diced tomato, garlic, basil, and plenty of mozzarella cheese, then broiled till the foccacia is toasty around the edges and the cheese is bubbly and golden.  A fried basil leaf tops each triangle.  Instead of the usual hard and crusty sort of bruschetta, this is like eating small open-face cheese sandwiches.
	Steamed Mussels are offered as an appetizer, but paired with AK’s salad bar, this bistro-style dish could be a light meal.  The fresh tender morsels are served in a garlicky white wine broth and topped with tomato and fresh herbs.  Toasted cheesy bread is served alongside so you can finish off the broth.
	Another highly recommended starter is the Cranberry BBQ Ribs.  Slathered with a slightly sweet, slightly tangy housemade cranberry barbecue sauce, the meat comes off the ribs with a gentle tug.  These ribs are so good that you might be left wanting more, but that’s no problem: you can order them in a half-rack or a full rack portion as an entree.
	A. K. Diamond’s has Nantucket’s best salad bar.  Along with a soup or a hot appetizer, the salad bar makes a healthy and satisfying meal.  Plates are iced to keep the greens cool and crisp, and you can construct your salad by selecting from 30 different fresh toppings and accompaniments that include shredded carrots, sliced cucumbers, mushrooms, pickles, grape tomatoes, sprouts, sliced radishes, olives, broccoli, baby corn, beets, pepperoni, eggs, cheeses, several types of peppers, pasta salad, bean salads, wasabi peas, nuts, dried fruit, and more — all constantly replenished.  Six different dressings are available to top off your salad, and warm loaves of bread are ready for you to help yourself to a slice or two.   For just $5.95, the salad bar can be added to any appetizer, sandwich, or entree.  Or it can be your meal for $10.95 ($12.95 with their award-winning chowder or their freshly prepared soup of the day).
AK’s also offers a tempting selection of entreé sized specialty salads, including several varieties of Caesar Salad (half and full)—classic, salmon, chicken, steak, cheeseburger—as well as a Chicken BLT Salad, Sesame Salmon Salad, and a fabulous Apple-Cranberry-Walnut Salad with crumbled gorgonzola and maple cider dressing to which you can add chicken, shrimp, or salmon for a fall feast.
	The entire menu at AKs is served till closing, so if you want your main meal at midday, you’ve got more than 15 entrees to choose from in addition to the appetizers, salads, soups, and sandwiches.  The menu at AK’s will soon change to feature fall dishes, so hurry in for the Grilled Jumbo Scallops over Lobster Risotto, which has been a star of the summer menu.  Lots of lobster, fresh tomato, and kernels of sweet corn are stirred into perfectly cooked and creamy risotto.   Laid over the risotto are plump, sweet sea scallops, seared till their tops and bottoms are beautifully caramelized.  Parmesan cheese adds the final touch and melts lusciously into the risotto.
	We particularly like the Thai Noodle Stir Fry, which can be ordered as is or with chicken, with steak, with shrimp, or with salmon.  Get it with the salmon!  The generously sized salmon steak has a dusting of spice which adds an appealing counterpoint to the slightly sweet Thai curry sauce prepared with pineapple juice, mild curry paste, ginger, garlic, and sesame.  Bell peppers, onions, broccoli, baby corn, and water chestnuts add a happy crunch to the tender noodles.   If you want more heat, let your server know and the kitchen will take it up a notch or two.
	The Rosemary Roasted Half Chicken is another patron favorite at AKs.  This is a home-cooked meal without the effort or the cleanup!  The hefty half-chicken is covered with a well-seasoned, slightly salty, and temptingly crisp skin that protects the moist meat underneath.  A deeply flavorful pan-gravy and country style mashed potatoes to soak it up are served alongside, as are tender-crisp mixed seasonal vegetables.
	New for fall is a superb Chicken Piccata.  This is a full-flavored pasta dish with flavors that are clean, not heavy.  The chicken tenders are just that: fork-tender.  The puckery white wine lemon-caper sauce brightens the entree, and a topping of parmesan cheese keeps it from being too tart.
	Another sensational seasonal addition is Grilled Sirloin Roulade.  More than just a great piece of beef, this tender steak is rolled around just enough spinach and mozzarella to add flavor without interfering with the beefy taste of the sirloin.  A rich pesto cream sauce adds robust flavor.  We like this entree cooked to medium.

Desserts at A.K.’s are sweet and indulgent.  If you have room, the warm and cinnamon-filled Apple & Oatmeal Crisp tastes deliciously of home cooking.  The Chocolate Lava Cake is over-the-top and worth breaking every diet promise you made.  If you’re full but just can’t say “no” to dessert, then order a Monkey in the Middle Sundae with extra spoons for sharing.  Dig deep for the extra hot fudge, caramel, chocolate brownie, banana, and the sweet pieces of Heath Bar candy.Of course, you can always end your meal with one of AK's sweet specialty drinks (we like the Chocolate Covered Caramel Coffee), or one of their single malt scotches or cordials.

Watch for the introduction of Fall Specials such as All-You-Can-Eat entrees and Football Specials, and remember to sign up for your Loyalty Card.

A.K. Diamond's

16 Macy Lane  •  508-228-3154
www.akdiamonds.com
Lunch served from 11:30 a.m.  •  Dinner served from 5 p.m.
Dinner entrees range in price from $13.95 to $22.95
Half-price appetizers from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
major credit cards accepted
families welcomed  •  all menu items available for take-out
indoor & outdoor dining  •  handicap accessible  •  full bar
plenty of off-street parking - NRTA shuttle stop across the street