Easy Street Restaurant
An Island Favorite Returns
Many who remember the popular eatery that was perched on the corner of Steamboat Wharf and Easy Street through the 1970s and 80s were thrilled this spring when the rumor swept through Nantucket that restauranteur Joseph Vincent “Todd” Arno was reopening.
Anticipation ramped up in June when the original carved wooden Easy Street “Lobster Sign” was spotted hanging on the corner of the building and activity inside increased.
When we stepped into the restaurant last week, it was clear that the work done to reopen involved far more than just a deep clean and a coat of fresh paint. The place shines. The wood floors have a warm glow. The trim is new. Ceiling fans and classic onion lanterns hanging from the ceiling add a traditional New England feel to the ambiance. It’s back to being a destination we’d feel equally comfortable bringing the family or meeting up with friends.
Half a dozen or so tables fill the patio along the front entrance of the building. Sheltered by an awning, these seats are in high demand during fair weather, and this patio dining is what many fondly remember about the former Easy Street Restaurant.
Inside, a large wrap-around bar divides the first floor: along one side is a smaller lounge area with four tables ideal for hanging out with friends; the other side of the bar lines one side of the spacious dining room. Mike and other bartenders are chatty and enthusiastic about the Munich Spaten Ocktoberfest, Sam Adams Ocktoberfest, Harpoon Oktoberfest on tap along with the Guinness and the Grey Lady and Pabst Blue Ribbon also on draft. “Spaten Ocktoberfest is made in Germany under strict purity laws dating back to the 1400s. There are no additives,” explained owner Todd Arno.
Windows line the walls of the main dining room. During the day sunlight streams in, making this a cheery spot for breakfast and lunch.
Upstairs is a small dining area with six tables and fabulous views! The choice table here is tucked into a corner of windows overlooking the harbor. Set apart from the main dining room, this second floor space is ideal for private celebrations.
And the conversion from Schooners back to Easy Street Restaurant goes far beyond the significant facelift! When Easy Street reopened in July, Arno also brought back to the restaurant his dedication to serving breakfast and seafood of the highest quality at reasonable prices. “The concept came from my father and my mother,” he explained. Vincent Arno came to Boston from Italy and worked hard through the years until he owned and operated several restaurants in the city. He and wife Clara opened Vincent’s Restaurant on Nantucket in 1956 and Arno’s Restaurant on Main Street in 1960. “My father was an excellent chef... and we—my brother, sister, and I—grew up in the restaurant business, working for our parents...we got to know the business well.” In 1973, Todd Arno struck out on his own, purchasing the building on the Easy Street corner that had been known as the Tony Sarg shop. “It was an opportunity and it was right at the boat!”
Arno has long been known for uncompromising quality, and that is what is causing most of the buzz about this new eatery. He uses Certified Black Angus Beef; his clam are fresh not frozen; the swordfish is center cut from the loin of the big 200-pound plus fish; many of his ingredients are organic or cage-free or additive-free; and everything possible is made in-house: “we are, to the the maximum extent possible, a from-scratch kitchen.”
Arno carefully selected experienced chef Hector Rivas to run the kitchen. The chef came highly recommended—his list of accomplishments on Nantucket includes stints at the orginial Hen House and helping to open and establish Kitty Murtagh’s. “What struck me about Hector” said Arno, “is he is very much like my father...Hector’s cooking, his sauces, are excellent..he has the same natural easygoing style. He has an intuitive culinary sense...natural skill.” A hands-on, working chef, Rivas is everpresent in the kitchen at Easy Street Restaurant, making sure dishes served are up to their high standards.
Not only does Arno take great pride in what is served, but also in the service itself. Waitstaff is well-trained and accommodating, and meal times are structured to appeal to a wide range of patrons. Breakfast starts at 10 am, well-timed for guests who are traveling — everything on the extensive menus is available for takeout, and the made-to-order $4.50 breakfast sandwich is delicious and portable.
Full breakfasts include Eggs Any Style (using cage-free eggs), Omelettes, Belgian Waffles, Pancakes, and French Toast. Fruit can be added to many of the breakfast entrees or ordered as a side, and cereals come with regular or soy milk. Even the coffees are premium and organic.
Breakfast and lunch overlap by an hour, so if some in your party want a traditional breakfast between 11 and noon and others are hungry for a hefty Burger or Philly Cheesesteak (both prepared with Certified Black Angus beef) a Lobster Roll with citrus mayonnaise, a Pulled Pork Sandwich, a Swordfish Sandwich with cajun spice, or just a simple but very good Grilled Cheese or BLT, Easy Street Restaurant can accommodate.
Two of the restaurant’s most popular specials are served all day and evening, from 11 am to 9 pm. The Fried Scrod-n-Chips with fries and coleslaw is priced at just $12.50, and the New England Lobster Boil, a seafood feast complete with 1-1/4 pound lobster, Yukon Gold potatoes, Bartlett Farm sweet corn (and a bib) is a modest $20. During our recent meal at Easy Street Restaurant, we saw people at four tables who were clearly enjoying these special meals.
The all day portion of the menu offers an appealing and broad variety of appetizers: some finger foods are meant for sharing, like Spicy Buffalo Wings, Shrimp Cocktail, and Chicken Tenders. Their Onion Rings are particularly tasty—sweet and tender onion encased in a crunchy breading that remained crunchy as we passed the rings around the table and nibbled.
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We were impressed by the Fried Calamari, a standard starter ‘round these parts, but not the standard preparation. Rivas uses the same breading that coats the calamari on rings of banana peppers and tosses them in with the calamari. These mild to moderately-hot chilis add little surprises to the dish. The final detail that sets this appetizer apart is the citrus mayonnaise served as a dipping sauce: its lemony flavor brightens the taste of the calamari.
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Another favorite is the Scallop and Shrimp Ceviche. The shellfish is “cooked” in lemon and lime juices, cut into bite-size pieces and tossed with a fine dice of carrot and celery. Cool, crisp, and full of vibrant flavor, this appetizer is a last taste of summer. Warm tortilla chips dusted with sea salt are served alongside.
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If crab is your seafood of choice, Rivas’ Southwest Crab Cake will leave you smiling. Thick and moist and nearly all jumbo lump crab, we don’t know how this cake stays together with no apparent binder! Sauteed till top and bottom are golden and crunchy, the crabcake is served next to a superb fire-roasted tomatillo sauce that is slighly tart with herbal and citrusy flavor notes.
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Easy Street is best known for it seafood, but we sampled a number of non-seafood dishes that were excellent. One of our favorites is the Pork Quesadilla offered under Appetizers. Next time we take the boat, this is coming with us (and we’re not sharing!). Ample in portion, this could be a light meal. The grilled flour tortillas have tucked inside a savory, sweet-smoky mix of pulled pork doused with Rivas’ house-made barbecue sauce, sweet peppers, cilantro, and plenty of melted monterey jack. The quesadilla is served with the same luscious tomatillo sauce that accompanies the crabcake.
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Easy Street Restaurant offers six different salads that can be a prelude to your meal or the meal itself when paired with a cup of Clam Chowder. We tried the Southwestern Marinated Shrimp Salad and loved the different textures and flavors. Tossed in with the mixed greens are nicely spiced grilled plump shrimp, crisp green beans, roasted corn kernels, strips of corn tortilla, and a mix of crunchy croutons. Chipotle lime vinaigrette adds the Southwestern spark.
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Come 4 pm, six choices are added to bring the entree selection to eleven. Several entrees are served from 11 am till closing, which will please those who enjoy their mail meal at midday and is a real boon to anyone getting on or off the noon boat! Among these are the Grilled Salmon and the New York Strip Steak. The Salmon is beautifully grilled, cooked medium with a slight char on the edges and the pink flesh moist and flaky. It’s served over made-from-scratch country-style mashed potatoes with a puckery tomato caper sauce that highlights the flavor of the fresh fish and grilled asparagus.
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The stunningly tender New York Strip was possibly the best steak we’ve had this season! And it’s under $20. It arrived cooked exactly to temperature: the fat deliciously crisped and the center medium-rare. We don’t ordinarily put butter on our steak, but after tasting this strip with creamy pools of butter glazing the meat without overpowering it, we might just pick up the habit. This entree, too, was served with mashed potatoes and with tender-crisp green beans.
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There’s no better comfort food than roasted chicken, and Rivas puts out a Herb-Rubbed Rotisserie Chicken that is supremely satisfying. The moist and succulent half bird is presented laid across mashed Yukon Golds that are perfect to catch all the tasty drippings.
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After watching people around us tuck into and praise the New England Lobster Boil, we had to try a lobster at Easy Street Restaurant. But we couldn’t resist the lure of trying one of Rivas’ housemade sauces, so we chose the Lobster Fra Diavolo. (shown) It was love at first bite! The 1-1/4-pound lobster was cooked just right: the meat too sweet to bother with butter. The claw and tails are cracked and snipped for easier access, and the body is piled high with a tangle of fettucine, garlic, and scallops in a resonant tomato brandy cream sauce. The lobster is served surrounded by a fringe of mussels, the orange morsels peeking out of glistening shells.
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Even desserts at Easy Street Restaurant are available to go. We had little room left after our recent feasting, but we did try the Tollhouse Cookie Pie, which is a must-have for anyone fond of warm, fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate chip cookies.
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Though we had several chocoholics in our party, we actually preferred the house-made Wild Blueberry Pie. Minimal sugar (if any!) means the filling taste is pure blueberry. A generous scoop of vanilla bean ice cream does add some sweetness. We recommend a side of Espresso.
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Easy Street Restaurant has begun to add Fall Specials and has a new Under $5 Menu with items perfect for noshing while you watch The Game on their wide screen TV.
