Steak Night On Nantucket

It was the winter of 1984 when a simple question sparked a nationwide meat-craving frenzy. Thirty-one years ago last month, fast food chain Wendy’s debuted their now-iconic “Where’s the Beef?” commercial starring Clara Peller as an old lady demanding more meat from her fast-food hamburger. While Wendy’s ultimate intention was for the ad to boost revenue (which it did by a whopping 31 percent), they could not have anticipated they would birth an ’80’s catchphrase that would continue to be tossed around three decades later.

On an island like Nantucket, famous for its Nantucket Bay Scallops and multiple fresh fish markets, where delicacies like Maine lobster and little neck clams are as common as a bag of potatoes, beef is not always in vogue. But, every now and then, those of us carnivores still get a craving for a big juicy steak and peruse the local restaurant guide to determine “where’s the beef?”

This winter there are several island eateries catering to local beef lovers. Island Kitchen features a popular Friday night Prime Rib special. Crosswinds at the airport offers a Tuesday night “Steakhouse Sizzle” with a choice of Prime Rib or steak for just $12.95. My husband and I look forward to our Saturday date night spent sidled up to the bar at the Miacomet Golf Club restaurant with a few dozen local friends and neighbors enjoying their “Steak Night” special – a choice of prime rib, Delmonico or New York Strip with all the fixins’. Their generous cuts of meat leave no room for questioning where the beef is. The warm atmosphere, along with the gracious hospitality extended by Food and Beverage Director Kate O’Connor and her staff, ensure all of us have a delightful experience, a delicious meal and something to look forward to each week.

With so many high end eateries per capita, Nantucket restaurants offer multiple opportunities for good quality food of all kind and steak is no exception. Fifty-Six Union and Le Languedoc serve up a mean Steak Frites. Ventuno and Oran Mor offer their own unique steak dishes and The Pearl has become famous for their show stopping Japenese Prime Porterhouse for Two. Our “in-season” options are almost endless. But there’s something about joining a restaurant full of Nantucket locals on a cold winter night in the off-season to share the beloved “steak night” that brings a little sunshine to the grey lady.

If your travel plans include Nantucket this winter or if you’re lucky enough to call the island home, take advantage of one of the many restaurant specials. Check out the Steakhouse Sizzle at Crosswinds on Tuesday, enjoy a juicy slab of prime rib on Friday at Island Kitchen, then stop by Miacomet Golf Course for steak night on Saturday where you can be assured no one will be heard uttering “where’s the beef?”

Rare AND Well Done.

Shellie Dunlap