A RESTAURANT FOR ALL SEASONS

I think the name of the restaurant, American Seasons, is a little misleading. Because after checking out their menu, I think it's focus is more regional than seasonal. What I mean is, the menu is organized in a bit of an unusual fashion. Under titles like "New England", "Down South", etc. Under each heading are two appetizers and two entrees which reflect the regional cuisine. A little confusing. But at least it's different.

So American Seasons is a little restaurant located in Nantucket. I was on Nantucket with my family on Thursday, since I was doing a talk at the Nantucket Wine Festival. So after a ferry ride where I managed to get myself a little sunburnt and a short bike trip to a lighthouse (where i managed to run into a hedge), we headed to the restaurant on the advice of my publicist (who is a little biased since she also represents the restaurant).

The restaurant is a bit dark, but very cozy with funny murals depicting wine harvests. And other quirky pieces of decor. I think they were trying to evoke the California wine country in some way, cause the entire wine menu was very California-centric (too bad for me since one of the things i learned from a trip to Napa Valley a couple of years is that I do not like California wines). So I ordered my appetizer from the "New England" section. Which was this english pea soup. The little spoon on the left has a lobster salad. I wasn't sure if it was supposed to mix it into the soup, or to eat it separately. So I tried it both ways and learned that I liked it alone. It had very bright flavors. The soup was also very good. The white stuff on top is truffle foam. And I gotta say, I'm not a big fan of flavored foams. It's overdone and I'm waaaayyyy over it.Next I ordered the duck. I don't remember what section it was under. Or what it was served with. (maybe that's a bed of couscous on the bottom?). At any rate, i can say it was prepared very will. Cooked perfectly, it also had some sweetness to it, which I enjoyed a lot.And here's a pic of my sister's porkchop. I show you this mainly for the cute mini skillet of mac and cheese (where they used orzo instead of macaroni).As you can see from the pics. The portions are pretty generous. So I was quite full, and still insisted on getting dessert. So here's a pic of my sister's mixed berry cobbler. I'm not a fan of the berries (except for strawberries, which I love). So i didn't partake in the cobbler. Everyone else seemed to enjoy it, though.Instead, I ordered this layered lemon thingy. Ok, I don't remember the name. I also don't remember most of the layers. Well, there's a layer of lemon poppyseed cake. And a layer of lemon mousse of some sort. And then a layer of something i don't remember but i think it involved ricotta cheese. And it' s all finished with a layer of caramelized sugar. Ok, I'll start off by saying my dessert was not great. None of the layers were sweet enough and the cake itself was quite dry. After picking off the top layer of sugar and eating just that, I pretty much gave up on the whole thing.
All in all, the duck was my favorite part of dinner. The service was really pleasant (I guess it didn't hurt that I'd also met the owner before) and maybe people on Nantucket are just nicer than us here in Boston. Would I go back? Well, I think I'd want to explore some of there other restaurants on Nantucket first, it is well known for being a foodie's haven, but certainly, I suggst that you give it a shot if you're ever on the island.