NANTUCKET DAY 2 AND BACK IN BOSTON

We awoke in Nantucket to driving rain and high winds. We were in full Nor'easter mode, here, with the rain coming in at a 45 degree angle. We packed up and decided to head for breakfast and then to the ferry. While struggling to get to breakfast ( a mere 5 blocks away) we got completely drenched. So it was a real pleasure to enter the Fog Island Cafe, where we were immediately welcome and shown to our seats so we could take off our wet layers.

We were served coffee and given the menus. It was clear that the places was full of locals. The summer season hasn't started yet on Nantucket, and attendees of the Nantucket Wine Festival hadn't really shown up quite yet, so being surrounded by locals was quite nice. While perusing the menu, I was going through the typical dilemma of salt or sweet? Omelette or scramble? Initially I was going to order the Nantucket Fishcakes, Benedict-style, but I thought it'd be too rich. Tom ordered them instead. I think he enjoyed them a lot. They were packed with fresh seafood and crab, which I kept picking out and eating.

Meanwhile, I had a special scramble for breakfast. It featured a lot of stuff I can't recall right now, but I was won over by the mention of artichokes. It was quite tasty and the homefries were pretty good (though they couldn't compare to the ones we'd had the previous day). We didn't welcome the idea of going back out into the rain, but ran for the ferry terminal. Then it was a rocky 2 hour trip back to the mainland. I was thrilled when we finally docked and I was once again on firm ground. After that, it was a drive back up to Boston, and when we finally reached the warmth of our apartment, it was nearly 5. I was able to shower and get dry and then it was off to dinner with a group of friends at Tasca.

When we left for Nantucket, dinner at Tasca had been a group of 5. That's a pretty good number to go with, because Tasca is a tapas restaurant, so everyone can share and try lots of dishes. However, at some point the number had ballooned to 10 people. Huong had made a reservation for 8, and Tasca takes reservations up to 6:30, but the servers were quite helpful in accomadating our large number. Unfortunately, Tasca won't seat you until your entire party arrives, so around 7, we finally got to sit down. Tom and I were starving and exhausted after our long trip from Nantucket, and were eager to eat. Since there were 10 people at dinner, chaos reigned. There was no way that we could all order together, so basically people got to order whatever they wanted. Tom and I each picked 3 tapas and we tried a number of others since we all ended up sharing. Here's a pic of one half of the table:Here's a plate of roasted duck leg served over red cabbage and apples. I hadn't ordered it, but did get to try it. The duck was tender, falling off the bone, but it was also dry. It was an ok dish and it was one of the ones that went unfinished. I ordered the patatas bravas:Leek Tart:and gambas al ajillo:
My favorite was the leek tart. The pastry was crispy and the filling flavorful and soft. The gambas were also pretty good, but the waitress took it away before I could finish dipping bread into the garlic infused olive oil.

Toro is still my favorite tapas place in the city, but I think Tasca is pretty good, too. The good thing is that it is certainly less expensive than Toro, with each tapa coming in around $4-$8/plate. If you do end up going here, I highly suggest going with a smaller group, but I think you'll have an enjoyable experience either way.