Mahon About Town Nantucket Blog

Jim Hurd was at this year’s Superbowl, and sent me these photos. Although sent to me the day after the event, we only discovered last week that I never received them, so here they are.

What do Nantucket restaurateurs do in the winter? Here’s waht Tracy Root from Cioppino’s does:

Jessica Mehringer passed away at the age of 35 on March 2. A memorial service will be held on Sunday, March 18 at 1 pm at the Unitarian Church. Mary Lancaster has written a fine tribute to Jessica in this week’s Nantucket Independent.

John Shugrue died on March 2 on Nantucket. The service has already been held. See the March 8 issue of the I&M for the obituary, and the March 1 issue of the Independent for a story.

Native Nantucketer Thatcher Spring is in the current issue of Boston Magazine. Thatcher, son of Susie Spring, is a nationally ranked sailor, licensed pilot, and now the founder of the Thatcher Spring line of ties. The fabrics are from Italy, but the ties made in America. The style is decidely preppy, though his newsest collection is African themed. Avaiable on island at Murray’s Toggery Shop, 62 Main Street; also available on Thatcher’s website.

Here are the results of a photo shoot I did for a full page article in the Boston Herald last year.

Barbara Gookin has a video on YouTube about the Off Season:

If no image above, or it won’t play, click here.

All the 2006 Wine Festival Photos are now posted on Mahon About Town. Here are a few samples.

For more, go to MahonAboutTown.com.

The Muse is on the market for $7 million, which includes the business, 3/4 of an acre, a 7 bedroom house, a three bedroom duplex, and the club with a capacity of about 350. If you buy it, you can hire me to turn it into a sophisticated night club for adults.

The new fast boat MV Iyanough commissioning ceremony will begin at Steamboat Wharf, Nantucket, at 11:00am, Saturday, March 24. Following the ceremony will be an open house until 2:00 pm. Everyone is invited.

LoLa had a lobster sushi a few weeks ago. A work of art it was. Here are some of this newsletters newest subscribers, and the lobster.

The New York City Sfoglia has received 2 (out of 4, with 2 defined as “very good”) stars from New York Times food critic Frank Bruni last week, headlined “Rustic With a Dash of Sophistication”. Mr. Bruni had been unimpressed in his first review soon after Ron Suhanosky and Colleen Marnell-Suhanosky opened last summer. As the reviewer wrote: “What was flawed has since been fixed; what was good has remained so or become better.” Here are more quotes - you’ll find the full story here.

“A dish of pasta this fantastic [the fusilli], its sauce of cream and vin santo applied with restraint and leavened cunningly by shredded carrot, convinces a person that whatever path led him to it should be embraced more often.

“Light streams through its big picture windows, burnishing the gigantic bowls of vegetables and fruit that sit on or near its proudly mismatched tables, where places are set with dish towels instead of napkins.

“Since Sfoglia opened a year ago, it has amassed a sizeable following, and for these devotees it’s not just a restaurant. It’s a religion.

“. . . Not a showy bid for greatness but a sensible attempt at goodness by two seemingly earnest restaurateurs who want to make a go of it in Manhattan, where success doesn’t come easy.

“Sfoglia hits a sweet spot between simplicity and sophistication, both in its look and its food.”

And there’s something about Sfoglia’s scale, coupled with the warmth of its cooking, that make you want to call this restaurant your own and return here time and again.

1402 Lexington Avenue (92nd Street); (212) 831-1402, sfogliarestaurant.com.

Bookworks Bestsellers of 2006:

1. Mayflower
2. In the Heart of the Sea
3. Love Season
4. Tender Bar
5. Blue Bistro
6. Memory Keeper’s Daughter
7. Bill Haddon’s Nantucket 1955-1975
8. Nantucket Ghosts
9. Snow Flower & the Secret Fan
10.Walking Nantucket

Note that the only non-Nantucket book to break into the top 5 is The Tender Bar.

Casino Night was held at Faregrounds this past Saturday night. Here are a few photos, with more here.

Overheard: “I sold my condo in Montreal, which allowed me to break into the rental market on Nantucket.” (Elisabeth)

March 19th marks the 4th anniversary of the war in Iraq. There will be a March Against the War on Saturday, March 17, beginning at 11 am at the monument at the top of Main Street.

If you’re still not convinced of the value of and need for a Public Access television station on Nantucket, effectively doing what Channel 18 should be doing, check out the following: first, an 8 minute video produced by Tom McGlinn about the public access station in Cambridge; then take a look at what they’re doing just across the Sound in Barnstable.

WNAN (Cape and Islands Public Radio) is looking for a sound studio with an ISDN connection on Nantucket. I asked Mindy Todd of “The Point” why she had so few Nantucket guests, and the lack of a studio on island is the reason - guests now have to travel to Woods Hole to be on the show. Any studios available on island? Let me know. Meet Mindy and other members of the WNAN team at pub night at the Brotherhood on April 5th, from 5 to 7.

My interview for Michael Kopko’s POV will be on Plum TV Channel 22 at 10:30 am Thursday the 15th.

The Cape & Islands (free 2-day) Wellness Expo will take place on March 24th and 25th from 10 to 6:30, at Willy’s Gym and World Wellness Center, Eastham. Organic recipes, Reiki, acupuncture, Pilates, massage, stress biofeedback, reflexology, ergonomic footwear, nutritional consultations, defibrillator demos, health and skin-care screenings and samples, spinal alignment evaluations, structural evaluations, quantum biofeedback, chair massage, bed massage, blood pressure check-ups and more. Over 80 exhibitors, including leading health professionals on the Cape & Islands. Over 30 educational workshops, classes and demonstrations. Space is limited. Information and registration at www.CapeExpo.com or call 508-896-7117 to reserve your space and receive almost 40% off the workshop price. Presented by Cape Healing Arts Magazine and the Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce.

If you let me know when your business or restaurant will open for the season, I’ll post it here.