Swept Away By Dune
Written By Jeannette Garneau and Evan Williams
Photography by Terry Pommett
The ocean, beaches, dunes and sand. These are the natural elements evoked by the cool and modern interior of Michael Getter’s new Dune restaurant, which made its debut this year on Broad Street on Nantucket.
Of course, it’s no mistake that those are leading attractions for Nantucket visitors, and the reason that so many keep coming back and some decide to make the island their home. Getter counts himself among the latter. He began his restaurant career at 21 Federal on Nantucket and eventually moved over to American Seasons. Dune is his latest venture after stints in innkeeping, real estate and as a private chef.
“The location is great, and I really thought that the building had great bones,” averred Getter about why he decided to start a new restaurant here and now. “I thought of the color palate and décor concept before I thought of the name.”
Making the visual concept materialize fell to interior designer Anne Becker, who oversaw an extensive redo of the restaurant interior, home to Cioppinos until last year. Becker and Getter opened up site lines on the main floor by removing a wall around the fireplace, which was then washed with white paint. Walls were covered to the ceiling in grasscloth. Modernist chandeliers and wall scones suggest the shapes of driftwood, shells and other sea creatures. Tables and chairs are natural wood colors. The main bar is topped with an exotic, variegated quartzite surface in the colors of sand and earth.
The overall mood is sophisticated casual: airy, light and soothing on the eyes.We found it refreshingly simple and elegant, with the menu eliciting similar feelings.
Like the restaurant’s interior, Getter strives for a healthy, eco-friendly balance in the menu, which he describes as “Contemporary America cuisine in an eco-modern, casual atmosphere.” Using ingredients found nearby when possible, Dune’s menu offers plenty of straightforward preparations of seafood, poultry, beef and pork.
Pork selections include a classic, simply prepared Berkshire chop and crispy cheek on a bed of creamy marscapone grits, which many diners are raving about. A sirloin is Painted Hills Natural Beef, which touts its products as raised humanely without antibiotics. Here the steak takes center stage on the plate with crispy fingerling potatoes, blue cheese and baby greens—a basic, unfussy combination. Nantucket fluke, striped bass and halibut get similar respect with accompaniments of salads, corn, fingerlings or gazpacho.
A ratatouille and saffron aioli complement a roasted chicken breast. The wine program is designed for similar easy selection divided by types of wine rather than specific varietals. Getter believes that’s a better presentation and allows customers to order their wines according to their preference: light and crisp or rich and warm.
Recent guests on the night pictured here included local tradesmen and women who worked with Becker and Getter in outfitting the eatery. The dinner served as a thank you for their help and as their introduction to the restaurant.With plans to stay open year-round, Getter hopes Dune will be thought of by customers as a regular dinning destination rather than just a special occasion place.
