44

45

on a little corner near

the end of Straight Wharf, it’s the kind of place

that just feels like Nantucket.

Tucked away

by Andrew Spencer

Photography by Zofia & Co.

46

in-cru-dibly delicious

47

t’s the sort of place where you halfway expect to see an old sea captain– complete with a peg leg and an eye patch – to come hobbling alongafter a lengthy whaling voyage. Sitting at the bar and watching the

boats idle their way in and out of the harbor, you just know that this is how it’s meantto be done on Nantucket.

Jane Stoddard understands that legacy. “It’s a visually stunning location,” Jane saidof the space, “and I’m very cognizant of the space’s history.”

That little bit of restaurateur wisdom is music to the ears of Nantucket diners whoenjoy the waterfront dining experience that is so quintessentially Nantucket, as Janeis one of three partners who will open Cru in the location of the old Ropewalk restaurant.

“We envision it as being a casually elegant waterside restaurant,” Jane told me.And that description, to my jaded ears, was the equivalent of saying that it’s “moreof the same sort of restaurant we’ve come to know on Nantucket.” I asked her whatit was about Cru that would differentiate it from the mass of already establishedNantucket restaurants, and she was quick to highlight those points.

“We’re not trying to add something that’s already a part of the restaurant scene,”she explained. She and her partners looked around the local dining options andfelt that what was really missing was a place with a true focus on New Englandseafood. “We’re doing a fresh take on New England seafood classics,” she said.“We’re redefining New England cuisine.”

I

48

Given the new name of the place, you might be inclined to think that wine will be the focal point ofthe restaurant. While the restaurant will certainly have an excellent wine list, the name is more of areference to another meaning of the word that so many of us associate with wine. “Cru is the Frenchword for ‘raw’,” Jane explained, “and we’re planning to have an extensive raw bar.” By “extensive,”she means a dozen different varieties of oysters, in addition to other varieties of fruits de mer (allserved cru, bien sûr).

Reverting for a moment back to the world of the oenophiles, “cru” is also often used to refer to anelite classification of French wines that have been granted the status of “First Growth” (Premier Cru).The principals of Cru are all embarking together on their first foray into restaurant ownership, so theidea of a “first growth” was yet another appropriate incorporation of the French word.

Though it’s their first ownership experience, you’d be hard-pressed to find a group of restaurateursmore likely to succeed. Jane partnered with Erin Zircher and Carlos Hidalgo to form the managementteam of Cru, and all three have exceptional restaurant pedigrees. Most recently, all three have servedunder the tutelage of Nantucket restaurant legends Seth and Angela Raynor. “We all learned so muchworking for Seth and Angela, and they have been very supportive of what we’re doing,” Jane said.

Erin Zircher, a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute, will serve as Executive Chef at Cru.Most recently, she was the Chef de Cuisine at the Boarding House for seven years, where she developed many Mediterranean-inspired menus and much beloved dishes that delighted diners. Carlos Hidalgo will handle the financial end of things for Cru, a job he takes on after having served as themanager for both the Boarding House and the Pearl. He is also the mastermind behind both of thoserestaurants’ esteemed wine lists, and he will be in charge of developing the catalog of wines at Cru.Jane Stoddard rounds out the Cru team, bringing with her many years of restaurant experience,

49

including several years as general manager for the Pearl, theBoarding House and Corazon del Mar.

With that much talent running the show, it’s hard to see anything but rabid success on the horizon for Cru, but all thatexperience also means that the team has plenty of patience.“We’re focused right now on making sure we get it right,” Janesaid of the labor-intensive process of getting the restaurantopen. “We want to be open by mid-May, but we also want itto be right,” and that means taking that “essence of Nantucket”that is so intrinsic to the space itself and combining it with theCru personality. As Jane said, “We’re putting our own spin onthe place. We’re making it our own.”

With planned lunch and dinner menus daily – plus a weekendbrunch menu – coupled with the expansive raw bar, Cru promises something for every conceivable dining preference.Prices are, according to Jane, in line with many of Nantucket’scasually elegant dining locales. The buzz is already going forthis new epicurean destination, as Zagat Boston listed themuch-anticipated inaugural meal at Cru as one of 2012’s “11 Hottest Openings.”

Finally, just in case you’re wondering, there’s one more component to the name that bears mentioning, given that thisplace is, again, just so Nantucket-ish. “We liked that the namesounded like the crew of a ship, given that we’re waterfront,”Jane said with a laugh. So with that, I suggest you get yourown crew together and head down to Cru for what promisesto be an exciting new addition to the Nantucket restaurantscene.

It promises to be pretty in-cru-dible.

Carlos Hidalgo Erin Zircher Jane Stoddard