Island Hopping
A Vineyard star is (re)born.
- Photo by Sarah Hughes.
Embedded in a landscaped path is a simple brass compass pointing to the entrance of the new L’étoile on Martha’s Vineyard. Inside is veteran island chef Michael Brisson’s relocated restaurant—and proof that all he needed was a new direction.
L’étoile’s former home in the intolerably stuffy Charlotte Inn stifled Brisson’s cuisine with its forced formality and spotty, snobby service. Just a block away, the new incarnation is a study in relaxed elegance with white linens, terra cotta leather chairs, and a giant copper star suspended above a working fireplace.
Prices remain astronomical—some entrées approach $50—but the French-inspired food is decadent and the waitstaff superb. Standouts include a chili-and-corn spiced lobster and sea scallops paired with a flaky Vidalia-Parmesan galette. If you’re unwilling to shell out $49 for the Dover sole, the bar offers a funky ambiance and more affordable fare including a stunning version of the standard beet and goat cheese salad, Sweet Neck Farm oysters, and sesame soft-shell crab. A change of scene, after all, is always refreshing.
>> 22 N. Water St., Edgartown, 508-627-5187, letoile.net.
L’étoile’s former home in the intolerably stuffy Charlotte Inn stifled Brisson’s cuisine with its forced formality and spotty, snobby service. Just a block away, the new incarnation is a study in relaxed elegance with white linens, terra cotta leather chairs, and a giant copper star suspended above a working fireplace.
Prices remain astronomical—some entrées approach $50—but the French-inspired food is decadent and the waitstaff superb. Standouts include a chili-and-corn spiced lobster and sea scallops paired with a flaky Vidalia-Parmesan galette. If you’re unwilling to shell out $49 for the Dover sole, the bar offers a funky ambiance and more affordable fare including a stunning version of the standard beet and goat cheese salad, Sweet Neck Farm oysters, and sesame soft-shell crab. A change of scene, after all, is always refreshing.
>> 22 N. Water St., Edgartown, 508-627-5187, letoile.net.
Originally published in Boston magazine, August 2006
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