Luxe Beat Magazine AUGUST 2014 | Page 14

enough of a haze to see everything
clearly, but with enough shadow to
make the room feel warm and cozy,
and on the verge of sexy. There was
a feeling of The Great Catsby in
the air.

Fluke Meunière,
cauliflower two
ways, lemon caper
sauce, arugula
BELOW-RIGHT
The Summer House
Restaurant Caesar
Salad

Danielle deBenedictis
and Jay

Just as I turned back to join my
group, a woman pointed to me and
said with assertive enthusiasm,
“You’re Sherrie!” and I of course I
couldn’t deny it. It was Mary Rogan,
a frequent guest and friend of
Danielle’s who was mistaken for me
at the bar before my arrival. She
extended her hand and properly
introduced herself. She was on
holiday with her son Billy Rogan, a
guitarist and composer. As the
maître d’ was leading them off to
their table, she invited me to attend
Billy’s live performance the following
evening in the bar area. He was going
to be playing with the pianist and
she told me I would not be
disappointed. I told her I would be
there, and off they went.

Brian playing jazz
for The Summer
House Restaurant
guests

After my lovely chat with Jay, and
meeting the Rogans, our group was

escorted to Danielle’s favorite table
and seated for dinner. The
atmosphere continued to blossom as
the evening went on. Each menu
selection was delightful. Rumor had
it that the fluke was a must-try, so I
went for it. It was delicious! This
summer flounder dish is a popular
favorite amongst locals and guests.
Throughout the meal, the
conversation remained lively. Sitting
to my right was Candice McDonough,
Vice President, Publicity and
Corporate Communications at New
Line Cinema. Across from me sat
Mary Beth McDade, reporter for
KTLA Channel 5 News in Los Angeles,
and she was charming. Both woman
make their way back to Nantucket’s
The Summer House several times a
year. These Boston College grads
cannot get enough of it. They were
staying at the sister property, India
Street Inn. They reminisced about
previous visits and were already
planning their return trips.
The evening went by so quickly that,
after coffee and dessert, we realized
we were the just about the last
people in the restaurant. Other
guests had moved on to the bar, still

14

PHOTOS © SHERRIE WILKOLASKI

I was greeted with a friendly hello as
I met up with my Nantucket friends
and I ordered a glass of wine. There
was an older gentleman named Jay
talking with our group and we were
introduced. He was in his upscale
beach dinner attire and his silverwhite hair glistened in the
candlelight. As he talked about his
love of The Summer House, I
imagined him in Nantucket reds,
standing on the sidelines, cheering
on the team with a big “SH”
monogrammed on his cream summer
sweater. So much passion-- he was
filled with one story after another
about time he has spent over
decades at The Summer House. Not
so much about Nantucket but of this
place, from courting his late wife
with vacations to win her over, to
his daughter getting married on the
beach and partying all night at the
Beachside Bistro-- so many
memories. He is such a huge fan of
The Summer House he commissioned
a painting of The Summer House
Cottages to hang in his home in
Florida. Then, his table was ready
and he was gone.