The Meat of the Matter
Billie’s brings the classic steakhouse back to Nantucket
Written by Jen Laskey
Photography by Kit Noble
Take your pick. A 42-ounce porterhouse steak, 18-ounce bone-in cowboy ribeye or a 10-ounce Wagyu New York strip with a side of sauteed mushrooms, creamed corn or a jumbo baked potato. Launching a new steakhouse on Nantucket is a bold move, and the price for meals may hit a new highwater on Nantucket. But after the success of a summer steakhouse pop-up at the White Elephant in 2023, the owners of Billie’s now believe Nantucket is ready to once again sink its teeth into a premium steakhouse.
“Nantucket is an island of extremes,” said Anna Worgess-Smith, one of three partners on Billie’s, an old-school steakhouse with a Miami flair taking over the former Dune restaurant on Broad Street. “Either you go super fine-dining or really casual. We’re hoping to offer fine-dining cuisine, in terms of steaks and martinis, specifically, but with a comfortable family-style vibe.”
To launch Billie’s, Worgess-Smith, the restaurant’s general manager, teamed up with longtime friend Lee Lyon, a Miami restaurateur and Nantucket summer resident, and Steve Rhee, the former chef of Lyon’s Miami-based Greek restaurant, Kiki on the River. Lyon said he remembers being a little kid and running around Cioppino’s (the restaurant that preceded Dune) in the hours before it opened for service. They’ve named the new restaurant after Lyon’s oldest daughter.
Rhee draws flavor inspiration from Latin American, Mediterranean and Asian cuisine. He works with an array of spices and herbs—Aleppo pepper and smoked paprika being two of his favorites. He’s also a big fan of the Ethiopian spice blend called berbere, which makes an excellent dry rub for meat. “My job is to bring out more of what nature has already perfected,” he said. “It’s about accentuating, but you have to start with beautiful ingredients—your meats, seafood, produce, even your olive oil, salt and pepper.”
The menu at Billie’s also offers a bounty of classic “surf” and “turf.” Steakhouse surf staples like shrimp cocktail, oysters Rockefeller and a seafood tower stacked with local oysters, king crab and lobster are on the menu. But obviously, Billie’s is “steaking” its claim, and USDA prime beef is the star of the show.
“We’re bringing big flavors and big portions,” Rhee said. “One of our signature dishes is a 40-plus-ounceporterhouse that’s large enough fortwo to share—it’s topped off with a two-pound lobster and a red wine demi-glace and scampi sauce.”
If you are a martini lover, whether you like them wet, dry, dirty, stirred, shaken or jacked up with espresso, Billie’s might be your happy place. “It’s a pretty martini-heavy bar with classics and variations like Vespers and French 75s,” said Worgess-Smith, who manages the beverage program with her husband, Mark Smith. “We’re going to highlight draft cocktails as well.” Billie’s espresso martini is made to order, though the bar team is also canning cocktails in-house.
With its Miami influence, the look and feel of Billie’s is a radical departure from its predecessor, Dune. The plan was to go for a traditional steakhouse ambience, while also honoring Nantucket’s history, said Worgess-Smith. “It was really important to all of us that it felt sort of Old World and timeless, so we incorporated a Victorian style that’s reminiscent of some of the older, more stately houses on Main Street,” she said.“ We’re also using vintage maps in our menu designs and posters in cool ways.” Just like any traditional, high-end steakhouse, it was a must to give the space a comfortable atmosphere that’s warm and inviting. “They’re places for celebrating,” Rhee said.
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