Chef Robert Sisca Debuts Garde East on Martha’s Vineyard
Chef Robert Sisca at Garde East. / Photo by Nick Viau Photography
Vineyard Haven has a new dining destination this summer, courtesy of a recent ex-patriate of the Boston dining scene. Robert Sisca, opening executive chef and former partner at Bistro du Midi, opens Garde East tomorrow, Thursday, June 16.
The new concept is the fourth for Rhode Island-based G Hospitality. Sisca joined G Hospitality as executive chef earlier this year to oversee kitchen operations at three Providence concepts, and guide the “culinary vision” of the burgeoning restaurant group. Garde East “is the first of many upcoming new concepts to debut throughout New England in 2016 and 2017,” he says, and there are three other brands currently in development.
Sisca has long wanted to open a restaurant on Martha’s Vineyard, he says. A Johnson & Wales alum, he started his career at Gracie’s in Providence, and helped Le Bernadin earn its Michelin stars before his Boston stint. Sisca built his reputation—and earned national attention—for his understated treatment of local seafood, produce, and other ingredients, and he calls the island’s agriculture “remarkable.”
The often-changing menu at Garde East will reflect the restaurant’s location, with raw bar items like Chappaquiddick oysters with yellow melon granita and bloody Mary “caviar,” and dishes like a Waldorf salad-inspired house lobster roll. Grey Barn Farm bluebird (a briny blue cheese) is featured on the arugula salad, and the farm’s bone marrow accompanies a Brandt beef ribeye. There’s a seasonal, whole roasted chicken from Good One Farm, and Crescent Farm duck breast with rhubarb and polenta. Check out the full opening menu below.
“It is a true gift to have the ability to utilize their ingredients for the menu at Garde East,” Sisca says.
G Hospitality’s beverage manager and certified sommelier Erica Doudna curated the local beer menu and the predominantly French and domestic wine list, including a selection of vintage Burgundy whites. The waterfront restaurant also has a broad range of white wines and roses by the glass. Cocktails use Doudna’s wine selections, as well as house-made tinctures and infusions, like in the Cherry Wine-aide, with rosé, Cappelleti vino aperitivo, local cherry syrup, and lime juice.
Garde East overlooks the Martha’s Vineyard Marina, in what used to be the Blue Canoe Grill. It opens nightly at 5 p.m., and will serve Saturday and Sunday brunch from 10 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
Garde East, 52 Beach Rd., Vineyard Haven, 508-687-9926, gardeeast.com.
