Gabrielle and Brandt Gould’s exciting, new restaurant Atlas BBQ & Fish House takes diners around the world while keeping the scene delightfully local.
When Gabrielle Gould made her final curtain call as the Executive Director of the Theatre Workshop last year, little did she know that her next role would be equally crowd pleasing. This past month, Gabrielle and her husband Brandt opened Atlas BBQ & Fish House in the former space of Pazzo on Pleasant Street, rekindling their love of the restaurant industry that started back in the nineties when they opened Cambridge Street Victuals, which is today Nautilus. Now Gabrielle and Brandt are imbuing the same creative spirit and unbridled passion for food and hospitality into Atlas.
“We want people to feel at home here, like they are our guests [in our own house],” said Gabrielle. “Atlas is going to be approachable, dynamic, and a place you’re going to want to come back to more than one night a week.” Doing the work themselves, the Goulds have totally overhauled the former Pazzo space and imparted their own touches. The main dining room is highlighted by a centrally located bar, which is surrounded by high-tops, custom banquettes, and unique décor in each corner of the room. The restaurant could have allowed the couple to take a turnkey approach, but they wanted the space to reflect their personalities and creative direction, while also allowing it to be flexible for various kinds of entertaining. One night you could come into Atlas for a romantic dinner for two, the next the whole family, and then wrap up the weekend with a girls’ night
out at the bar.
This all-things-to-all-people approach also extends to Brandt’s menu, which will feature influences and flavors from around world. “The barbecue and fish house is the foundation,” said Brandt. “We are going to serve the food we are passionate about and those passions change with time and experience.” Describing his menu as a “Cambridge Street all grown up,” homemade sauces and smoked meats will anchor Brandt’s cuisine, along with appetizers like grilled local asparagus with poached duck egg and Hawaiian sweet glazed baby back ribs. Entrées will include whole grilled red snapper (for two) with a coconut and lemongrass broth, and a pan-seared veal chop with a Shiraz grape reduction and porcinis. The dessert menu will offer a local goat milk flan with Eat Fire Spring apiary honey and caramel individual pavlova with strawberry, rhubarb and mint.
At the bar, Gabrielle has worked hard to create a small, but refined wine list that is within a reasonable price range for most any diner. “There are wines on this list that we’re willing to take a bit of a hit on because we want them to stay affordable, but they are so good that we had to have them,” she explained. Gabrielle has also added a substantial craft beer selection and spirits that have not yet been seen on local drink lists.
The couple will be sourcing their produce and fish locally as much as possible and said that community and the relationships they’ve made on Nantucket over the years are paramount to the direction of Atlas.
“The community is really important to us,” said Gabrielle. “We are raising our kids here and we are here to serve ‘our people’ who come from every walk of life on this amazing little island.”
