Gloucester MA & Cape Ann Dining

[Daniel]

Another neat trip. 

We'll agree to disagree on Woodman's.  I agree to disagree with most everyone when it comes to Woodman's.  I really like the place.  Twice I have high-jacked friends for a one day round trip from Philadelphia to Woodman's.  I've never had small clams there.  Perhaps this explains it.

I was hoping you'd find my breakfast place in Gloucester (too late to recommend it to you), but I don't know the name.  Just that it's on the street that runs along the harbor, most of the way through town across from a processing plant.  Great breakfast including Portuguese linguica sausage.  Excellent pancakes too.

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Thanks Holy.. Do you know anything about hte Roast Beef Sandwich shops up there?

[kechefs]

When we moved from Mass to New Hampshire one of the things that we did miss was the roast beef. We like either Billy and Bobs or Kellys. I have mine with lett, onion, and you must have the sauce which differs slightly from place to place. The roll is usually buttered and flat grilled.The beef is cooked daily rare and sliced to order.

[Holly Moore]

Do you know anything about hte Roast Beef Sandwich shops up there?

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Only Kelly's on Revere Beach. Great sandwich. Will have to try Chick's. That's a great looking roast beef sandwich.

[Holly Moore]

I think we may have eaten at "your" breakfast place. Is it sort of on the curve in the road..from Gloucester proper to Rocky Neck...on the left? good spot.

If you drive a little further, there's a good bbq spot..guy with a smoker in a parking lot..pulled pork, chicken and ribs..few sides. The guy has been in a few spots on Cape Ann and puts out the real thing..sketchy hours..never open in the rain.

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Yup that's the breakfast place I like. Anyone know the name?

Sketchy hours at a bbq place. Go figure.

[9lives]

Made it over to Santarpios this week. Every bit as good as I remember..and your pics looked..need to move it into the "regular" rotation.

Went over my old posts and unfortunately, I didn't make a note of name of the breakfast place...but I'll track it and post it after my next Gloucester trip.

Edited October 14, 2005 by 9lives (log)

[Daniel]

Made it over to Santarpios this week. Every bit as good as I remember..and your pics looked..need to move it into the "regular" rotation.

Went over my old posts and unfortunately, I didn't make a note of name of the breakfast place...but I'll track it and post it after my next Gloucester trip.

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Hey thats great.. So you must live real close by then. Have you been in any of the Latin Grocery shops of restaurants in that area.. There is one directly outside of Santarpios that had great mexican candy and the COOLEST LOOKING sausage from Columbia.. If you go back you have to stop in to this place and check out the sausage..

[9lives]

I'm in downtown..so just 1 stop on the blue line to Maverick. We did look in that grocery store next to Santarpios; but didn't have a lot of time to stroll thi time.

A few years ago, a group of us took an exploratory run through East Boston..pupusas at Tacqeria Cancun, seafood soup at a Columbian place (can't recall name), a few tacqerias, ceviche at Rincon Limeno..Peruvian..and lots of the bakeries and grocery stores...rotisserie chicken from Cancun Rosticceria takeout for dinner. I may be forgetting 1 or 2 places but it was a great time.

[ahr]

Yup that's the breakfast place I like.  Anyone know the name?

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Lee's?

[helenas]

Went there yesterday: of course nothing really to see at Gloucester as it's closed for the season but had a deligtful stroll through Rockport's main street - the weather was beautiful and many stores and restaurants were opened.

We decided to have a dinner at Lostaland, with a slight trepidation after finding contradictority reports on CH: but our meal was really good - all the seafood was so fresh although i wish steamers were less gritty.

we had grilled swordfish and beer battered deep fried scrod - pristine and perfectly cooked fish, scrod was especially flavorful in a crunchy but not at all overpowering crust.

Out mains were accompanied by nice french fries and cole slaw.

[bigwino]

Daniel,

I remember you were interested in the whole North Shore roast beef sandwich phenomenon. Well, The Boston Globe has come to your aid. They recently had a story in their meager Food section about it. Included are recs for places to try.

Enjoy!

Bull Market

[Daniel]

Nice.. Cant wait to give it a read.. Hopefully it will get me inspired to do another road trip.. I have been sick for the last 13 weeks!! This is the longest I stayed in one place for as long as I can remember..

[tautog]

The Causeway accross from the Yankee Fleet is a good local place. Great mussels and huge, decent fried seafood plates.

[ahr]

Yup that's the breakfast place I like.  Anyone know the name?

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Lee's?

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Holly? 9lives? Anyone?

[theclash]

Yup that's the breakfast place I like.  Anyone know the name?

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Lee's?

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Holly? 9lives? Anyone?

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yeah, i think it is lee's. i'll try to take a ride up there this week to confirm

[Snowy is dead]

I didn't read the clam article, but I know that Woodman's often has a sign near the register that lets people know how big the bellies are.

The roast beef thing has always stumped me. Love the stuff, but it's very, very local. You can drive 20 minutes from the north shore of Boston and no one knows what you are talking about. They'll give you directions to Arby's if you're not careful.

Be sure to try Duckworth's Bistrot next time. Killer food, excellent wine list, and just around the corner from Rocky Neck, the artist colony with lots of bars. Provided it's summer still. Not too mention the aesthetic of a New England fishing town. Gentrified in that area, but not totally.

[9lives]

Yup that's the breakfast place I like.  Anyone know the name?

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Lee's?

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Holly? 9lives? Anyone?

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yeah, i think it is lee's. i'll try to take a ride up there this week to confirm

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I was in Gloucester last week...It's Lee's.

[ahr]

I was in Gloucester last week...It's Lee's.

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Thanks.

[FoodMuse]

OK, so I wrote this quickly after seeing the topic heading and later read through to see you’ve already been and returned from your trip. Figured I’d post it anyway for your next visit.

You are going to have such a great trip. The Gloucester area is beautiful, especially this time of year. I am so jealous. I grew up in the area and it is still my favorite part of the country.

I have stayed at the Yankee Clipper Inn and really enjoyed my stay there, but I do prefer the Emerson Inn (also in the Rockport area). The beds and bedding at Yankee Clipper are find, but Emerson’s are a little more posh. I recommend the Emerson’s King Picture Window Suite $359/night. Worth every penny! There’s a hot tub in the room and you wake up to an insane ocean view. Sitting up in bed there is a large window right across from you and all you see is ocean and sky. I am saving my pennies to go back. They also have a very, very good restaurant located in the inn.

Bearskin Neck in Rockport is a must see. Walk all the way out to the end for great ocean views and a restaurant on the left side of that little road. I’ve never tried it, but keep meaning to.

The bar made famous by The Perfect Storm is NOT at all worth looking at all. It’s just a regular working class bar for the locals who are annoyed by having tourists walk in, say “Huh, this is the place?” and walk back out. The movie is awful, but the book is a great and gripping quick read.

For a great afternoon in the nearby Ipswitch and Essex area have lunch at Woodman’s (get fried clams and fried scallops) and then visit Wolf Hollow. This is a private residence run by a family that has an actual wolf pack in their backyard. You have to see it to believe it. These are not tame wolves. They are very well fenced in, but very large and slightly terrifying, especially if, as on my last visit, a visitor brings a small 2-3 year old who toddled back and forth in front of the chain link fence. The wolves started behaving in a very carnivorous manner. Then they started jumping up at the 12-15 ft? fence and trying to get out. They were leaping at least 7 feet in the air. Check their website for hours and tour times. I used to bring dates here when I was in High School.

The Great House at Castle Hill is one of my favorite places to go in the area. It’s the mansion where many parts of the film “The Witches of Eastwick” was shot and has some beautiful grounds to walk. Make sure you get a tour of the mansion itself, it’s worth it. The drive to the grounds are really picturesque.

I would also drive down to Salem since it’s almost time for Halloween to see the House of Seven Gables and just walk around that beautiful town and see all the silly witch business that they play up for tourists. The coast line and architecture is amazing there.