I'd be interested in recommendations as well. Duckworth's is closed and I think I remember that the Franklin is too.

Better said than I, thank you!

Grotto! Fixed price menu, great food, nice atmosphere.

Yes, that's it! Thank you very much. I googled and called, seems that you're right, they are closed. Farmer Brown's is good, just liked the soups at Loaf in A Round a bit more.

Happy Holidays all! Hoping someone can help me remember the name of a great soup place....

Several years ago I worked in Danvers and during the winter we would go to a fabulous little soup place about once every two weeks. It was on Rte 1 or Rte 114, about five minutes from our office. It was in a tiny shopping plaza. Mostly take-out, maybe 3 or 4 tables to dine in. There were always several kinds of soup and it came with a hunk of bread. They also offered pies around the holidays.

does anyone know the place? the name?

We're looking for more after-work , take-out dinner options....

Many thanks!

I'm going to reply assuming that this is a serious post and not a joke....I'd be SO happy if there were a low-fat, veg option in Gloucester!

In Downtown Gloucester Passports has some decent veg options, but I don't believe any would qualify as low-fat. Sugar Mag's serves lunch until 2 and they have a veg quesadilla and sandwich on the menu. There's also the Pleasant St Tea Co and they have sandwiches and salads, some are good veg options. Very casusal, order-at-counter place.

In Annisquam there is the Willow Rest a fabulous grocery/takeout place that has two very good veg sandwiches on the menu, cold drinks, snacks and great produce. Couple tables on-site too.

I'd say that if you're committed to low-fat, veg you're probably going to have to head to Beverly or Salem. I'd be pleased if someone has better suggestions. Happy Hikinh!

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Willow Rest
1 Holly St, Gloucester, MA 01930

All in Gloucester - Steve Connolly's has great fresh fish, cash only. We've heard consistently good things about Turner's seafood market too. The Willow Rest has wonderful produce, fresh bread/baked goods, nice snacks (cheese, crackers, olives, etc.) and is a great place to check out if you're cooking in.

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Willow Rest
1 Holly St, Gloucester, MA 01930

We really liked Colby's Breakfast & Lunch....stopped on our way to Portland last Sept. Small place, so it looked like a good idea to get there early.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/colbys-breakf...

The Exhange at Wenham Tea House looks like a nice option. On my "to try" list.

http://www.wenhamteahouse.com/index.htm

We enjoyed a fabulous, alas expensive, dinner at Phusion. Never had better lobster bisque. Cute place. Coffee Obsession had great coffee and was a nice place to read the Sunday paper. The fresh squeezed grapefruit juice greyhounds at the Landfall were a treat, but pass on the food. Pie In The Sky has wonderful baked goods and their sandwiches looked great. It did feel like a bit of a culinary wasteland, but it's a nice place to visit and I think you can make do.

We went twice last weekend. The first time we got a muffin (very good and not too big), two sandwiches (very good bread and veggies, forgot cheese on one sandwich), a cookie and a blondie. Everything was great, fresh, good portions. On our second visit we got orzo salad, ipswich butcher chicken breasts, jalapeno cheddar biscuits and Lark Fine Foods olive crackers (so excited to see those again!). The chicken was fabulous, as was the orzo salad. The biscuits were yummy, although we didn't taste any cheddar. The produce, local and Russo's, looked amazing, as did the fresh baked breads and pies. Nice cheese selection and looking forward to trying the focaccias. To me it was a nice cross between Ned's and Marshall Farm stand. The owner seems very nice and we're hoping they do well and stay around a long time.

Very sad if Ned's is indeed gone. We enjoyed many wines, beer, cheese and other goodies! Ned was also very knowledgable and helpful at the cheese counter.
Here is some info on the new place in the Willow Rest spot, to open late June?
http://goodmorninggloucester.wordpres...
What we would miss if Ned's is gone and would like to see carried at another local store: the Lark Fine Foods rosemary shortbread/scourtins/choco chile cookies (made locally), those fabulous frozen stuffed clams (also local), flying dog ale, bread and baked goods from AJ&King (Salem), marcona almonds, pre-made sandwiches like the veggie muffaletta and good jams. Ned also had several other local bakers provide homemade pot pies and these triple decker bars that were fabulous.
The Fruitful Basket in Beverly Farms carries some fo these things, but it would be nicer to have it close by in Gloucester. I've never been to the Common Crow, will have to check it out soon.

Interesting, thank you!

What temp dis you cook at? We're not brining and I'm still trying to a moist bird...

Perhaps not as fabulous as the other two, but Chipyard in Faneuil Hall has good choc chip cookies.

Jules is a good suggestion. There's also Max's Deli Cafe, Viga, Al's, Rebecca's Cafe, Sultan's Kitchen, J Pace, Pizzeria Regina and Bertucci's. A few more expensive options are Sebastian's and Cosi. Then for a special occasion or just something different, Redbones!

Petit Robert Bistro? Where? Do you mean Duckworths

We adore SW:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/529683
but not sure if meat & potatoes crowd would like. Regardless, stop by there for a drink!

If you feel like splurging or your friends are treating I highly recommend Straight Wharf. Drinks at the bar and apps off the bar menu if looking to keep the cost low. We had an amazing anniversary dinner there last June.
For sandwiches we are diehard fans of Provisions - their Turkey Terrific is the best!
We like the Fog Island Cafe for breakfast, lunch and a light dinner. Try the turkey burger with a side of homemade black beans.
Black Eyed Susan's breakfast is amazing, get there early or be prepared to wait - worth the wait :-)
Starlight Cafe food was ok last year, but it was fun having dinner there and then seeing a movie in the little theater. Casual, inexpensive evening out. I hear they have a new menu (chef?) this year.
Downyflake is the best for doughnuts on the island.
Nantucket Lobster Trap was good for lobster and run punch. We usually prefer to cook lobsters at home, but these were good. I thought the prices were reasonable, for the island.
Nantucket Bakeshop has excellent Jamaican patties, chocolate croissants and other yummy baked goods and bread.
Centre Street Bistro was excellent for dinner.
There's a very good, very small sandwich shop in Sconset. The sandwiches are huge, expensive but big enough for two.
Enjoy!

I wasn't clear, what I meant was while the view is spectacular, the food is only ok and since we have to pay their prices for a very limited wine list, rather than BYOB, we don't bother. We don't particularly care for the food, esp give how expensive it is, and several of our friends and neighbors, local and non-local agree.

I believe that they Blackmith Shop has reopened or is opening soon:
http://www.blacksmithshoprestaurant.c...
We're excited to try it.
We haven't been back to the Greenery since this fall when three times in row (weekend days) they were out of everything we tried to order (turkey, broccoli, spinach, crab cakes, etc.) so I can't be helpful there.
We were not impressed with My Place after they started serving their own wine....
The last time we had company, we took them to the Azorean. Everyone really enjoyed the food and the space. They take reservations and there is parking. I would say that it is family/group friendly and a nice change.

I was the original poster. I'm sorry you had a bad experience. We were there in March/April and it was fantastic - omletes, toast, muffins, etc. Perhaps you could try them again? While there are other good places in Gloucester (we like George's, Lobsta Land, Sugar Magnolias), there's certainly not so many that you couldn't give a local business another try, right? I even go back to come places that are just okay in the area to make sure they stay open so we aren't all fighting over a stale, commerically produced donut at Dunks! Happy Chowing!

For sit down pizza we really like Maria's. For take-out we get Delaney's.
We lost our favorite bar food place when it was converted to a more upscale place (Blackburn Tavern) and are still looking for a good replacement.
My in-laws like the steak tips at Halibut Point and my brother-in-law says very good things about the burger at Dog Bar.
For breakfast, Two Sister's or George's are great, ultra-casual cheap places.
Have fun!

Infomaniac - Thank you for the info! Might I ask, did you do drop-off, pick-up or on-site? I'm definitely going for drop-off, whomever I use. Glad to hear that the turkey tips were good. They're a nice option to have in addition to chicken.

Had never heard of American Barbecue. Looks like they would be the closest. Perhaps we'll try it out this weekend. Thank you for the info!

I'm planning a small, casual graduation party for my husband on Saturday June 28th.

We're away the weekend before and plans the weekend after so this time I'm not doing anything more than apps and homemade ice cream...so, I need a caterer. He likes BBQ so I've got it narrowed down to these three for drop-off catering:

Uncle Pete's - Revere
Redbones - Somerville
East Coast Grill - Cambridge

We have been to Redbones once and liked it. He has been to Uncle Pete's, liked that too.

Oh as a side note...we don't eat or serve beef or pork, so this would be pulled chicken, bbq chicken, grilled chicken, etc. and sides.

Does anyone have a suggestion on which one to go with? It would be great to have some opinions!

The menu is up on the site:
http://www.djsatthegarden.com
It looks awesome! I commute in and out of N Station and I'm always looking for something close by. Boston Beerworks used to be my standard, but the food is really going downhill. I can't wait to try DJ's.
Best of Luck!

Staying in is the best, IMHO :-)

We nibbled throughout the evening:

CI's spinach and lemon stuffed mushrooms
Roasted cauliflower
Mixed nuts
Stuffed Clams
Cheese tray (cheddar, brie, crackers, bread, dried apricots, honey and chutney)
Cookies
Chocolates
Some good wine and beer

All enjoyed with our fur babies and some fine 80's movies for a mini 80's movie marathon.

Happy 2008!

I don't mind at all, excellent idea. Thank you!

I'm not sure...the Alexandra's sign was still in one of the windows and they sell bread, but I'm not sure if the sign was there for decor/nostalgia or if they're still selling the Alexandra's bread....