Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/633996
26 | MARCH 2016 nshoremag.com Diners had best make a reservation to get a seat in the main dining room at Amesbury's Crave—as early as 5:30 p.m. on a recent Saturday night, disappointed patrons learned that a table might not be available for hours. And on most nights, every seat is filled with convivial crowds enjoying chef Sam Schmidt's mod- ern American cuisine. So it was good news when owner and Amesbury native Sean Toomey added a casual gastropub expansion late last year, serving up a menu of small plates and sandwiches and sharing a kitchen with the main dining room. The centerpiece of the new space is a 20-seat bar salvaged from a 1930s steamship, and it seems right at home in the reno- vated 1850s Boston & Maine train station that houses both restaurants. Whether you have a reservation or elect to join the amenable crowd next door, take some time to choose a cocktail from Crave's extensive list. Available in both the main dining room and the pub, the cocktail menu is heavy on whiskey drinks, which hold a special place in Toomey's heart. Crave offers some 36 bour- bons, about a dozen each of scotch and rye, and half a dozen Irish whiskeys, along with some Canadian brown spirits and a few eccentrici- ties from Texas and Kentucky. Wine lovers will find Crave's by-the-glass Crispy tomatoes and fresh mozzarella BY JEANNE O'BRIEN COFFEY Crave is drawing crowds with modern American food and craft cocktails. Busy and Buzzy photographs by Raphael Brickman