Northshore magazine showcases the best that the North Shore of Boston, MA has to offer.
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121 The Brown Dog Food & Spirits Chicken quesadillas, beer-battered fish and chips, and … escargot baked in mushroom caps with sherry-thyme butter and brie cheese? At new Ipswich eatery e Brown Dog, absolutely. e establishment opened in the fall under the ownership of Bob Vallis, who ran Glouces- ter's Blackburn Tavern until selling it in 2007. Ten years later, he got the itch to return to the restaurant business, so he found a space in downtown Ipswich and hired as his head chef Doug Papows, a Gloucester native who has created menus for local award-winning restau- rants like Foreign Affairs in Manchester and Rockport's Feather and Wedge. With a fireplace, rich red walls, and a pair of leather couches, e Brown Dog's atmosphere is warm and cozy. And the regular menu at the new place revisits the kind of casual, comfort- ing pub fare that was popular at the Blackburn Tavern with selections including topping- smothered nachos, sirloin steak tips, and sauerkraut- and-swiss-laced Reubens. ough the items may sound familiar, Papows refuses to take shortcuts. For the crispy roasted chicken, he breaks down whole chickens, brines them overnight, and uses house-made stock for his pan sauce, he says. "I am not into prepackaged or taking the easy way out." But the daily specials are where his culi- nary creativity can really shine. ere are the escargots, of course, and a recently featured pan-seared trout with smoked pork belly. e restaurant has a smoker out back, so there have been several barbecue specials. As sum- mer approaches, Papows is eager to start to source more fresh, local produce and fish for seasonal specials. "I'm really looking forward to making a striper corn chowder," he says, "but I have to wait until I can get everything locally for it to be the way I envision it." I am not into prepackaged or taking the easy way out. DOUG PAPOWS HEAD CHEF The Brown Dog Food & Spirits 14 Central St., Ipswich, 978-312-6362 thebrowndogipswich.com With a fireplace, red walls, and a pair of leather couches, The Brown Dog's atmosphere is warm and cozy. Opposite page, Head chef Doug Papows refuses to take shortcuts, breaking down whole chickens and brining them overnight; he also uses house-made stock for his pan sauce.