Tag Archives: Briar Fandetti Forsythe

GROVE! A FABULOUS NEW NORTH SHORE RESTAURANT SERVING BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER, AND BRUNCH – Check out their menus here!

The fabulous and fantastic brand new restaurant, Grove, opened this past week. The restaurant is part of the Briar Barn Inn, spa, and art gallery complex, which is located at 101 Main Street in Rowley. I was invited to attend a soft opening by my friend Sarah Boucher, Briar Barn Inn’s Director of Sales and Marketing, and had the joy of sharing breakfast with her charming husband Jeff and their adorable daughter Cordelia.

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The country-style restaurant is simply beyond gorgeous, with soaring post and beam ceilings and natural light spilling in all around. The beautiful light fixtures create a warm, ambient glow and the furnishings are an inviting mix of modern comfort with Swedish farmhouse style and country French.

The restaurant is not only open for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and brunch, but the space is ideally perfect for small to mid-sized weddings, as well as a host of events including company meetings and parties. And the staff is wonderfully kid friendly, too 🙂

If you have ever attended a wedding or special event at Willowdale Estate, then you know of their renowned catering team and how exquisitely delicious is the fare. Chef Ben Lightbody, Willowdale’s Executive Chef, is also the Executive Chef at Grove, and he has created an outstanding menu.

I really don’t need to say more, but just in case you have never sampled Willowdale’s offerings, Grove’s French toast, with cinnamon crème anglaise, is the best French toast I have ever had, and I make really good French toast. The outer layer was a thin perfectly butter browned crust, while the bread was moist and tender inside. The cinnamon crème anglaise was pure perfection and the candied pecans made for a wonderfully crunchy counterpoint. I cannot wait to bring my family and try lunch and dinner!

SPRING HOURS

Sunday: 9:00am – 9:00pm

Monday: Closed

Tuesday – Thursday: 7:30am – 9:00pm

Friday: 7:30am – 10:00pm

Saturday: 9:00am – 2:00pm

* Alcoholic beverage service begins at 11am

Call or Email for Reservations:

978-484-5166 | Grove@BriarBarnInn.com

THE LUXURIOUS AND ELEGANT BRIAR BARN INN IS OPEN!

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Briar Forsythe, owner of the Briar Barn Inn, recently took me on a grand tour of her newly opened inn. I had visited several times while under construction and I have to say, now that it is open, the Inn is even more beautiful than imagined. Elegant, luxurious, serene, relaxing, and welcoming are just some of the many superlatives that come to mind. Briar Barn Inn is just off Route 1A in scenic Rowley, minutes away from Route 95, yet as you head down the long driveway, you feel as though you have entered another world.

Gerald Fandetti, architect; Charlotte Forsythe, artist and interior designer; and art and antiques curating firm Electric Iris, have created a stunning first-rate inn and special events venue. The interior rooms are an eclectic mix of contemporary art, the fine antique furniture once found in ship captain’s homes, curious collections, luxurious bedding and textiles, folk art, and Arts and Crafts period inspired furnishings.

Coffee and a light breakfast can be had in the common areas found on each floor. The gathering areas are furnished with comfort in mind (think down cushioned chairs and settees you can sink into). Did I mention every guest room and gathering area has a cozy working fireplace? No two guest rooms are alike and each one either faces into a lovely central courtyard or has a bucolic woodland view. It’s an easy stroll from the Inn to the restaurant, through the expansive terraced alfresco dining area, which surrounds a large fire pit.

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The fabulous country barn restaurant, boasting stunning post and beam construction, is opening very soon. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be served to hotel guests, and to the public, seven days a week. I (and my husband) simply can not wait to experience the cuisine! Chef Ben Lightbody, Briar Barn Inn’s executive chef, has gained a reputation for the wonderfully delicious and seasonally fresh food served at Willowdale Estate. The Fandetti-Forsythe Family is renowned in the Cambridge area for their hospitality (The Kendall Hotel and The Mary Prentiss Inn). With Willowdale Estate, and now Briar Barn Inn and Restaurant, I think you will see why.

The pool, spa, and art gallery are opening this summer.

Briar Barn Inn is located in Rowley on the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway at 101 Main Street (Route 1A). For more information about the Inn visit the Briar Barn Inn website here. To book your stay call 978-653-5323.