Oak to Ember

This was a delightful evening with friends at this restaurant. The service was phenomenal, the menu had a wide array of selections for meat and chicken lovers as well as vegetarian fare. The cocktails, beer and wine list were superb. My wife and I ordered the steak and fries and the scallops entree along with the ricotta cheese with toast appetizer. The view of the harbor makes this a lovely place to dine, particularly in the summer when it's light out at dinner time.

We had a leisurely lunch here on Sunday. I was torn between the good beer list, and the signature cocktails, so I had Kronnenburg, and a Jungle bird, both very good! My wife had a non alcoholic beer, and clam chowder, we shared the wood grilled calamari which was excellent! The chowder too! Served with shells, so flavorful. Then we got the mussels and fries! I can't say enough about the food there! And since they have a big smoker out front and a wood fired grill inside, we got a Cuban sandwich to go. We had it for lunch the next day. Now the best part of the story, I got 6 class on the halfshell, I don't usually use cocktail sauce, I always try it to see how it is, this stuff has that something extra that you can't quite figure out, and it grows on you. I told the waitress that I wanted to take some home. The sous chef Curtis hooked me up with some, and I got to tell him how much we enjoyed the food, and the sauce!

I just can’t stop myself from wanting to find something to eat wherever I go. More often than not, I don’t know what the heck I want until I stumble across the right spot smoothly beckoning me to enter and dine. On this short visit to Gloucester, the large what-was-once-a-500-gallon-propane-tank converted into a smoke pit spewing sweet wood smoke right in front of the restaurant caught and held my attention. It was enough to stop me in my tracks that all the other restaurants I walked by earlier didn’t and walk right in shortly after taking a few photos of the smoker. I stuck to small bites on this visit and was pleasantly impressed by the food and service. More than anything, I really, really, REALLY enjoyed the wood grilled calamari. The way all the components came together in one bite was for my palate absolutely eye-rolling-tongue-gasmic. I honestly still think about that dish and can’t wait to drive back up just to have it again as well as try several of their mainstays and smoked items. See you all again soon! Cheers!

Incredibly delicious food that is also fresh and quite inventive. Would highly recommend their take on Clam Chowder, the Maine Mussels, and the Steak Le Grande, which was served with bone marrow, making an interesting plating and a fun dining experience. Service is friendly and timely, and ambiance is relaxed. Must visit during your time in Gloucester.

Had dinner with a party of 7 the night before News Years Eve. We had a nix of full dinners and small plates. Apps to dessert. Bunch of foodies, but all were impressed. Very good to excellent. Good wine and cocktails. Lively bar with water views. Cool deco. Easily the best meal I've had in Gloucester. Looking forward to another visit.

Had a great dinner at Oak to Ember. Looking forward to going back in the future to try more of their menu. The atmosphere is cool and laid back and the service is attentive. For the price point, we were not disappointed. Had a couple cocktails - they were solid. And they have a nice signature cocktail menu with a few creative items. One tip for management, for some of the spirit forward drinks (like the old fashioned I ordered) consider a large cube of ice rather than a bunch of small cubes. Small cubes melt fast and water it down. For starters we had the monk fish burnt ends, French onion soup, and Caesar salad. The monk fish was a hit. Super creative and one of the best bites of the night. Highly recommend. The Caesar was one of the better presented Caesar salads I’ve seen. Well dressed, tasty dressing, and using toasted bread crumbs instead of croutons. They provide the whole Romain stem. Presents well, but the lettuce gets bitter closer to the base. Nevertheless, very tasty. The French onion soup was, unfortunatley, a miss. I’m not sure what went wrong but the broth tasted like water. Maybe they failed to put in the sherry? Hoping it was just a bad batch - but it wasn’t good. For the mains, we got the Haddock and the Scollops. Both were very tasty, but the Haddock was the standout. Well conceived dish with a phenomenal broth. When I go back I’ll be hard pressed not to order it again. But plan to try more items off the menu. Two people, a couple drinks, apps, and mains: $195 after tip. Looking forward to returning.

Overall: 4/5 Stars Food: 1/2 Stars Atmosphere: 2/2 Stars Staff: 1/1 Stars SUMMARY: My wife and I decided to give this restaurant a try while we stayed the night in Gloucester for the Twin Lights race. Overall the experience was quite enjoyable. We both loved the modern/rustic atmosphere. The food was enjoyable but I do have some feedback on a couple of the dishes. The staff was kind overall. FOOD: We decided to split 4 appetizers and 1 main course. We got the “Fried Camembert, hot honey”, “Steak Tartare, bone marrow aioli”, “Foie Gras & Chicken Liver Mousse”, “Whipped Ricotta” as the appetizers and the “Flat Iron Steak Fites” for the entree. All the dishes were plated beautifully. I love the attention to detail in keeping the plates looking clean and utilizing the space appropriately. Appetizer review: The Fried Camembert, hot honey was phenomenal! Breaking open the fried balls and seeing the cheese ooze out was so aesthetically pleasing and the taste, along with the petite salad, was very delicious. The steak tartare itself was very tasteful and I love the demonstration of technique with the egg. I’d recommend using thicker slices of chips (or bread) as the thin ones kept breaking when loaded with the tartare. The Foie Gras was very flavorful. I really appreciated the sweetness with the raisins/maple. The bacon crumble seemed a bit absent and the bread, although delicious and airy, was cold and a bit stale. The bread was also similarly stale with the Whipped Ricotta. The whip itself was delicious. I would have much more preferred warm/fresh bread served with the last 2 aforementioned dishes. Entree review: The Steak Frites was quite delicious and the fries were also really good. The steak itself was cooked to a perfect medium on one side but fairly well on the other. It was all very juicy but I would’ve loved to see a consistent cook throughout the cut. ATMOSPHERE: Absolutely beautiful inside and out! My wife and I both loved the whole vibe! The exterior was clean, sleek and rustic with the wood and large windows. The interior was gorgeous with the accent walls, large hanging lights, dark green paint in front and whites towards the back. They chose a beautiful color of wood for the tables and the cherry on top was the seating table that directly overlooked the open kitchen where patrons can watch the chefs at work! Major kudos to the decorator. STAFF: The staff did their jobs well. Nothing outstanding. Honestly, there could have been a bit of improvement on attention but overall no complaints. I was very grateful for the fact that we were fortunate enough to get the last 2-seat table available without a reservation. Thank you Oak to Ember for allowing us to dine in at your beautiful restaurant.