Gloucester’s new eatery The Burn Tavern just opened for business this June, but to tell the story of this months old eatery, we need to start at least 26 years ago. In 1999, Maria Seniti-Figurido got a job as a hostess at the Franklin Cafe, the Cape Ann outpost of a popular Boston restaurant that had opened in downtown Gloucester just a few months earlier. Soon, the Gloucester native worked her way up to assistant manager, then general manager.
Then, in 2008, the owners decided to sell, and Seniti-Figurido made the leap from employee to full-time restaurateur. Her goal was to continue the well-loved eatery’s track record of serving up good food in casually elegant surroundings. “I wanted to keep it as it had been, keep it consistent,” she says. Her plan worked and, over the past 17 years, the Franklin has become a spot diners can rely on for refined dining that doubled, when local liquor regulations allowed, as a saloon.
Seniti-Figurido’s vision for her iteration of the space some 140 years later was a destination that had the same very Gloucester feel as Halibut Point, but also a little of the clean, modern style that is the signature of the Franklin. The Burn embodies this concept: Dark wood tables and exposed brick behind the bar that recall the space’s former occupant pair with green banquettes and colorful murals (including one depicting Blackburn) to create a space that is both familiar and fresh. A shaded patio will expand the seating in warmer weather.
“People walk in and say, ‘It still feels like Halibut Point, but with your touch,’” Seniti-Figurido says. “I love hearing that.” The menu reflects the restaurant’s deep Gloucester roots. Pub food classics like steak tips, burgers, and potato skins share space with Italian fish soup, locally sourced baked haddock, and a linguica sandwich, featuring the Portuguese smoked sausage that is a staple of Gloucester sub shops and backyard cookouts. The drink list makes playful reference to Blackburn’s dramatic history with cocktails like the bourbon-based Doryman, and Frostbitten, a concoction of rum, coconut, and pineapple.
And the food lives up to the legacy Seniti-Figurido has created with the Franklin. There are no unconventional dishes on offer, but everything is executed with delicious attention to detail. The fries are golden and crisp, with flavor but not too much salt. The remarkably unsoggy Reuben includes thick slices of corned beef topped with savory-but-not sloppy layers of sauerkraut and dressing. The grilled shrimp skewers come drizzled with an herby chermoula sauce that adds a zesty freshness.
The Burn has been well received so far. On a recent Wednesday afternoon, locals clustered at the bar, chatting with the warm bartenders and enjoying a late lunch. It is, says, Seniti-Figurido, exactly what she hoped to create. “We’ve had a really positive response from the community,” she says. “People are really loving the vibe.”