Fowle's

17 State Street, Newburyport, MA - (978) 388-7028

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Posted By Bruce Bilmes and Susan Boyle on May 31, 2008 6:54 PM

We stumbled upon Fowle's lunch counter/newsstand, in the center of quaint-moderne downtown Newburyport, while looking for breakfast on the way to Plum Island. We were not disappointed. One half of Fowle's is a beautifully restored old eatery with a gorgeous marble lunch counter lined with stools, and some tables towards the rear. The other half of the space is devoted to the sale of newspapers, magazines, stationery, cigars and the like.

We aren't real clear on the ordering system here, but we believe that, regardless of where you sit, you place your order up front. If you're dining at the tables, someone will bring the food to you. We sat at the counter and enjoyed watching the system at work. After an order is taken, it's clipped to a long clothesline and fired down the line to the cook. Griddles sizzle with French toast and eggs and blenders whir up breakfast smoothies. We enjoyed the freshly-made corned beef hash, unlike anything that comes from a can. Shreds of corned beef are mixed with the potatoes destined to become hashbrowns, then cooked on a griddle to a crisp. Eggs-over-easy are prepared flawlessly, good thick toast comes alongside, and thermoses are arrayed behind you for caffeine maintenence.

Fowle's has been a longtime Newburyport favorite, and we sense there is a story to be told about its history, and how it came to be what it is today, but we don't really know enough to tell that story. What we gather is that the restaurant portion of the business entered a slow decline, followed by the purchase and restoration of the space a few years ago. It may or may not be owned or run by a small bakery chain out of Portsmouth; we're not sure. In any case, the breakfast was good, and the place has lots of character, both inside and out.

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