80
Centre Street, intersection
of West Chester Street
Founded by Esther U. Gibbs
in 1943
The beloved North Shore Restaurant, founded and operated by Esther U. Gibbs, was originally home to Cathcart’s Grocery, an ice cream and grocery store famous for its penny candy. The North Shore served a seafood-heavy selection of simple, “American” dining that was universally praised. “You went there for Indian pudding and chicken pot pie.” Esther Gibbs, daughter of Swedish-born Hilda (Österberg) Gibbs, learned the restaurant business when she worked at the Roberts House when she was growing up. In addition to all-American food, the North Shore offered a diverse menu that included Swedish meatballs, pickled herring, marinated cucumbers, garlic shrimp, key lime pie, and caramel custard. The dinner rolls at North Shore were baked every afternoon by Esther’s mother. In 1967, Esther Gibbs sold the North Shore Restaurant to her nephew, Robert Ruley, and the establishment acquired a liquor license as well as a pastry chef. Many recall the four-foot-tall female figurehead outside, clad in a red dress and holding the restaurant sign; it was carved by Nancy Chase. The North Shore continued to operate for more than four decades before its current incarnation, American Seasons.
Eileen McGrath sums up the fare: “They didn’t use too much sauce, just the right amount.” Robert McGrath tells this story: “When Esther got her first microwave, she couldn’t believe it would work. So she put in a potato, and turned it on, and was amazed when it came out baked!”
P2084
