Brodie’s
In Peabody, what’s old is new again.
"This is the town I grew up in, a place that I came to when I was a kid, and the opportunity came to buy it, and I've been here for the past 16 years."
And that’s because owner Michael Votto had a vision to take a beloved institution, give it a fresh facelift and elevate the menu, while keeping all of the charm the locals have come to love at Brodie’s.
Set on Lowell Street, Brodie’s has been a beloved local landmark for decades. So when the property came up for sale from the city, Michael saw an opportunity to take an old gem and shine it up.
"Right when you come through the front door, you'll see our stained glass, which was a relic from our prior location. You'll see this all-oak stained bar, a lot of brass details, an authentic tin ceiling, and we wanted it to feel like it's been here for the 50 years that Brodie has been around. But naturally, everything is new."
And when it came to the menu, Michael leaned on the expertise of seasoned chef Danny DeSimone.
"Back in the kitchen is my chef, Danny. Very, very well known on the North Shore, and I'm extremely blessed to have him here creating his magic back there. Our goal is to serve food that you know, but serve it extremely well. We want to be somewhere where you recognize every ingredient that's listed on the menu, but we're using the highest quality ingredients, and Danny does that every day for us."
The appetizers at Brodie’s are all of your favorites amped up.
There’s craveable wings, tossed in a house buffalo sauce and sprinkled with bleu cheese crumbles.
And piping hot housemade steak and cheese eggrolls.
"It's got that nice crispy coating on it. Then you get that salty, savory taste from the steak, the gooey cheese, and when you put the A1 aioli on it, it's amazing."
The PEI mussels are swimming in a broth so addictive, the kitchen had to add extra toast points for dipping to satisfy customers.
"It's cooked in a lemon garlic butter sauce. We used to put two pieces of bread on the appetizer, and almost every order people would ask for more bread. So now we put four pieces of bread on the appetizer. They're almost drinking the sauce that it comes in. With the garlic, the white wine, the butter, and capers, it's just a real nice classic dish."
And if that’s not enough bread for you, order some of Brodie’s Parmesan Garlic Knots.
"We're using our Neapolitan-style pizza dough. They'll be covered in extra virgin olive oil, garlic, parsley, and fresh grated parmesan cheese on top. It's just the perfect recipe."
The handhelds at Brodie’s are two hands minimum, particularly their oversized Reuben. Piled high with housemade corned beef, sauerkraut, melted Swiss, and Thousand Island all on grilled marble rye.
And then there’s the gut-busting Phillips Burger featuring an 8-ounce prime patty with provolone, sausage, peppers, and onions on toasted brioche.
"You definitely have to cut it in half. It's definitely a mouthful and probably will spill out onto the plate, but you're going to be busting out your fork and knife to eat the rest of the peppers and onions and the sausage. It's a hearty meal."
If you’ve ever been to Peabody, you know they take their steak tips seriously, and at Brodie’s they do not disappoint.
"Ours has a slight marinade on it. It's not as sweet as other places, so you really taste the meat. Everything we have is grilled on a char grill, so you get that nice char taste on it. I think ours are the best around."
Since Chef Danny is known for his Italian eats, the grilled pork chop with vinegar potatoes is a must.
"It's a French long-bone pork chop with his homemade sauce on it, vinegar peppers and sliced potatoes. You can get a side of our hot cherry peppers as well. It's a definite mouthful when you go to take a bite."
A dish you’ll want a mouthful of is their chicken parm, and that’s because it's topped with creamy pink vodka sauce.
"Danny does it unbelievably well. Homemade chicken cutlets, breaded, with his homemade pink vodka sauce, fresh fusilli pasta, all melted with fresh mozzarella cheese. It's one of the best dishes on the menu."
And since Mike is such a fan, they decided to make this dish into a pizza.
"The chicken parm on the menu was such a big seller, we thought, let's try it on a pizza. It's my two favorite things, chicken parm and pizza, put together."
Another great mash-up comes in the form of the Hot and Sweet Pizza—a glorious combination of pepperoni, pickled jalapeños, and mozzarella finished with hot honey.
"You get the saltiness of the pepperoni, the sweetness of the hot honey, and a little bit of tang from the jalapeños. It's a winning combination in my book."
The creativity continues right through dessert when Pepperidge Farm Milanos replace the ladyfingers in the tiramisu.
"I eat it way too many times a week. It's got homemade filling in it, the chocolate sauce that's on it, and everything is just super gooey, super tasty. It's my favorite dessert."
And at Brodie’s, your meal doesn’t end with dessert, because just upstairs is their cocktail lounge, Palm & Crane.
"Palm & Crane is a little cocktail lounge that we put on the second floor. It's very lively up there, and it's a great place for people on the North Shore to hang out and celebrate."
And from familiar favorites to fresh new flavors, some things just never go out of style at Brodie’s.
