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Welcome to the
Gibbet Hill Grill!
| Celebrate with your sweetie at Gibbet Hill on Valentine’s
Day! We will be serving our classic menu as well as some
Valentine’s Day specials. Call 978-448-2900 to make a reservation. |
The Setting
Located in Groton, Massachusetts, about an hour northwest of
Boston, The Gibbet Hill Grill is a 100-year old post-and-beam
barn that has undergone a complete transformation from working
barn to fashionable, upscale restaurant. The views from the
tables overlook the rolling hills of conservation land that
are home to our 80-acre farm. Our herd of Black Angus cattle
can often be seen grazing in the hills.
The Food
Executive Chef Richmond Edes leads a kitchen that is dedicated
to serving upscale native cuisine using the freshest local ingredients
available. In the summer, the majority of our produce is grown
right on our farm, adjacent to the Grill. We grow over 40 varieties
of heirloom tomatoes, squashes and zucchini, heirloom beets,
radishes, greens, peppers, beans, potatoes, specialty onions,
herbs, and many other crops, all of which can be seen on our
menu throughout the year.
The Service
We believe that excellent service means anticipating the needs
of your guests, striking the right balance of friendliness and
professionalism, and never, ever, making your guests feel uncomfortable.
Bios
THE OWNERS:
Josh Webber
Josh
Webber, the serious, down-to-earth oldest child, led effort
to put Gibbet Hill into conservation back in 2000. Today, he
and his brother Jed run the still unnamed restaurant group that
includes Gibbet Hill Grill, the Barn at Gibbet Hill, The
Scarlet Oak Tavern, and Fireside
Catering. Before getting involved in the family business,
Josh worked for five years in the mergers and acquisitions group
at Morgan Stanley. He received his undergraduate degree in math
and economics at Kenyon College, and his MBA from the Darden
School at UVA. Jed
Webber, the well-adjusted middle child, runs the restaurant
group that includes Gibbet Hill along with his brother Josh.
Jed has been the leading force behind the expansion of Gibbet
Hill into produce farming, and unexpectedly finds himself in
the tomato fields way more than he really needs to be. He has
had a variety of management experience in his career. After
five years of consulting in New York City, Jed got an MBA from
the Darden School in 2000, which included an internship with
the PlumpJack restaurant group in San Francisco. Jed attended
Middlebury College, graduating in 1993 with a double major in
Economics and Molecular Biology.
Kate Webber
Kate
Webber, the artsy youngest child, was the first person to realize
that perks, not payment, is the way to go in the restaurant
industry and thus took on the role of Wine Director. Kate is
now a Certified Sommelier through the Court of Masters Sommeliers,
the International Sommelier Guild, and is a Diploma candidate
with the Wine and Spirits Education Trust. Outside of the restaurant,
Kate is a Wine and Beverage instructor at Le Cordon Bleu College
of Culinary Arts and a member of the Boston Tasting Group. In
her previous life, Kate worked in professional theatre and independent
film before getting her MFA in Creative Writing at the University
of Virginia. Kate is also an award-winning pianist and can say
the fifty states in 12.5 seconds.
SENIOR MANAGEMENT TEAM:
Tom Totman,
Managing Partner
Tom
has been managing restaurants since 1989 in both Boston and
San Francisco at such places as Harvard Square's Border Café,
Bertucci's, Legal Seafoods, and McCormick and Schmick's in Boston.
As Managing Partner at Gibbet Hill, Tom is in charge of both
the Grill and the Barn and has discovered all of the secret
passageways between the two buildings. We wish for his sake
that there was a secret passageway between Groton and Hingham;
Tom also works as the Managing Partner at Gibbet Hill's cousin
restaurant, The
Scarlet Oak Tavern. Tom's dedication to customer service
is legendary, which is why we were so lucky to drag him away
from the big city. Tom now lives in Holliston with his wife
and two children, Madeline and Julian. In his spare time, Tom
likes to the watch the golf channel, including a golf "reality"
show. , Culinary
Director
It's
really hard to write K.C.'s bio considering he's been involved
in the Boston restaurant scene for the past 18 years. He's worked
in the kitchen of such esteemed restaurants as Sonsie, The East
Coast Grill, Seasons, and The Harvard Faculty Club, all in addition
to working as a chef consultant, a recipe developer for cookbooks,
and a guest chef at the Masters Golf Tournament in Augusta,
Georgia. K.C. splits his time between Gibbet Hill and Hingham's
Scarlet
Oak Tavern, which is a lot of driving considering he lives
North of Boston (see above re: plans for secret passageway construction
between the two locations). Add to that the fact that he coaches
lacrosse in Medford, has a wonderful wife and three children
and washes his hat every night, he has the tendency to make
the rest of us look kinda lazy. The big jerk. ,
Executive Chef
Richmond opened Gibbet Hill with us as a Sous Chef in 2004,
eventually working his way up to Chef de Cuisine. In 2007 Richmond
left to work at Salts in Cambndge, and then our sister restaurant,
The Scarlet Oak Tavern in Hingham. We are thrilled to have Richmond
back with us, this time as our Executive Chef. Richmond began
his cooking career in Ohio while he was majoring in music as
a percussionist at Ohio State University (Go Buckeyes). Now
back in his home state of Massachusetts, Richmond is still in
the kitchen, developing our menu and blowing our culinary minds.
Earlier this year Richmond spent time in France studying cheese
and advanced techniques in French cuisine, and more recently
he traveled to New York to cook at the James Beard House. Richmond
currently lives in Somerville with his wife Mary and their two
fish, Medium and Whale.
Lisa Cowles,
Assistant General Manager
Lisa
worked several years at Bertucci's but she won't tell us how
many because it makes her feel old (she's not). The restaurant
business took a hold of her and never let go: she has worked
as a server, a new store opening trainer, an assistant manager,
a customer service & risk manager, and a shift supervisor. Lisa
has two boys: Zachary and Jared. In her spare time, Lisa likes
to drink watermelon martinis, scrub floors, reorganize rooms,
and watch Court TV. Which is really weird, frankly. But not
nearly as weird as the fact that she actually enjoys jury duty.
Kate Rowe, Farm
Manager
Kate
came to us from the Chicago area where most recently she co-owned
and ran FarmGirl Organics, a five acre organic farm that supplied
produce for numerous high-end restaurants in Chicago. Today,
she runs our two-acre farm that grows the produce for Gibbet
Hill, maintains the herb garden outside the Grill, is head tour
guide for the farm, and even runs our farmstand outside the
Grill when the weather is nice. In Chicago she also directed
the Perishable Food Recovery Program, whose mission is to collect
food from retail establishments that would otherwise be disposed
of and bring it directly to shelters, food pantries and other
charitable agencies.
Our Farm
Our farm, which the Grill overlooks, is called Gibbet Hill
Farm. It has been running continuously since 1948 as a Black
Angus cattle farm. In the 1980's, corn was planted as the first
produce from the farm. Today, the farm is home to about 50 head
of Black Angus cattle, and in addition grows a good deal of
produce for our other businesses, the Gibbet Hill Grill, the
Barn at Gibbet Hill, Fireside
Catering, and the Scarlet
Oak Tavern. The philosophy in all of our businesses is to
use local, all-natural produce whenever possible. Our commitment
to this not only helps the environment, the local economy, and
the health of our patrons, but most of all, it provides for
the best tasting food possible! Depending on our planting volume
and yield, some items are featured as specials on a limited
time basis, and others are available for months at a time on
our main menu. Check in with us to see what is on the table!
Root Cellar
Our root cellar is used to store the produce grown on our
farm so that it can be served at the Grill throughout the winter
months. This is a very traditional New England method that as
it turns out is very eco-friendly as well. It takes advantage
of the fact many kinds of produce grown in New England keep
for months when kept cool, dry, and in a dark place. This winter
we cellared onions, specialty potatoes, three varietals of carrots,
celeriac, delicata squash, baby blue hubbard squash, kubocha
squash, gilfeather turnips.
CSA
Gibbet Hill Farm offers CSA memberships to people who live
in our community and are interested in getting a weekly share
of produce from our farm. It's a great way to eat locally-produced,
sustainably-grown produce all summer long! Shares cost $600,
which will give members a $30 (on average) basket of produce
each week for 20 weeks. If you are interested in learning more
about our CSA program, please click
here.
History
Gibbet Hill - An Historic Timeline
1645
The hill is named for the English gibbet (pronounced JIB-bet),
a gallows generally situated on a hill for public executions.
Although there are some local legends and rumors, there are
no substantiated claims of executions on the hill; Gibbet Hill
was more likely named after a hill in England. A farmhouse built
by John Lawrence in 1690 still stands (the white house next
to the driveway).
1906
General William Bancroft, a Groton native who became head of
the Boston Elevated Railroad and Mayor of Cambridge, began building
a retirement home called Shawfieldmont at the crest of Gibbet
Hill. Beginning with a modest bungalow, he planned to add a
castle-like mansion and a stable, but ran out of money before
the project was complete.
1918
Property is sold to Harold Ayres, a prominent physician who
turned the bungalow into a private sanitarium, which accepted
"all but insane or contagious" patients for $20 per week.
1920s
Groton Private Hospital houses tuberculosis sufferers on its
long, open porches with views 30 miles to Mount Wachusett.
1930s
The Groton Hunt Club uses the bungalow for fox-hunting parties,
dinners, dances and nature outings. In 1932 "careless fireworks"
are blamed for a fire that destroyed most of the bungalow, leaving
only the remains of a stone observation tower intact.
1947
After World War II, Marion Campbell, a Vassar graduate who had
written for the Washington Post and whose father owned Atlantic
Monthly, purchases the rundown farm. Campbell hires local farm
manager Bill Conley to help her breed Black Angus cattle.
1980s
Herd producing "superior meat" has grown to 600 head and bloodlines
have been tracked as far as Australia and Zimbabwe.
Late 1990's
Marion Campbell Trust puts property up for sale. In the summer
of 2000, they reach final stages of an agreement with the construction
company Modern Continental, which approves plans to develop
78 houses on the property.
2000
Geotel Communications founder Steven Webber, a Groton native,
buys the 338-acre farm, plus an adjacent 188-acre orchard, to
prevent the imminent development; vows to prevent any future
residential development. Steve receives a standing ovation at
Town Meeting for his commitment to preserving the rural nature
of the town.
2004
Josh, Jed and Kate Webber open a steakhouse called Gibbet Hill
Grill in a 100-year-old New England style barn on the property.
Shortly afterwards they open The Barn at Gibbet Hill, a function
facility in a similarly restored barn next door. The siblings
co-own and operate the two buildings today.
2009
The Gibbet Hill Grill furthers it's farm-to-fork philosophy
by hiring a Farm Manager and planting two acres of produce to
be used in the Grill and Barn. Over 40 varieties of heirloom
tomatoes, summer squash, beets, cucumbers, greens, beans, peppers,
herbs, edible flowers, and many other crops make it to the menu.
The Trails
In 2004 an extensive trail network was opened to the public
on Gibbet Hill Farm. Guests and hikers can park their cars at
Gibbet Hill; please do not park in front of the trails or on
Route 40. There is access to the trails from the restaurant
itself. For
a map of the trails, please click here. We invite
everyone to come early or stay late and walk along the trails
throughout the farm. The trails take you to the top of Gibbet
Hill where you can see the stunning views of the town of Groton
and the surrounding areas including Mt. Wachusett, Mt. Watatic,
and Mt. Monadnock. The cows will be grazing nearby, but don't
worry - they're not man-eating cows.
NOTE: Please be aware that these trails wander through a working
farm. Although they are fenced off and separate from the cattle,
they still are on terrain that can be uneven and slightly muddy.
These are not paved trails.
Reservations
The Grill opens at 4pm seven days a week and tends to
get very busy, especially on the weekends. Walk-ins are welcome
for parties of 4 and under, but sometimes if we are full there
will be a wait list for those without reservations.
We recommend calling well in advance if you want to join us
for dinner on the weekend. Below are some guidelines for our
recommended and required reservations.
Recommended (but not required) Reservations:
Parties of 5 or more on weeknights (Monday-Thursday) You may
have a wait, depending on the night.
Prime time on the weekend (6:00-8:00pm Friday-Sunday) for any
size party
Required Reservations:
Parties of 5 or more on weekend nights (Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
Major Holidays: Thanksgiving, Valentine's Day, New Year's Eve,
Easter and Mother's Day
We also have a lounge and bar area which is always first
come, first serve where we offer a full dinner menu.
Please call our Reservation Team at 978-448-2900 and a member
of our staff will be happy to help you with your reservation.
We are currently not taking reservations on-line.
Private Dining
The Gibbet Hill Grill can accommodate parties of up to 40
on the mezzanine level of the restaurant, and parties up to
30 in the galley on the first floor. For intimate special occasions
between 6 and 8 people, you can inquire about our two private
silo rooms, perfect for intimate dinners or small meetings.
Additionally, the restaurant can be reserved privately for
a brunch or luncheon event. We can accommodate up to 100 guests
for a private daytime event. This option is ideal for corporate
luncheons, small weddings, bridal showers, baby showers, birthday
parties, anniversary parties and bereavement receptions. For
more information, menus, and availability call our catering
sales team at 978-448-3233 or email
us.
Hours and Directions
Dinner hours:
Sunday-Thursday: 4pm-9pm
Friday-Saturday: 4pm-10pm
At this time we are not open during the day for lunch. For
information on making reservations, please click
here. We do not accept reservations over the internet.
From New Hampshire and the North:
Take Route 3 to Route 40 west, towards Westford (exit 33).
Follow Route 40 for 9 miles. Gibbet Hill is on your right.
From Boston and points Northeast:
Take Route 95 to Route 3-North (exit 32-A). Follow Route 3
for 15.5 miles to Route 40 west, towards Westford (exit 33).
Follow Route 40 for 9 miles. Gibbet Hill is on your right.
From the Mass Pike and points South and Southeast:
Follow the Mass Pike to 495-North (exit 11A in Westborough).
Follow 495-North to Rte. 119, exit 31. Take 119 West towards
Groton for 6.7 miles to Route 40 east, a sharp right turn at
the white First Unitarian Church. Follow Route 40 for about
.2 miles; Gibbet Hill is on your left.
Contact Us
Gibbet Hill Grill
61 Lowell Road
Groton, MA 01450
(978) 448-2900 - Phone
(978) 448-2969 -Fax
Email: info@gibbethill.com
Click
here to send us your comments or questions.
Facebook
We are now on Facebook. Click
here to visit our page. Become a fan and get first knowledge
on menu changes, farm harvests, wine dinners and life in general
here at Gibbet Hill.
Mailing List
If you would like to be informed of upcoming events at the Gibbet
Hill Grill and The Barn at Gibbet Hill, please sign up for our
mailing list.
Frequently Asked Questions
In response to the questions we've received from guests and
visitors, we decided to include a FAQ page to our site. If you
have other questions, please feel free to email
us!
THE GRILL
THE CASTLE
THE BUILDINGS
THE OTHER
THE GRILL
1) Are you open for lunch?
No, we are open for dinner only. Although we are available
for private lunch parties of 20 or more.
2) Are you open every day?
Yes! We open for dinner every day at 4 PM.
3) Do you serve your own cows at the restaurant?
No. Gibbet Hill Farm only breeds cattle. If we were to serve
our own cows, we would go through our herd within one month.
4) Do you sell gift certificates? Can I buy them over the
phone?
We sell gift certificates in any denomination, and they can
be purchased over the phone. We do not sell gift certificates
over email or the internet.
5) Do I need a reservation?
Reservations are accepted and recommended, especially on
the weekends. However, walk-ins are welcome for parties under
4 guests. Call our Reservation Team at 978-448-2900 to inquire
about our reservation availability.
6) How come you don't have Happy Hour at the Grill?
Massachusetts Law forbids bars from having Happy Hours or
other nightly drink specials. But if you come by the bar,
we promise we'll be happy anyway!
THE CASTLE
General William Amos Bancroft, Mayor of Cambridge, inherited
the farm in 1873 from his father. In 1906 he built a lodge
and turret of stone and stucco near the top of the hill. Later,
he planned to build a castle at the top of the hill as his
main residence. He lived in the lodge and tower but planned
to turn it into a stable when his castle was built. Unfortunately,
the money for his project ran out and he had to abandon his
plans.
In 1918 Dr. Harold Ayers purchased Gibbet Hill and turned
Gen. Bancroft's stone residence into a private sanitarium,
"Groton Private Hospital," which accepted all but "insane
and contagious patients" for twenty dollars a week, and after
World War I housed tuberculosis patients. Dr. Ayers built
a fieldstone home and clubhouse farther up the hill which
was used by the Groton Hunt Club in the 1930s.
On July 4, 1932, a fireworks display burned down the castle
bungalow built by Gen. Bancroft, leaving just the turret and
the stone foundation behind. This turret and foundation are
still near the top of the hill today and can be seen from
the trails that cross through the farm.
A horse barn, situated between the castle and Dr. Ayers'
hospital, remained after the fire of 1932. The barn was in
severe disrepair, and was burned by farm manager Bill Conley
in 1951. The foundation was buried in 1960 when the hospital
was finally torn down.
THE BUILDINGS
1) What is the name of the paint color on the restaurant
walls?
Benjamin Moore Quincy Tan
2) Where can I get some chairs like those near the fireplace?
The chairs were purchased from a subsidiary of Jos. Kilbridge
Antiques on Main Street in Groton. It's most likely possible
to get others like them at Kilbridge's.
3) Who did the decorating?
We hired interior designer Peter Niemitz of the Niemitz Design
Group. Niemitz has also designed such places as Legal Seafoods,
Clio, the Capital Grille, and Not Your Average Joe's.
4) Was the restaurant built from the ground up or was it
renovated?
The Grill and The Barn were both renovated from barns originally
built around the turn of the century. Until October of 2003
the barns still held cattle.
5) Are the barn boards on the walls and ceilings from the
barn itself?
While most of the beams are original, the boards on the ceiling
and walls are from a turn-of-the-century barn in New Hampshire.
THE OTHER
1) How do you pronounce "Gibbet"?
JIB-bet. It is an old English term for a gallows or hangman's
noose
2) Are you looking for restaurant servers, cooks, or other
team members?
We are always accepting applications for qualified staff
members. Click here for more
information on employment.
Press
From
Field to Kitchen at Gibbet Hill Grill - Chronicle Food
Journal , October 6, 2009, WCVB-TV, Boston. (The segment
on the Grill begins 2 minutes and 54 seconds into the clip.)
From
Farm to Table - Gibbet Hill's In-House Farmer Keeps It Fresh
- Lowell Sun, September 9, 2009
Still
Dreaming of Vegetable Mosaic - Romancing the Diner by
Alison Arnett, August 21, 2009
Comforting
by Rachel Travers, The Boston Globe, October 26, 2008
Gold
and Platinum Plates: Gibbet Hill Grill - TV Diner
Local Produce
Adds Fresh Flavor - The Boston Globe, May 13, 2007
Gibbet
Hill Grill Does Everything Just Right - Worcester Telegram
& Gazette, January 1, 2006
Saved
from Development, a Place to Dream, Dine - The Boston Globe,
October 16, 2005
Gibbet
Hill Serves Up Farm-Fresh Approach to Tradition - The
Boston Herald, July 7, 2004
Employment
The Gibbet Hill Grill is constantly looking for bright, hard-working
people who enjoy the working environment of a busy, successful
restaurant. To apply for a job, click
here.
Buy Gift Certificates
Gift Certificates can be purchased either in person at the
Grill, by phone or online.
Purchase Gift Certificates online:
Click on one of the buttons to buy gift certificates with
a credit card. If you want to purchase more than one denomination,
use the 'Continue Shopping' button to return here, and simply
click additional buttons as needed.
$100 Gibbet Hill Grill Gift Certificate
$50 Gibbet Hill Grill Gift Certificate
$25 Gibbet Hill Grill Gift Certificate
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