The Grog is a well-known restaurant and bar, and though we've lived in the general area for years, we had not been there. What a mistake! We had dinner and took in the musical act playing in their club tonight, and can't think of an evening better spent.

The meal started with steamed clams and though they are pricey now ($12.95, about what they cost everywhere, I'm afraid), these were clean and sweet. She had lamb tips, cooked in some sort of semi-sweet marinade -- delicious! I had the seafood platter -- clams, shrimp, scallps and haddock. More than enough food, wonderfully prepared. The chef knows fish.

The menu is huge, leaning toward seafood. There's a terrific bar -- this place has been a pub of some sort since the 1800s -- and downstairs is a club where bands play most nights of the week. There usually is a cover charge for that.

Newburyport is a beautiful town with lost of local color to take in. The Grog would be a wonderful place to end a day of touring with a good meal in a congenial atmosphere. We plan on going back.