Kalliope's

[Pepper]

Last week, hubby and I had occassion to join friends for dinner. Since they were in need of a trip to Home Depot, we settled on Kalliope's for our meeting place. We enjoyed a gracious greeting at the door, and were seated by a smiling hostess. Our waitress arrived promtly and introduced herself. When our beverages were served, she also delivered a basket of warm rolls with sweet, subtly flavored whipped butter. Mmmmmmmmm. For appetizers we enjoyed scrumptious escargot in mushroom caps, and hearty potato skins with bacon, cheese and served with sour cream on the side. More Mmmmmm. For entrees, our table enjoyed Pastry-Baked chicken with a savory stuffing and a cranberry glaze; Souvlaki with greek salad, and Stuffed Haddock. Each was presented beautifully, and each item was fresh and hot. It's apparent that even though they were very busy, servers stay on top of their game, providing excellent service and timely delivery of each course. The kitchen staff is obviously well trained and professional. When the dessert tray arrived, we had a very difficult time making our decisions, as each item was more tempting than the last! We finally settled on Tiramisu (divine) and and Pumpkin Cheesecake (also divine). We enjoyed everything we were served, and vowed to return often. For anyone who hasn't had an opportunity to try Kalliope's, we highly recommend that you do so, and soon!
Bon Appetit!

[mcdude]

Hi Pepper: Where is this wonderful place?

[Old Chris Craft]

It used to be Oliver's Restaurant, located at exit 20 at the traffic lights across from Applebees.

[Pepper]

Old Chris Craft is correct. The property was formerly Oliver's restaurant. Also, I forgot to mention one thing. For anyone who was familiar with the layout at Oliver's - the interior will be surprisingly different! The main dining room is now one large open area! All the little cubby-holes have been removed, and now every table has a wonderful view of the fireplace! At first, I was worried that it would be noisy this way, but it isn't! The added benefit of always being able to feel the ambiance of the fireplace is a nice bonus, in my opinion.
Go. Eat. Relax. Enjoy!

[upthesaukee]

Ditto on the good experience at Kalliope's. We play golf at Lochmere and then go out to eat with the couple we play with on Sundays. We have eaten there at lunch to early afternoon a couple of times and had great food and good service. Ate dinner there once, and had a great meal as well.

[Alton Bay]

The food is wonderful there. With all the chain restaurants going up in the area, it's great to see them doing well. Give them a try!!

[Belmont Resident]

Pepper, we went last Saturday and I was disappointed. I got prime rib with sweet potato fry’s. The rib was over cooked and small with lots of fat.
But the sweet potato fry’s were excellent.
Maybe we will try it again and have better luck.
I’m missing your chili cheese fry’s, I’ll have to stop in the next time I’m working up that way.
The house looks great with the new siding.

[Belmont Resident]

Someone recommended Jon's roast beef to me yesterday, so I tried it.
The roast beef was excellent but for the price I thought the sandwich size was small and I got the large one. I left hungry. I'll make the extra time to drive up to Waldo Peppers next time. You can't beat their sandwiches and I've never left hungry.
I did get a kick out of the sandwich they named the Flatlander which consisted of, peanut butter and jelly on a roll with chips & pickle.

[MaidenCove07]

.....I've enjoyed several meals at Kalliope's, (My friend and I argue about it's pronunciation all the time).
Pastry baked chicken is the best - be prepared to wait a bit as they cook it fresh and it takes a bit longer.
Their specials are intriguing as well. I once has a roast pork with cranberry something that was amazing. I love to dine in the pub and play Hold "em Poker on their TV game systems while I wait.. The staff has always been friendly.
They also have a membership that earns you points towards gift cards for more food and triple points before 5 on weekdays.
This place is also a sister Restaurant to the Red Blazer in Concord. Equally good food and great service. Highly recommended.

[Drummer Boy]

I heard from a reliable source that Kalliopes has been sold and will be closing. Much speculation on who the buyer is, one name that has been mentioned is Outback Steakhouse.

[jeffk]

Kalliopes was a favorite stop for dinner on the way up to the lake. The food was good and we could usually get seated without a big wait. We like Outback as well, my wife lives for the lamb chops, but there's usually a wait to get in. Oh well.

[MaidenCove07]

....If Kalliope's is closing, the staff has no idea. I saw this post and made a call as I'm a HUGE fan and Liz says she's heard no such thing....

[mr1drfl]

A little birdie told me they sold out to Walgreens.

[MaidenCove07]

Like we need another crappy drug store....it won't be too long until the whole world is nothing but condo complexes, strip malls, fast food restaurants and drug stores....YUK.

Well eat there while you can. If this is true, Tilton is losing one of the great dining spots in the Lakes Region. The Diner went to hell in a hand basket when Un"Common Man" took over...everything else is chain spots you can eat at anywhere....Tilton House of Pizza has a great chicken sub though...love that spot.

[aquadocton]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

....If Kalliope's is closing, the staff has no idea. I saw this post and made a call as I'm a HUGE fan and Liz says she's heard no such thing....

Sometimes owners will tell their employees, sometimes they won't because they know the employees will bail out for new jobs. Will be interesting to see which rumor proves true.

[MaidenCove07]

Well I confirmed with the owners (who also run the Red Blazer in Concord) that the rumor is indeed true. The "sold out" to Walgreen's.


I wonder if Tilton has approved building the drug store yet....??? Anyone know?

[MaidenCove07]

I confirmed with the owners (who also run the Red Blazer in Concord) that the rumor is true - they "sold out" to Walgreen's because it was too much work running 2 restaurants. They had offers from other restaurateurs but Walgreen's gave them the biggest buck.

As usual, a nationally run, "we don't care about the local culture or needs, just the mighty dollar" box store will overtake a favorite haunt...

I'll cash in my frequent patron points, as I spent many a dollar in both locations, and find another favorite. Seeing as they don't want my $$$ in the Lakes Region, they don't deserve my $$$ at the Concord location either.

I suppose Tilton, being the shopping mall city of the Lakes Region, isn't opposed to another run of the mill chain in their midst. Heaven knows Osco, CVS, Brook's and the grocery pharmacies aren't enough.
I hate box stores.

Anyone know where you can get a decent pastry baked chicken?
How about a good burger where you can still order it cooked medium-rare?

[Weirs guy]

For the reported $3 mill, its a hard case not to sell to Walgreen's. Anyone know if there is a plan to save the historic part of the restaurant that was moved a few years ago (a former judges house if I remember correctly)?

[phoenix]

i guess the positive is you can get all your shopping done with one trip off the lake

[snowbird]

I agree the location is not the best, especially from the standpoint of safety and congestion. I'd rather see a Walgreen's in Gilford. On the other hand, they have not had a store in the Lakes Region before this and, as a customer of theirs in the off-season, I will appreciate having prescriptions filled at their new location rather than Manchester or Keene. Yeah, yeah, I could be going to CVS just as well, but that is another story.

[Pepper]

As much as I'm saddened to lose this wonderful restaurant, I have to say I can certainly understand why. Running one restaurant is tough work, running two is a truly daunting task! They do a truly outstanding job, and run their business in the truest sense of the phrase "family business". It ain't easy, believe me.

I can't blame them at all for selling to the highest bidder - that's simply smart business sense. Who in their right mind would sell their property to the lowest? They worked VERY hard to purchase that property, and maintain a successful business there, and deserve to reap their reward for those efforts.

The area around Exit 20 is changed forever, and nothing is going to stop the growth there. Even if another restaurant went into that space, there's no guarantee that the new owner wouldn't soon sell to a high-bidding corporation. Change is inevitable, and our beloved, peaceful lakes region is indeed changing. We will surely miss the great food and service at Kalliope's, but I can't say as I would have done things any differently if I were in their shoes.

[SIKSUKR]

Oh please Pepper don't sell to the highest bidder.Call me and I'll offer 1 dollar more to keep Waldos going.Wait,that would make me the highest bidder.Oh,you know what I mean.Waldo could still run it with Pepper making the occasional hugging appearance!

[Waterbaby]

Hi Pepper........ I have to say I agree with you, it was definitely good business sense. I never had the pleasure of dining there but I remember when it was Oliver's, and even then it seemed to me the restaurant building itself was getting "lost" amongst the retail stores. To me, people seem to go to that area for the shopping "experience" and are not really there for a dining experience other than one of the fast food places to re-fuel for more shopping and grabbing the bargains. Unfortunately, the region is changing as you said, along with North Conway and other areas which used to have their own charm -- let's hope Meredith doesn't head down that route, or the Lincoln area, or any of the others which still remain relatively pristine!

[SALTYDOG]

I feel that it is too late and Meredith is already gone! To bad it may only have McD's but way to much growth!

[redc5]

drove by there toady, the place looks like it's been gutted

[MaidenCove07]

Guess I didn't make it up there in time to enjoy one last wonderful meal.
I hope the cook who came up with all those great specials finds a great employer...and I hear about it when s/he does!

[Weirs guy]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

Guess I didn't make it up there in time to enjoy one last wonderful meal.
I hope the cook who came up with all those great specials finds a great employer...and I hear about it when s/he does!

Ahh, your in luck. The Red Blazer in Concord (Manchester St.) is owned by the same people and has a very similar menu, so you may be able to find the same wonderful meals there!

[beancover]

It is too late. Meredith is definately going the way of Tilton. As long as people think it is ok and necessary for places like Walmart and Home Depot and Staples and all the other huge chain stores to mark their territory every 20 miles, then it will always be too late. We live in a world where it is more important to be able to get a super-sized biggie french fry within five minutes of walking out the door, than it is to realize that we live in one of the most beautiful places in the country. At least we used to. So long, Kaliope's.

[moose tracks]

The former Calliope's/Oliver's Restaurant has been leveled and removed, just an open corner for now...waiting for the Walgreens.