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secondcurve · 05-25-2009, 08:29 PM

I also visited the Wolfeboro Inn this weekend. My wife and I went to dinner with my brother and his wife on Sunday evening (Day Four). I rate the over all experience an 8.3 on a scale of 1 to 10. We purposely arrived early at 5:30 to avoid the crowds, although even by the time we left at 7:15 it was not overly busy.

The layout of the new restaurant is excellent as it pulls together the Inn and the Tavern. Seating is much more extensive and the restaurant now flows into the area where the old Sunday Brunch was served. In all my years of visiting the Tavern, I never went anywhere near the front desk, but I did on Sunday as the bathrooms are now at the back of the restaurant at the end of a long hallway that leads to the front desk. The new bar is essentially in the same spot as the old bar, but it is larger and its design is cleaner. High top tables surround the bar creating an inviting atmosphere. There is also a nice porch at the back of the restaurant facing the Lake and the 1812 bar has been spruced up, although it wasn't open (When will this bar ever be open if it isn't open on Memorial Day Weekend?). Overall rating for the new restaurant design is a 9, on a scale of 1-10.

The food was also very good. I had the Seafood Linguine and it was fresh and the portion ample. My brother ordered the tavern steak tips, but they were out. How does this happen at 5:30 on opening weekend when it isn't all that busy? My wife had the lamb chops, my brother wound up with the scallops and my sister in law had a burger. Everyone finished their meals and was satisfied. Dinner prices are definitely higher than before, but the quality of the meals are also much better. There is still a good selection of sandwiches and burgers so the Tavern still offers affordable, casual dining. Overall rating for the food was 8.5 on a scale of 1-10.

The service was spotty and I am being kind describing it this way. Upon arrival at the front door it was quite and we were met by three frazzled employees who were discussing who wound handle what table. After listening to this nonsense for several minutes we were finally greeted. It drives me nuts when service employees don't take the time to acknowledge new customers immediately, even if they can't get to them for a few minutes. After being greeted we were allowed to select a table anywhere in the restaurant. Finally seated, we were informed that there was a shortage of menus. How can this be, the restaurant was only half full? After 10-minutes we were given three menus to share amongst the four of us. Our waitress was pleasant, but definitely new at this game, although she was by no means a spring chicken. She tried her best, but service was quite slow and we had to ask for another round of drinks after our first round sat empty for quite sometime. Meals also took forever to come. The bartender also appeared new to the game and had little in the way of personality. What happened to Catherine who always was so pleasant behind the bar? Finally, General Wolfe and his wife were also a big disappointment. The Tavern hired two period actors who I assume were there to entertain the guests. They acted like two seventh graders at their first dance. They lurched between hanging at the bar and saying hello to the diners. I would have stationed them at the front door to greet the diners, if I hired them at all. Service was a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10 and I'm being kind. Much room for improvement in this area.

Overall it was a nice experience and this restaurant is head and shoulders above where it was previously positioned. It now competes with the likes of the Woodshed, Canoe and Church Landing. I was somewhat surprised at how inexperienced the dining staff was, but I'll write that off to opening weekend kinks. I'll be back. You should give it a try, too.

05-25-2009, 08:29 PM	#9
secondcurve Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,117 Thanks: 1,325 Thanked 559 Times in 288 Posts	I also visited the Wolfeboro Inn this weekend. My wife and I went to dinner with my brother and his wife on Sunday evening (Day Four). I rate the over all experience an 8.3 on a scale of 1 to 10. We purposely arrived early at 5:30 to avoid the crowds, although even by the time we left at 7:15 it was not overly busy. The layout of the new restaurant is excellent as it pulls together the Inn and the Tavern. Seating is much more extensive and the restaurant now flows into the area where the old Sunday Brunch was served. In all my years of visiting the Tavern, I never went anywhere near the front desk, but I did on Sunday as the bathrooms are now at the back of the restaurant at the end of a long hallway that leads to the front desk. The new bar is essentially in the same spot as the old bar, but it is larger and its design is cleaner. High top tables surround the bar creating an inviting atmosphere. There is also a nice porch at the back of the restaurant facing the Lake and the 1812 bar has been spruced up, although it wasn't open (When will this bar ever be open if it isn't open on Memorial Day Weekend?). Overall rating for the new restaurant design is a 9, on a scale of 1-10. The food was also very good. I had the Seafood Linguine and it was fresh and the portion ample. My brother ordered the tavern steak tips, but they were out. How does this happen at 5:30 on opening weekend when it isn't all that busy? My wife had the lamb chops, my brother wound up with the scallops and my sister in law had a burger. Everyone finished their meals and was satisfied. Dinner prices are definitely higher than before, but the quality of the meals are also much better. There is still a good selection of sandwiches and burgers so the Tavern still offers affordable, casual dining. Overall rating for the food was 8.5 on a scale of 1-10. The service was spotty and I am being kind describing it this way. Upon arrival at the front door it was quite and we were met by three frazzled employees who were discussing who wound handle what table. After listening to this nonsense for several minutes we were finally greeted. It drives me nuts when service employees don't take the time to acknowledge new customers immediately, even if they can't get to them for a few minutes. After being greeted we were allowed to select a table anywhere in the restaurant. Finally seated, we were informed that there was a shortage of menus. How can this be, the restaurant was only half full? After 10-minutes we were given three menus to share amongst the four of us. Our waitress was pleasant, but definitely new at this game, although she was by no means a spring chicken. She tried her best, but service was quite slow and we had to ask for another round of drinks after our first round sat empty for quite sometime. Meals also took forever to come. The bartender also appeared new to the game and had little in the way of personality. What happened to Catherine who always was so pleasant behind the bar? Finally, General Wolfe and his wife were also a big disappointment. The Tavern hired two period actors who I assume were there to entertain the guests. They acted like two seventh graders at their first dance. They lurched between hanging at the bar and saying hello to the diners. I would have stationed them at the front door to greet the diners, if I hired them at all. Service was a 7.5 on a scale of 1-10 and I'm being kind. Much room for improvement in this area. Overall it was a nice experience and this restaurant is head and shoulders above where it was previously positioned. It now competes with the likes of the Woodshed, Canoe and Church Landing. I was somewhat surprised at how inexperienced the dining staff was, but I'll write that off to opening weekend kinks. I'll be back. You should give it a try, too.