Birch & Vine, Tuftonboro

secondcurve · 07-29-2022, 08:31 PM

I went for dinner this evening with my wife to Birch and Vine. We entered the restaurant and the owner met us. She is extremely pleasant and the interior of the restaurant has been cleaned up and vastly improved. They have eliminated the dead space between the old restaurant and the store and added a dining area. It is a big improvement. We opted to eat outside which was nice. The sun was still intense because it was early but there were umbrellas to create shade. We were served by Casey who was very attentive and pleasant. There has definitely been a major upgrade in the service and attitude of the staff. I had a salad and ahi tuna. My wife had the calamari and salmon. We had a few drinks one of which was a nicely put together martini. The bill was about $116.00 pre tip. Certainly higher than the pine cone days but then again prices have skyrocketed everywhere, the service was light years ahead of the Pinecone and the food was in a different league. I enjoyed the Pine Cone but thought their food sucked to put it bluntly. I was disappointed to learn there isn’t a lunch any longer but I think that has to do with staffing issues that are prevalent in the industry more than anything else. This is a very good and well run restaurant and worth the higher prices. The challenge will be the winter months. Hopefully, they will be able to attract sufficient diners to make it work. Overall score 93.75%/100%.

07-29-2022, 08:31 PM	#11
secondcurve Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2005 Posts: 2,129 Thanks: 1,358 Thanked 564 Times in 291 Posts	I went for dinner this evening with my wife to Birch and Vine. We entered the restaurant and the owner met us. She is extremely pleasant and the interior of the restaurant has been cleaned up and vastly improved. They have eliminated the dead space between the old restaurant and the store and added a dining area. It is a big improvement. We opted to eat outside which was nice. The sun was still intense because it was early but there were umbrellas to create shade. We were served by Casey who was very attentive and pleasant. There has definitely been a major upgrade in the service and attitude of the staff. I had a salad and ahi tuna. My wife had the calamari and salmon. We had a few drinks one of which was a nicely put together martini. The bill was about $116.00 pre tip. Certainly higher than the pine cone days but then again prices have skyrocketed everywhere, the service was light years ahead of the Pinecone and the food was in a different league. I enjoyed the Pine Cone but thought their food sucked to put it bluntly. I was disappointed to learn there isn’t a lunch any longer but I think that has to do with staffing issues that are prevalent in the industry more than anything else. This is a very good and well run restaurant and worth the higher prices. The challenge will be the winter months. Hopefully, they will be able to attract sufficient diners to make it work. Overall score 93.75%/100%.