The Tamarack Drive-In - Try Again?

[Windrider]

I've noticed that The Tamarack Drive-In is open for the season. They say that they are under new management. I was quite disappointed in their food last year, has anyone tried them since they have reopened??

[Lakegeezer]

There was a story in the Weirs Times a few weeks ago, saying (if I remember the story right) the new owners used to work there when they were kids. They are bringing back the old recipes. I agree that the Tamarak had gone down hill fast over the past few years, but it sounds like the new guys deserve a chance. They gotta be great though - its only another mile or so down the road to Peppers.

[Old Hubbard Rd]

This place sold for lot's of $$$$ over $1M++++. When this happens a high mortgage payment then enters into the new owners expenses. The old owner was probably making a decent living because of low over head. Take now the added cost of a mortgage payment and cut backs and you end up with a large possiility of disappointment and possibly failure. No restaurant in the Lakes Region can survive with a big mortgage payment. The only recipe of success in the Lakes Region is keeping your over head low. No restaurant owner in the Lakes Region is laughing all the way to the bank. I gaurentee that!! They are just paying the employees, bills and the owners are receiving about $2.50 per hour if you really calculate the hours they put in compared to the $$ they make.

[Windrider]

Well, thanks to Old Hubbard Rd. I am now thoroughly briefed on the dangers and economics of the restaurant business in the Lakes Region. Now....how is the food???

[valhala]

Lakegeezer,
I saw that article in the Weirs Times, too. I thought it mentioned the three brothers who took it over were named, Clayton. I remember a post a while back from Michael Clayton, indicating that his brother was in the process of purchasing a restaurant. Could this be it? When I drove by last Saturday, they had a pretty good line outside (considering the tourist season is not in full swing yet.)
So, "Good Luck" to the new owners. I'll be sure to stop by and give them a try!

[mcdude]

check out their WEBSITE



Here's a link to THE ARTICLE IN THE WEIRS TIMES

[Windrider]

Many thanks McDude, I missed that article but it surely brings back memories.

I think it sounds as if they are on the right track and I wish them every success even though I've become very partial to Waldo's fine food.

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by Windrider

I've become very partial to Waldo's fine food.

Waldo, and the lovely Pepper, are in a whole different league! (I hope I didn't imply otherwise...)

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by mcdude

Waldo, and the lovely Pepper, are in a whole different league! (I hope I didn't imply otherwise...)

I miss Pepper on this Forum!

I think your best bet to see the lovely Pepper would be to stock up at Lowes in Gilford.

On a more serious note, Tamarack is in dire need of an improvement in quality. I hope the new owners stick to their quality mantra...if so, I am sure that there is enough business out there for them. If they start up with the langostinos (like the prior owners) Pepper will eat their lunch too(figuratively).

Jetskier

[ladybug]

I stopped by on Saturday and they have a much better menu than the former owner. The lobster rolls are 100% lobster meat, no filler. The fried clams were very good. It is a bit pricey for take out food but the price of seafood has gone up so much. I do not mind paying a bit more for good quality food though.
I hope people will give it a try now that there is new management. I wish the new owners a good season.

[Long Island Baba]

I visited Tamarack this weekend. I was so happy that the formula had changed for their lobster rolls (thanks to previous postings!). I agree that they are really good. You can have your lobster roll (small $12.95) one of two ways: either with mayo (which was just a smidgen and just fine with me) or with drawn butter. I think it was gone in 4 bites! Delish. Not too pleased with the onion rings. They weren't too crispy, and even soggy.

It was a long wait and the kids inside didnt appear to be too conscious of sanitary working conditions. They had gloves on but put their gloved hands everywhere just the same.

I think I'll stick with Waldo Pepper's. Tamarack is a HUGE improvement with the new owners and we should give the new guy a try. He's definitely moving in the right direction!

[RLW]

Originally Posted by Long Island Baba

I think it was gone in 4 bites!

It sure does sound like a small lobster roll.

[dpg]

A buddy call yesterday and said he swung by last weekend. He stated it wasn't quite the old Tamarack he and I were used to many years ago but it has come a long way. A definite must try again as he put it.

[dpg]

Hit up the Tamarack Saturday, 5/26. They were much improved from past management. Onion Rings were O.K. still not what they used to be years ago when the original family ran the place, I didn't find them to be "soggy" however. Clam Strips were good also $16.00 for small strips, rings and a drink. A litlle bit of a pricey lunch but whatever...

[Bill25]

I went there Saturday around 12-12:30. Service was very slow. Had a couple of older woman plating the food that seemed to be lost. A couple of young woman took over and food started coming out but by then the people waiting were getting impatient. The damage was done at that point. I had a Clam Roll which was just that no fries or coleslaw. You could taste the flour on the clams. I will have to give it a try on a less busy weekend.

[quagmire]

I think it was run better by the last owners. On our 1st visit last month the service was extremely slow. We waiting about 30 minutes for our order. I decided to try it again yesterday hoping the bugs would be worked out. Again I was dissapointed. We ordered a seafood plate and a salad to eat there. We went around 3pm so it wasn't too busy. It took about 15 minutes to get the order. Not too bad. We went up to the enclosed dining area and found there was no tartar sauce, salad dressing, and forks included. The food was good except the soggy amd mealy fries but they need to pay more attention to details. You shouldn't have to keep going back to the window to ask for items that should have been included.

[gonetoolong]

http://www.boston.com:80/partners/wo...ontinuous=true

[MaidenCove07]

I mean Sorry Gonetoolong....That's a great plug for you, but unfortunately, the taste of your lobster roll isn't in question.

It's waiting for it and the rest of my order for 40 minutes, staff who treats me like they're being inconvenienced by my presence and requets for more tartar sauce and utensils, absolutely nasty fries and onion rings, bone dry hamburgers and soggy clams and scallops - all to the tune of more than $60 bucks. The lobster roll was the only highlight - and because everything else was such a disappointment, I had to share most of it.

May try you again before the end of summer, but won't risk bringing anyone else.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

I mean Sorry Gonetoolong....That's a great plug for you, but unfortunately, the taste of your lobster roll isn't in question.

It's waiting for it and the rest of my order for 40 minutes, staff who treats me like they're being inconvenienced by my presence and requets for more tartar sauce and utensils, absolutely nasty fries and onion rings, bone dry hamburgers and soggy clams and scallops - all to the tune of more than $60 bucks. The lobster roll was the only highlight - and because everything else was such a disappointment, I had to share most of it.

May try you again before the end of summer, but won't risk bringing anyone else.

I just don't get it. The management response is that they have revived the business and care about the quality of their product. The ONLY DECENT THING IS THE LOBSTER ROLL. The staff is lousy and most of the food is lousy and the prices are no bargain. Everyone sells lobster rolls during the summer and most of them are quite good. Personally, they don't get any more business from me until they fix the issues. Why spend good money for poor service and bad food?

Jetskier

[PennyPenny]

The Tamarack will never be close to what it was 30 years ago when I worked there under Marge and Larry Laflamme. To this day, I can still tell you what company(locally) delivered the ice cream, where they got their sea food from and how they made the batter, how many oinions we had to punch out everyday to make the rings and how and what was in the lobster rolls just for starters. Gill and Gina Fernald took over from them and they sold out and it has gone down hill from then on. The curent owners will go belly up and it will become an eye sore. Good thing there is a light there to stop cars and get there attention.

[SIKSUKR]

Someones very negativenegative in their posts today.

[PennyPenny]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

Someones very negativenegative in their posts today.

And who might you be referring to? If it is me and my opinions, I am entitled to them. I wasn't the person who started the negitive comments about the Tamarack. I only added to everyones opinion.

[mbeliv]

...Last Wednesday we went to Tamarack and both had Fish plates. It was awesome. Place your order, grab a picnic table and sit outside. You can't beat that. Reminds me of vacationing in NH when I was young. BTW...I saw the french fries comments. C'mon, they are French Fries! They were good. Couldn't see them under the mounds of Fish I had anyway. :-) Great chow, great old-school atmosphere and we found room for an Ice Cream too. I wish the New Owners great success. I'll be back...

[hazelnut]

I for one hope the new owners succeed. I hope they read the forum and take the comments and suggestions by these current and potential customers. I would hate to see the Tamarack go "belly up." That place is such a staple of the Lakes Region. It has to be tough though because there is plenty of competition for vacationers $$$$ during the fairly short season that they have.
I have not eaten there this summer however I will give them a try before the season is over. I hope all the kinks get worked out before everyone heads home for the fall.

[mbeliv]

...Wow PennyPenny. You wrote "The current owners will go belly up and it will become an eye sore." ...That's not negative? I hope you don't volunteer your time for a Suicide Hot Line. YIKES! Seriously now....these are NEW owners, right? Just give them a shot. ...I have great admiration for those in the past that have achieved success. They laid the groundwork for many during times when it was not so easy to do so. Today, we can only wish the same for the New Owners who, I believe, also have a small history with Tamarack. How cool is that. I hope they succeed.

[sa meredith]

Actually, if what most people have to say on this board is accurate, no one from the Meredith area will make it to the Tamarack, because they will fail to navigate the "roundabout" successfully, and either crash or blow their tires out. Although, I guess they could finish the journey on foot.
I made a funny................

[PennyPenny]

Once again I have offended someone with my comments. I was referring to the negative comments about the service, FF etc. I simply made a comment meaning if they didn't catch up with the previous owners' reputation they would end up out of business. Previous posts stated how much they paid for the property and business and the possible morgage. I hope they do succeed. But I can invision the building becoming run down because of lack of business and high morgage. Apparently there are better restauarants in the area.

[mbeliv]

Understood and No offense taken. :-) I hope the business succeeds and they do well. ...Judging by the new Tamarack sign out front and all, I'm sure they'lll stay on top of things.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by mbeliv

Understood and No offense taken. :-) I hope the business succeeds and they do well. ...Judging by the new Tamarack sign out front and all, I'm sure they'lll stay on top of things.

They do have a nice sign out front. But you can not eat a sign. The forum has been consistent in the critique of this restaurant. If I were the owners I would worry less about the sign and more about the quality of the food and service. Otherwise we might see the sign on eBay.

Jetskier

[NBR]

We were there either in late May or early June after staying away for a year or two because of poor food and low average service. The lobster roll was better than the last time we were there but way over priced. The balance of the food was low average and the service worse than awful. We won't be back this year and likely we will never return!!!!!

Sorry to see such an icon of local eateries slip so far.

[nj2nh]

We probably won't go back to Tamarack. A new sign doesn't mean that the food or the service has improved - just that the prices are too high.

We (finally) went to Waldo Pepper's. Awesome, wonderful, fabulous, terrific! Would go back again in a heartbeat.

nj2nh

[Weirs guy]

Originally Posted by nj2nh

A new sign doesn't mean that the food or the service has improved

And now even the new signs broken.

[dmjr]

I had a chance to go to the Tamarack last evening, I was not impressed. For what we paid, the food should have been alot better.