Ben D.
Yelp
For years and years, the Carriage House on Rye Beach was a favourite of the local seacoast crowd. Renowned for its classy, quality feel and relaxed, mysterious ambience, the Carriage House remained the go-to restaurant for me and my family.
With the retirement of its longtime owner, the Carriage House was saved by the owners of Louie's in Portsmouth. Comparing the new Carriage House to the old one, this early on, is a little unfair. Although it's definitely not the same as it used to be, it's still a fine eatery.
I will admit that I was disappointed that the old Carriage House, with its rustic feel, delightful wait-staff and fine-tuned menu, couldn't survive forever. It's hard to see something that you loved for so long change, but, inevitably, the time had come.
The new Carriage House is a different vibe altogether from its predecessor. The wood trim and pillars has been painted white to make the space feel more modern. The booths are gone, and small tables are in their place. The wait-station by the kitchen door has been turned into seating. A little paint here and there, along with some other updates, has helped rejuvenate the old building.
The menu couldn't have been more different as well. Gone are favourites like the Island Lady, and in their place are more current offerings. However, perhaps because it's only brand new, there's no burger, pasta dish or other salad. The sole salad option was disappointing: heavily overdressed romaine lettuce with some diced radishes dropped around the sides. The herb dressing was applied so liberally that I had a hard time eating it.
The rest of the meal showed a marked improvement. I ordered the sole steak option, which was okay, but small, and overly garnished. It tasted very good, however.
For dessert I had the blueberry cobbler and a cappuccino. Both were delightful.
However, the new Carriage House is more expensive than it used to be. My party of 3 was taken aback by the size of the bill. Not only that, but the restaurant seems more booze-centric than it used to be, but that's probably how they make most of their profit. Changing palates require changing restaurants, I guess.
All in all, I'm sad to see the old Carriage House go, and I think a lot of Rye locals will say the same. The new one isn't comparable, not because it's necessarily worse, but because it doesn't even feel like the same place. I'd recommend giving it a try, but I can't say I like it as much as I used to.