April P.
Yelp
Very interesting place. Went for an early dinner with my husband and our three teens when we were passing through on our way back home from Conway. If I were writing a review based on the cleanliness and ambiance, I would rate it one star. However, the food was a five star experience for me and that, for me, is the most important thing. The service was good - prompt, polite, and attentive.
As far as the physical facilities go: this restaurant needs a good deep cleaning, a major decluttering, and some updates to the space. The bathrooms were about what you'd expect in a dive bar. The windows are smudged and dirty. The drop ceiling needs to go. There's a bar out towards the back (where we were seated) that is being used as storage/overflow/side work space which kind of made it feel like we were eating in a work area rather than a dining room. This building has potential with an adorable stone fireplace, a good outdoor area, and great location. A deep cleaning, brightening and lightening of the space, and a better use of the back area would go far.
Now for the incredible food: I had the lamb chops with olives, artichokes, and fingerling potatoes. My husband had the salmon with green beans and blistered cherry tomatoes on top. Between my three kids, they had a burger, a Caesar salad, shrimp scampi, and a BBQ chicken pizza. We also shared an order of calamari. The calamari was tender and the marinara dipping sauce was full of delicious garlicky flavor. Slight criticism in that the breading for the calamari fell off easily, but it was otherwise delicious. The pizza was thin crusted, chewy, and flavorful. I'm told the scampi was great, and it looked so. I'm often frustrated that restaurants don't do justice to vegetables, it's like they're an afterthought, even for many excellent restaurants. I don't want to be served mushy carrots, watery steamed broccoli, or sautéed chunks of undercooked zucchini. The vegetables we had here were cooked by somebody who has to understand and love vegetables like I do. The olives
and artichokes were plentiful, flavorful, and full of succulent texture. My potatoes and lamb were crispy and golden. My entire meal was served over a scallion pesto that was full of bright flavor and the perfect balance of salt and olive oil. My lamb was also full of flavor and cooked perfectly. My husband said his vegetables were the same, and love that his green beans were bright green rather than that muted, overly cooked dull green you'll find at many restaurants. We both had the house Chardonnay and were pleasantly surprised that it was rich and buttery...usually if I'm ordering a house wine I'll go with Pinot Grigio for white or merlot for red (I find more reliable for less expensive wine) so I'm glad that I took the chance on the Chardonnay.
I rarely drive to Wolfeboro because I live an hour away, but honestly I will consider coming to the area again for the delicious food (which is saying a lot considering that there was so much room for improvement otherwise.)
For my fellow foodies out there, I think this restaurant is probably a hidden gem.
