Debbie C.
Yelp
On a recent snowy night, of which we've had many, we went to the Winsor House in Duxbury for the first time since they came under new ownership. I had been wanting to try it since they opened under Island Creek Oysters so I made a reservation a week in advance. On the snowy night we went, there was hardly a car on the road because of the weather. But when we arrived, the parking lot and the restaurant were jam packed. So I do suggest getting a reservation.
Since we arrived 20 minutes early for our 7 PM reservation, we thought we would go to the bar. But I could see that their new, large rectangular bar was full. However, when I checked in at the desk, they said our table was ready.
My final thoughts on the place are that the staff is helpful and very nice, the food is very good, but everything else is kind of weird. The prices ranged from very low (burger is 8.99) to ridiculously high (a 7 course tasting menu is $90 per person). Other strange things about The Winsor House: the first 2 courses of the tasting menu are 1) raw oysters and 2) crudo - a choice between 2 raw fishes. While I would enjoy that, I know some people don't want either. The names for many of the items on the menu are confusing: the title for the burger is NOT MY BURGER, NOT MY PROBLEM, the title for fried oyster sliders: UGLY SLIDERS, the title for the only steak on the menu: HERE'S YOUR STEAK with no mention of what kind of steak it is. At the end of the $90 Tasting Menu there is this statement: $45/Get Weird Pairings. I presume that refers to alcoholic pairings for each course, and the word "Weird" is an acknowledgement of the weirdness of their approach.
As far as the food goes, the salmon meal was delicious. It was served with a tasty sauce and accompanied by good fruits and vegetables. My husband had the steak and he loved it - a perfectly cooked bavette steak with another great sauce and good accompaniments. The Winsor fries are on the Small Plates menu for $5 and they were some of the best French fries I've ever had. A side called Everybody's Crispy Broccoli had good flavors (honey, yogurt, and mint) but the broccoli was so undercooked it was almost impossible to eat. Also, I got 2 raw oysters, and they did not come with mignonette.
We decided that we would go back and try a few other things sometime. I expect some of these things will change eventually.