Outstanding Answer
 

That is a great answer that only could be answered by an experienced married individual.

Kid-friendly
 

Lets keep the kids at McDonalds and the other fast food places and leave the good places to the adults.

There is always one
 

That is because there is always that one! No matter how hard or how good a place is, there is that one person that will find something wrong with it. Everyone knows that one person like that, you all know what I mean.

Every place can have an off night
 

This is where the wait staff or the hostess can make a huge difference. If I am unhappy with the meal and the wait staff seem unconcerned then I probably won't go back. I would expect the staff to be very concerned and depending on how poor the experience was to offer something like a coupon for free appetizers for the next visit. Then I am willing to give it a second chance.

One of the problems I have is that some of the restaurants are out of the way. I make a special effort to get to it and if it doesn't measure up I am unlikely to make the effort again. Restaurants that are closer I might try several times before writing them off. Another thing, often I just want to go where I KNOW I am going to have a good meal. I don't want to take a chance or experiment. On those occasions I am going to go for sure things, not try some place that has disappointed me already. For the time I feel more adventurous I will go somewhere new or give a place a second chance.

Kid-Friendly, or Not-Kid Friendly?
 

I can't begin to say how strongly I disagree with this statement. I will give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you are not being serious.

Right on!

Few things are as annoying as an ill-mannered, howling little clone distracting me from enjoying my meal.

Certain restaurants, the more expensive, quality ones, should prohibit children.

We do it with smokers, why not with this equally irksome annoyance?

Maybe you should just stop going out to dinner.

?????
 

PROHIBIT CHILDREN???!!!!!
Yeah, that'll go over real well.
When you open your restaurant, you go ahead and post that sign at the entrance, and let us all know how it was received.

Come you guys.He's trolling again.He loves to stir the pot.don't help him.

Troll or Truth
 

I can't tell if he's agreeing with Big Kahuna or be facetious but they have a point. Some of the kids today are unruly and the parents don't act like the parents of a prior generation would have to put a stop to it. I find the "better" restaurants have informally set aside a family section and an adults only section. Of course if you want to minimize the chances of be seated next to an unruly kid then eat "late", after 8pm. Most families go between 5-7 PM.

Ask yourselves this one question .... If you were on an intercontinental flight w/o reserved seating would you choose the empty seats just infront of the couple with a 2-3 yr old or the empty seats next to the 70 yr old couple ?

Kids in general don't bother me but there have been a few times when I've wanted to get up and paddle the little brat and then tell the parents "See, that's how it's done !"

I now return you to the original topic ....

I don't think many people here will disagree with you on this. Even those of us with kids. However...and this is a big however...does an unruly kid here or there warrant banning ALL KIDS from restaurants or airplanes?
Of course there are unruly kids, always have been and always will be. But to ban them from the public is just wrong IMO.

Ban kids
 

To answer your question directly ... no, of course not. That said I have no problem with a restaurant that doesn't want kids nor ones that want to be family friendly. It's their (business) decision IMO. Ideally the economy would support both so "we" would have the choice to make.


Any chance "we" can ban certain people from being parents .... ;)

I completely agree with that...I had the same opinion regarding the smoking law.

Wouldn't that be nice. I had to pass a test to drive my boat...shouldn't a potential parent have to pass some kind of test? ;)

Not the case...
 

Read my post again, BK. I wanted to discover a great new place for breakfast! And if you read ALL the posts, you will discover I am not the only disappointed customer.

BTW- on the day we went, the owner was cooking. Maybe he was having a bad day. :(

no bad publicity
 

Tomorrow (Friday) morning, I'm going to forego my normal Friday breakfast at George's, and make the drive over just to try this place....based on all the activity on this thread. So, I guess what they say is true: "There is no such thing as bad publicity."

This week, and then next, and close the camp up for the year. Very sad!

To FlyGuy
 

My question is, did you even make the effort to tell anyone you were having a bad experiance? Or are you just one of those people who find fault in everything, expect it all to be perfect all the time, without any regard for a couple of very hard working local business owners? I am sure that had you mentioned to your server your concerns they would have done everything in their power to correct your issues. I think you like the attention. You are obviously following this discussion thread without posting. You stated that you will not be back. If you have already dismissed this establishment, then why are you continuing to monitor the chat activity? Like I said, you like the attention! Keep in mind while you are trashing this business, that they opened the Saturday of Labor Day weekend, and are struggling like any business to work out their kinks and get established.

Gee, maybe parents with ill-behaved children should stop going out to dinner with their ill-behaved children.

Shrieking, noisy little heathens have no place in a good quality restaurant.

Think of it this way: would you tolerate comparable behavior from an adult?

Didn't think so.

Just because they're young doesn't mean we should cut the little whippersnappers any slack.

We visited yesterday, for the second time, with friends. It was closer to lunch so most of us ordered sandwiches. I read the menu more carefully and the astounding thing is the huge number of choices and each has multiple options. I had the maple glazed haddock sandwich on a soft baguette which came with a large portion of delicious cole slaw and, I believe, fries ( I didn't get these). Sandwich was very good. My friend got a "black and blue" which was pastrami and his wife got a "regional" specialty sandwich with turkey and cheese of some kind. My wife got the waffle. He loved his sandwich, his wife liked hers although not totally "authentic" compared to what she was used to. But again, I wouldn"t have expected the Cuban sandwich (also on the menu) to have been the same as in Miami. My wife's waffle was a little "heavy" for her, but this is a very personal preference. The service was pleasant and the pace leisurely. The point of all this is that this is a new local restaurant, with an unbelievably ambitious menu, trying to give the customer a new home cooked experience. Not every dish was perfect, but, on balance, it is definitely, worth a visit. For the record, I had the corned beef hash on the earlier visit...it was "dryish" rather than greasy but I really liked it. I do feel each poster is entitled to his/her opinion and should not be attacked for giving it. Kitchen Cravings deserves your consideration. I have no connection with anyone there and do not even know them.

jtb - I think you are off base in your assessment of Flyguy. I do not know him (or her) but he/she has been active on this thread as far as I can discern. ANY restaurant can have a bad day. I wrote a real bad review on the W___S___ and got slammed by many and accepted by a few that had similar experiences. Sometimes you just can't complain to the waitstaff if they're not available. I have never been to KC and will of course not comment on it until I do visit.

Well Behaved Children and Poor Restaurant Ownership Decisions
 

Several years ago, when we had a child who was at the time 10 years old, we had reservations at a very popular Center Harbor restaurant, which I named in another thread but will not name now, and they seated our party of six at a table in the bar that was about two square feet in area, for a high-end, sit-down dinner, again for six people. When we asked why we could not be seated in the dining room when we had dinner reservations for six, we were told that with a "kid" in our party, the dining roon was off limits for us. For the record, our youngest was 10 at the time, but all others were 16+.

Now that our children range in age from 13 to 24 and some with significant others, we still refuse to spend our hard earned money at this restaurant and we will never go there again, even if many think this is the best restaurant in Center Harbor. Our party size is usually 8 and with top choices on the menu and good wines for all of legal age, our bill is usually in the $450+ range and often tops $600. We will never forget the rude reception we had at this restaurant and they will never see one penny of our family's money as long as they are in business.

For those of you in the restaurant business facing hard times in today's economy, please be aware that a policy of "no children in the dining room" is coming back to bite you, right in the pocketbook at a time when I believe it really hurts. Please be aware, kids get older and become paying customers, in time. In addition, mis-treated customers in the form of families, have very, very good memories. Please be fair to all families. Control the few that are out-of-control, but admit all without restriction.

That all said, some families have zero control over their children and should be asked to leave restaurants due to their disruption of the dining experience for other guests. I think the restaurants must control their guests, no matter how old they are. When we were seated in the bar in the experience noted above, many of the bar patrons were loudly swearing and were very vocal, both poor behaviors that should have been addressed by a restaurant that expected an appropriate environment for all their customers, as we were told when we were refused a table in the dining room. Although they refuse to service us in an appropirate setting, they did nothing to control the out-of-control adults in the bar area.

Clearly the bar was not an appropriate environment for children and we decided to leave and never return.

If anyone wants to know the name of the restaurant, send me a PM and I will respond. I am now 60 years old and I will remember and share my experience about this with any interested parties for the rest of my life. This was, and still is from what I am told, very poor restaurant decision making and management.

They should be "up the creek" without a paddle.

R2B

I had a similar experience..
 

i know who you mean... LOL at your "clue". Won't spend a dime there either...

I'm pretty sure the policy has changed under new ownership...would you consider going back if that is the case? I really do think it's better than the other very popular restaurant in Center Harbor whose name begins with the same letter.

There's a restaurant local to my home that I refuse to spend my hard earned money at because they let two girls run rampant around the restaurant on a Super Bowl Sunday...so restaurants are damned if they do or damned if they don't. I personally like M-n-M's idea of paddling the little brats myself. I'd also add verbal whipping of the parents as well.

Rose,

I am fairly sure that they have the same owner, but to be fair I have paid zero attention to this place for the last few years. If policies have changed, I would go back as long as it was a different owner.

I also agree the other restaurant in Center Harbor is superior and very well run. When we are up in that part of the lake for dinner, that is where we go.

I do not at all like it when children are allowed by the parents and restaurant staff to be out-of-control. If they are not behaving, then out the door they should go. I do feel it is wrong to assume that all children will be a problem and have rules that do not allow them in certain parts of the restaurant. It is even worse to force families with children to sit in a bar area with small cocktail tables within earshot of out-of-control adults.

R2B

Check out this thread. New ownership as of April 2007.

http://www.winnipesaukee.com/forums/...ead.php?t=3626

Perhaps the former owner would like to comment on their reasoning behind the limitation on kids.

OK, I guess....
 

So Friday morning, I made the 20 minute drive over to Kitchen Cravings, simply because I was intrigued by this thread.
It actually took me a second to figure out how to drive into the lot, but no biggie. There is no access from the main road.
Anyway...I have to say I experienced a little bit of everything posted through out this thread. I was very impressed with the dining room upon entering...looked just plain great. And all the old photots on the walls...perfect "lake" atmosphere.
Terrible greeting...almost felt like I was bothering them at first. I walked in, no wait, and didn't know if it was "seat yourself" or "wait to be seated". Is there anything worse than going to a place for the first time, and you have that awkward pause when you first enter, not being sure of what to do?
Put a sign up, or train your employees to be sure, no matter how busy, to greet every new arrival (with a smile, by the way...people seemed pretty grumpy there). Anyway, I actaully had to ask, and a woman led me over to the famous "half tables". I was solo, by the way.
OK...no need for discussion here...these half table are rotten, rotten, rotten! Take them out today. No maybe...no saying "that's just your opinion". It's a fact. They are terrible. I'm sitting there, alone, facing the wall...which is only two feet from my face. I am sitting with my back to everyone in a room, staring at a wall. Think about this for a second.
Now, there are some neat photos in this place. Some really great ones. They make you want to get up and walk around to see them all. But, imagine what happens everytime I turn to look around. A waitress thinks I am trying to get her attention. And that's good...a waitress checking if you need something. But each time I would turn someone would come by. And I became pretty familiar with the three pictures in my face, so I was curious to look around a bit. But after three games of cat and mouse..."oh, do you need something?" "oh, no, I'm fine. Thank you for asking." I decided to get lost in my newspaper.
After the initial greeting, I must say, the service turned out very good, and there were several smiles.
I found the menu very busy...very busy! So many things and different options. I got eggs and hash, potatoes, white toasts. Sorry, and maybe it was a fluke, but thumbs down. Way down. The scrambled eggs were...let's see, imagine putting two eggs on a grill like you were going to make them over easy, but decide to run a fork back and forth thru them (before they are cooked) and them wait and turn them with a spacheler. The eggs were on the plate, and looked like a round, yellow, over cooked pancake. Like no other scambled eggs I have ever had.
The hash was dehydrated strings of corned beef, over some chukns of redskin potatoes...maybe it was just not "my taste", but I didn't really care for it. So, I was not crazy about the food...but I honestly don't hold it against them. Maybe I just ordered the wrong thing. There are many other itmes to choose...but they did miss the mark on the eggs. Did I tell them?
Of course not. Maybe that is just the way they do it there. And did I ask for a different table? No, as I don't think it would be fair to tie up a table for 6 for just me.
And, although this may sound like a negative review, it really isn't. I just didn't care for what I ordered. Would I go back??? Not really my ideal breakfast place. But I would HIGHLY recommend it to someone, like, say, my parents. Older retired folks, who would prefer a slighly more upscale place for breakfast than a diner. It would be perfect for them. And they would love the look of the dining room...nice atmosphere.
But the half tables????? Burn them this afternoon.
Go Sox!

sa that is the kind of review that IS helpful to anyone trying to make a decision. Thanks.

I'm sorry....but I can't stop laughing thinking of you sitting at the table facing the wall:) I'm happy that it all ended well for you though, good review.
________
FORD ASPIRE HISTORY

Ditto... :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Here's just what sa meredith needs...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...EL._AA354_.jpg

Perhaps upon his next visit, sa meredith will have the privilege of being seated in the corner and thus, be able to view two walls, without alerting the wait staff. :D

Happy at Kitchen Cravings
 

I've discovered some of the best restaurants in the area thanks to this forum.

Kitchen Cravings is another gem.

We headed over at 10:30 today. Thanks to forum members for helping us find our way in - it's not too intuitive There was no wait so we got a table for 6 for our little batch of 2...felt bad but intended to invite another couple to join us as suggested here...never got the chance though.

My first observations - what great memorabilia on the walls!!! I wandered where I could to take it all in. Brought back great memories of the old King's Grant Inn, the Queen of Winnipesaukee....etc. If you go - look around. Take it in. Enjoy the view. It's worth it.

That brings me to my next observation...the staff have a great deal of trouble getting to the "infamous" half tables when the other larger tables are full. I saw a poor older couple nearly have to leave their table for the waiter to get back and forth to the table behind them...I'd see that as a terrible inconvenience. I would have been very dissatisfied had that been my table, no matter how good the food was. LOSE THE HALF TABLES!!!!!!

Next observation - the menu! WOW - there were so many options I was at a loss about what to choose. The waitress asked "have I given you enough time to find something on the menu?" She must hear a lot that the menu is extensive.

I've read so much about the hash and Benedict, that I ordered that. I noticed on the menu that the home fries are purposefully plain, but that you can flavor them any way you like - though the menu didn't offer any options as to what to flavor them with. I asked for mine to be with salsa! It was home made and very tasty. Fresh tomatoes and what I'd call medium spice. The hash was more meat than potatoes which was fine with me because I had the hash browns anyway. The Hollandaise sauce on the Benedict was very good, I even ordered more which they didn't charge me for. Couldn't tell about the home made English muffin because it was covered with hash, eggs and sauce, but I think it was probably very good:rolleye2:. My comment here is that the food was not quite hot enough and the poached eggs could have been cooked a little longer.

My partner ordered the "Pig Pile".....highly recommended if you like breakfast pork. The dish consisted of potatoes covered with home made toast, then sausage patties, bacon, eggs and smothered with sausage gravy. A heart attack on a plate I'm certain, but very satisfying and tasty. They offer Egg Beaters. The gravy is probably awesome in a Biscuits and Gravy dish.

Next up - the service. It was outstanding. Though I agree there is some confusion about if I were to seat myself or be seated, we only waited a short moment to find out. A friendly gal who was not ultimately our server brought us to a 6 top table. We were greeted right away and asked for our drink order, we never had to wait for coffee, there always seemed to be a pot making the rounds (and 75 cents for a cup of coffee...WOW), our server was friendly and engaged us in conversation, and the check was only $18. (We've paid nearly $30 for breakfast at Donna Jean's for a similar meal.)

We'll definitely be back, but will avoid those half tables at all costs.
I plan to order the Elvis special (peanut butter and bananas on grilled bread :liplick:) the next time I go, unless something else on the menu grabs my eye.

thanks guys
 

Maidencove07...seems like your party and I had a simlilar experience and had similar observations. I'm glad you enjoyed your food. And believe me, you made the right decision to avoid the "half tables".
Now...to the others....I'm glad you enjoyed the fact I had to sit facing the wall, by myself. Sort like I was in a "time out". In the future, I will make an effort to behave myself, thus avoiding this punishment. hahahha
I guess if I was that unhapppy, I could have asked to move. It was pretty funny, and I must have looked foolish siting there.
To the owners of K.C. ....rip those half tables out today, and burn them in the parking lot. You otherwise have a very nice spot there, and I have already recommened your place to several family members.
Go Sox!!!!!!!!!!

We will try Cravings but thanks to all of you I will not accept a 1/2 table. I might wait longer but even the idea of those things is repulsive.

On a second note part of our family is in the restaurant business although not local. When you are not pleased with the food or the service they want to know about it. How can you fix a problem without knowing about it.

When we receive less than good service or substandard food I always nicely let the manager know what was not up to par. When we go back if it is still an issue I tell them again. It is kind of like baseball, a third strike and you are out.

Perfect GWC:) sa meredith.......we are just kidding around:)
________
MONTANA MEDICAL MARIJUANA

It's fine...and funny
 

Yes, I know you are kidding...and it really is funny. A guy, sitting alone, with his back the whole room. I felt quite foolish.
I ceratinly took no offense to what you posted. I agree.
I think I'll go back this Friday, and indeed ask if I can sit in the corner, so as to be able to see two walls (instead of one).

We stopped in today for lunch. We passed on the half table and were seated at the far end. A nice spot. I had the Cuban sandwich and my wife had a Pastrami sandwich. The service was good and the food was excellent. We will definitely go again.

I think that the 1/2 table treatment for SA will be enough punishment for driving into the Witches this summer.You are now off the hook.

We had breakfast here this morning and the GFand I both loved it!!
I had french toast, home fries and bacon. Karen had a bunch of stuff smothered in sausage gravy. Both meals were real good, as was the service. I dont know what kind of coffee they serve, but it's a medium roast and had a ton of flavor.
We sat at a regular table, not a 1/2 table, and no, I will not sit at a 1/2 table in the future.

Wewill be back!!

Pretty average ...
 

Yesterday I went to Kitchen Cravings because I wanted to know what all the hoopla was about. I went with a friend who had been there a few times before, and liked it.

I planned on meeting her there, and she arrived before I did. I walked in and saw her seated at one of the larger round tables, although she said she was initially shown to one of those infamous half tables facing the walls (ewww). She indicated her desire not to sit there and was given the larger round one.

The atmosphere was pleasant and not crowded, and there were probably about 10-12 people there, including two adorable small, loud children. I liked the pictures on the walls, but I felt it a little "overdone" with the other, many accessorites, in the windows, above the walls, etc., and I did not care for the man sitting in the bathtub out front.

We both ordered a veggie bean burger that came with lettuce and tomato on a toasted bun, and we ordered the french fries. We both agreed that the burger was bland and dry, and the fries were okay, but both were served reasonably hot.

The service was very good with our server coming over to ask if we needed anything, how our meal was, and to fill our coffee cups. When she filled our coffee cups, she neglected to also add additional cream cups which we needed, but did without.

Evidently it was the owner who came over to our table to talk to my friend, having met her before. She was very pleasant and wanted to know if the food was okay. We agreed and said yes.

Although my back was to the food preparation area, I found it a little odd that it would be visible to the dining area and thought a separating wall would have provided a nice separation. Instead, there was this strange looking ... I really forget what it was, but it was up against one of those half tables, right up against it, and a gentleman was sitting at that table. My friend and I commented that we wouldn't have liked sitting there (being a half table and all), and because the barrier was right flush against that table.

My friend and I took our time and visited together while eating, and after we were finished, but during our lunch and after, those two loud children were obviously very ready to leave, with Dad continuing to shoosh them until the adults were.

All in all, it was very average and I would not return without trying other places I haven't visited first, and there are a few on my list.

Just my .02.

We again visited Kitchen Cravings yesterday after we did our duty and voted. Moderate crowd, only waited a couple minutes. Were seated and took on the task of deciding what to order this time, my wife and her friend ordered the "Black and Blue" Pastrami sandwich - one cheese one without.
My friend ordered the "Co-Pilot" and I ordered the "Pig Pile".
My dish was delicious with biscuits, homefries, sausage patties and eggs all smothered in sausage gravy. And I had to bring half of it home.
My friend had 2 pancakes, 2 eggs, 2 sausages, 2 bacon and homefries and polished it all off and said it was great. My wife loved her Pastrami, and her friend had to return hers because they had put cheese on it, they made a new sandwich and brought it out in a few minutes and she also was happy. Overall another satisfactory visit. Thanks for taking the time to read.