Kitchen Cravings
 

After reading the sign "Coming Soon" for several months, Kitchen Cravings in Laconia finally opened last weekend. We went for breakfast on Sunday, the 7th. A short wait -- people had read about the opening and the place was very busy -- but we were promptly seated. The place (not all that big) was packed. The seating is a little odd, but you do warm up to it after a bit. We were told the kitchen was "backed up" because of the large turnout, but we forged ahead and placed our orders. The wait wasn't all that long, and the waitress was attentive with coffee, water, et cetera. When the food arrived, the wait was truly worth it. Delicious to say the least. I had "homemade" corned beef hash -- yes homemade -- eggs, home fries, and a "homemade" english muffin. You read the right. A homemade english muffin. Wonderful.
My wife had a super-duper Mexican feast with a flour tortilla, eggs, veggies, "homemade" salsa and guacamole -- yes homemade again and sour cream. The coffee was freshly brewed. The whole breakfast was outstanding. Local owners to boot. A wonderful experience. I highly recommend Kitchen Cravings.

What is the specific location? Thanks

?
 

vmartino26-

Do you re-collect any of their other offerings? I believe they are only open for breakfast/lunch, but breakfast is served all day, til they close.

Airport location....
 

Newbiesaukee...the address mentioned in the Weirs Times current issue is 15 Airport Road....Gilford....on airport property. The restaurant is located in the abandoned bank building backing to the airport between Patricks and Peppers..see you all at the Fest???:)

I believe they close at two. They open at six. They serve breakfast all day. Hard to remember many things off the menu. Extensive lineup of food. They had everything from the standard fare of pancakes, waffles, what they call a "French" omelet all the way to various sandwiches and even liver and onions for more hearty fare.

Must be good!!
 

We tried to go there last Sunday. There was a line out the door, and cars streaming in constantly. Sadly we didn't have the time to wait.:(

For those unfamiliar, you cannot enter the parking lot directly- take the entrance to the airport.

Oh well, another day...

See What Happens.............
 

...........when a place gets mentioned, especially with good reviews, on the forum????????? (not sure whether to laugh or cry, but happy for the owners, lol!) :laugh::emb:

Same Here
 

The same thing happened to me this past Saturday morning. A bunch of neighbors and I went to try it out, arriving at 8:15 AM, and the parking lot was absolutely full ... not a single parking spot anywhere. So, we went to Waldo Pepper's where we had a good breakfast and there was little wait.

Sounds as though Cravings will give Waldo Peppers a run for their momey. :eek:

Kitchen Cravings
 

Waldo Peppers is no where even in the same ballpark as Cravings, nor anyone else for that matter. Stop and you will see for yourself that Cravings stands out from everyone else in the area hands down. They make everything onsite using the best products, and everything is made to order. The food may take a bit longer to come out of the kitchen but well worth the wait and then some. Since they opened, they have had a waiting line open to close to get in. Once you eat there you will know why. The place is owned by Bill and Sally Bickford, lifetime residents of Gilford. Bill is the cook and Sally runs the dining room. They both are there 7 days a week, open to close and have a vested interest to make sure everything is as good as it can be. Local owners, great food, awesome place. Check it out. If you can't find anything to eat on this menu there is something wrong with you. :liplick:

My husband and I tried it for lunch today based solely on the reviews here. We weren't disappointed! Arrived just before 1pm and it was packed. Despite two couples waiting in front of us, it was probably less than a 10 minute wait. By 1:20 there was plenty of seating. The food and coffee were great! My husband esp. liked the fresh whipped cream on his hot chocolate! The only negative I can think of (and I agree with the first poster that the seating was a little odd - we were at a 1/2 table and it was slightly awkward to have a conversation) was that there was waaay too much to choose from on the menu and I had a hard time picking something. Guess we'll have to keep going back to try it all!

Citizen Article last April
 

Interesting article about the owners from the Citizen (by Cutter Mitchell) last April... only seats 54 patrons, though? Shhh!!! Let's not tell anybody else until we all get to try it! :laugh:

http://http://www.citizen.com/apps/p...ESS02/87884560

Excerpt:
"Both Bill and Sally are Lakes Region natives, with a background routed in the restaurant industry. Bill owned and operated the Ye Olde Homestead Restaurant in his hometown of Alton back in the 1980s and Sally has done her share of restaurant management, including manning the helm at B. Mae's Resort for eight years in her hometown of Gilford.

The Bickfords took their journeys across the country, having managed a horse ranch in Colorado and a five-star restaurant in the Florida Keys along with a whole host of other unique and different experiences the two had along the way."

We went to Kitchen Cravings this morning. We waited about 15 minutes to get a table. We sat at one of those little half-tables-it was a little weird at first but we had plenty of room.

My husband ordered a french omlette and we were told that it would be 20 minutes-that was fine with us. It actually took about 30 minutes to get our food. That was ok. During that time the waitress refilled coffee and did check on us. She also came by and let us know when our order would be up next.

My husband had a French omlette with sausage and American cheese. It came with homefries and he had coffee and O.J. He enjoyed everything. He said his omlette was light and very fluffy.

I had a hot cocoa with whipped cream and it was good. I ordered a fresh made croissant, bacon and an order of homefries. I enjoyed it all. The food was tasty, fresh and you could tell it was home made.

They had a case of donuts, pastries and fresh loaves of bread by the register that I want to try in the future.

We took a to go menu home with us. We will definetly be back to try lunch and breakfast again. So far this is the best breakfast place that we have tried in the area.

Nicole

Half tables have to go
 

I dropped in alone one weekday morning, around 7AM, enroute to work. There was plenty of seating, but I couldn't sit at one of those half tables and comfortably read my newspaper while I ate, so I sat at a 6-top.

The menu WAS interesting, and after figuring out where to find the breakfast vs. lunch items (they serve everything, all the time) I chose one of their build-your-own benedicts. The benedict was good, but the coffee (de-caf) was average and the homefries seemed like they had been sitting in a warmer too long (small and hard luke-warm potato chunks that had been quickly deep-friend or oven-fried much earlier).

I'm glad they finally opened though, and will definitely be back, as it seems my experience may have been an outlier. But they HAVE to get rid of those half tables. They're cute, but non-functional, and there's plenty of room for 2-seater square tables at the same spots. ;)

We stopped by this Monday morning, no line and prompt friendly service. I also had the hash, eggs and homemade English muffin, very good as previously reported.
About the corned beef hash, put away those visions of canned mush. The "hash" was made from slow cooked lean corned beef that had then been fork pulled. When ordered, a good serving of the pulled meat was then browned on the grill. Went great with the eggs and the home fries.
My wife had her usual scrambled eggs with a serving of grits (not my thing) which she reported to be very good. With coffee for both and juice for her, the total was $15.50 with tax, not bad at all.
I recommend picking-up a menu to take home and review as there are so many options that in a quick reading you may miss one of your favorite things.

I am glad that they finally got things up and running. I ran into Bill and Sally at the Glendale launch a little over a month ago and they indicated that they were far behind schedule due to contractor issues. Good luck guys!

Thumbs up
 

Wife & I were also over there on Monday(~11:00am). Was able to walk right in. Our waitress was patient with us since wife likes to go over the whole menu(extensive). I already knew what I was having. We ordered a fresh fruit dish. This came out in a large bowl. Wife ordered the waffles with orange flavoring. Split the fruit and she put the fruit on the waffles. I had the hash,eggs,english muffin as vmartino26 & Slickcraft had. Any time there's homemade hash, its the first on my list. Both dishes were excellent. I did order a side of baked beans and was a little disappointed. Were to pasty for me. I like kidney and the like for beans. Next time have to try one of the benedicts.
I also agree with Overlake97, those half round tables not big enough. We happened to sit at one of the round tables.
Didn't notice any website. Was going to try to scan the menu and put on the forum. Don't know exactly how to do this.

Enjoy. If they keep same formula, this place can't miss.

Dave M

Kitchen Cravings
 

Have been twice for lunch - wonderful. Had the best "Patty Melt" ever. Only thing I don't like about the place is the tables. T:)hose half tables are really too small to enjoy a meal at. One day we were seated at a large table for six as that was the only table availabe. In a few minutes there was a long line out the door. We told our waiter it was OK to sit others at our table and he did. We enjoyed the company of a very nice couple. I would get rid of the large tables and use more table for four. Wonderful food. Can't wait to try their breakfast.:liplick::liplick:

have to say, not my favorite
 

We went there last week and probably won't rush back anytime soon. We were seated by what I assume was the hostess (though she wasn't very friendly at all). Our waitress didn't seem that friendly at first, but we quickly warmed up to each other.

It took a really, really long time for an offer of a second cup of coffee and an even longer time (over half an hour) for our food to arrive. This was mid-week and from what I could see, there was only one other table waiting for their food (and they were already seated when we arrived). I have to say, the omellete (sp?) didn't have a lot of fillings. I ordered onion, cheese, and ham - only got the onion and ham - and could literally count the pieces of each. I didn't find the omellete very flavorful. The menu promised me that omelletes take a little longer but will be worth it (I'm paraphrasing). Honestly, I didn't feel rewarded for my long wait.:(

The inside of the restaurant is done very well. It's very bright and airy inside. It's great to sit there and look around (almost worth a second trip just to see all pictures/decorations).

We have yet to go there but we recommended it to some friends based on the feedback I have read, and they wanted me to tell you all that they loved it. Other than the "half tables" and modest wait, they thoroughly enjoyed their food and atmosphere. We hope to make it there soon and post our own experience.

Great breakfast
 

We finally had a chance to check it out, and were quite pleased. We don't do the breakfast thing very often, but this was a treat. I usually think of breakfast dinners as comfort food at best. This is definitely a step up. I had the hash and eggs, and the flavors were just right. My girlfriend had a simple breakfast with a pancake, and felt all was well.
The menu is real busy, and we had to ask the waitress to give us a bit more time. There are a lot of choices, with a lot of the fare being a notch above what you expect at a breakfast nook around here. My partner thought the home fries were a bit plain, and could use some spice, when I pointed out, that they indicated this on the menu, and offered to spice them up as you please. Again, a busy menu with a lot of choices for everyone.
As for the service and seating mentioned in previous posts. A bit slow, but just fine considering each meal seems cooked to order, and the quality shows. The seating was OK. We did get one of those funky half tables, and I understand what other posts have said. There was enough room at them, but they’re a bit awkward, as you are not really sitting across the table from each other. I would recommend this as a local breakfast for very good food, as long as you not looking for a “get’m in , get’m out, over easy with two puppy on a blanket” type atmosphere. Bon Apetit.

Sounds as though they need to do something about their speed. Why can't you be quicker AND good too? Hire another cook?

I can't speak for the others who commented on the speed, but I had no problem with it, though it was a bit slower than a typical breakfast dinner. We waited about 20 min. . But I feel the speed we recieved our food, was in line with the quality. As for the wait, 5 min. , not bad. If there is a wait, it's not a bad sign.

We took a trip to the southern side of the Lake today and visited Kitchen Cravings. Bottom line, it was worth the trip. The menu is quite large and we did take note of the weird tables for two. The people in front of us asked if we would share a table which we did and the four of us were at a six table. We had a lovely breakfast with two lovely ladies. I had the corn beef hash and Mrs. N had some combo with a little bit of everything. Place was busy at 11 am on a Wednesday, but no wait. Service was fine and pace was what I would expect at a cooked -to-order place. ( I must say, our go-to breakfast at the Village Kitchen is extraordinarily speedy given the volume....but I guess they have been at it for a while).

All in all, Kitchen Cravings is a great addition to the Lake. It is reassuring to go to a place where you get the feeling that someone really cares about providing a quality product and service.

Because the Menu is so extensive, I thought putting a Link to it on here for your review(before you visit) might be a good thing. Hope it comes out OK.

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...2000/menu2.jpg
http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p...2000/menu1.jpg

Kids?
 

The menu looks great!

Do you think this would be a "kid-friendly" spot?

O.K. come clean with us. Were they lovely ladies or were they HOT!! :laugh:

Angela...

It is absolutely a kid friendly spot! I saw several families having breakfast when I visited there last weekend!

I highly recommend going! I had the homemade hash & eggs.... as stated by others it was fantastic! My girlfriend had the eggs benedict with asparagus! It was awesome, shaved ham, asparagus and perfect hollandaise sauce! The service was good, and the portions were large! You have a bit of a wait, because its all homemade... but its soo worth it!

Woodsy

PS: I cleaned them out of molasses cookies on my way out the door... they were awesome!

Good the ladies asked to speed up the waiting line but I wonder if the two lovely ladies didn't want to sit at the so called half tables. Got to git rid of those. Wonder if Cravings reads the forum.

Dave M

You put me between the proverbial rock and a......so this is the official answer:They were lovely.....Mrs. N, sitting next to me, is HOT.

The lovely ladies did NOT want to sit at the half-tables; this is why they asked us to join them. I must admit I was hoping it was my charm, but Mrs. N said she did not feel this was likely:).

Well we finally went to Kitchen Cravings today and it was as good as I expected! Excellent experience, great food and service. Wife had the cornbeef hash and loved it, I had the special - Prime Rib Steak and eggs and it was perfect except I could not eat it all! (our toy fox terrier gave a thumbs up to the rib eye also) All and all a great dining experience and will be looking forward to our next visit.

Where are YOU guys eating?????
 

Finally got a chance to go today. VERY disappointing.

Sat around noon, a short wait for a REAL table (Personally I would have refused to sit at a half-round table facing a wall.) Service was prompt and friendly.

My co-pilot ordered the sausage gravy on biscuit. While it was OK (I've definitely had better at the Sandwich Shoppe), it was cold in the middle. The so-called "hash browns" that came with it were hard, barely cooked commercial chunks of potato with no seasoning, no onions, no taste.

I just wanted to nibble, so I ordered beans (they were out), their homemade "hash", and a biscuit. The (cold) hash looked more like shredded beef- gray and dry with an occasional potato lump (same ones as the wife had) mixed in. The busicuit was perfectly cooked, and perfectly tasteless.

The coffee was OK, but not as good as the Black Cat's used to be.

We will not be back.

Cravings
 

Flyguy, I have learned one thing about restaurant reviews. Don't listen. No restaurant no matter how good will please everyone. By the same token bad restaurants will have some who enjoyed their meal. I try restaurants and make my own decision. Personally, my visit to Cravings was excellent and I would definitely go back. In my opinion my breakfast was as good as any I have had around the lakes region and that goes for my wife, our friends who joined us and as you have read, many on this forum.

Restuarant reviews
 

I disagree that restuarant reviews should be ignored. Consistantancy is the issue. Here we had 2 people review on the same morning, seperated by a few hours. One whose meal was perfect, the other not. Personal preferences aside, a cold center of hash browns is not something to ignore, I do believe that a premium eating place should deliver consistancy across all dishes served, but the basics should always be the same (tasty, hot, and served on time). The cost of the meal may be higher to achieve this consistancy but that is the price you pay for good food, everytime. I don't look for establishments that are priced higher, but neither am I discouraged by those that serve up the basics consistantly at a higher cost then others.

You get what you pay for! I have no affiliation with the Woodshed, but that is an example of consistancy and at a higher price for it.:cool:

Amen!
 

AMEN! After all the glowing reviews I've read here, if I had any bias walking in it was in Cravings favor. So were were amazed and disappointed when our meal turned out as poorly as it did. I even hesitated to review it here (remembering what happened to one "phantom"!), but felt it was only fair to lower expectations.

I hope all of you who enjoyed it continue to do so.

(PS-I have no relationship with any local restaurant or owner.)

Finally made it to Kitchen Cravings
 

The Boss, had been twice with friends and really liked it. We went today with a group of four. The wait was short, about 10-12 mins.. As others have noted the menu is very large.
All in our group loved the food. I really liked the corned beef hash. Very different, shreaded real corned beef and large chunks of red potatoes. We all had some form of eggs. Fried, Scrambled and Benedict. All cooked as ordered.
I loved the pictures and history on the walls and the staff was attentive and professional. They even have a post card from Lake Shore Park :) That alone had me hooked.. :laugh:
I did take a peek at the half tables and I agree I don't think I'd like to eat a one. I don't really like to "hurry" when I go out for a meal, so the slightly slower pace of service was not a problem for me.
Overall I would rate it very good.

I generally try restaurants myself and do not go according to ratings from other people. However I must wonder how so many people can rave about an establishment and one person dislike it so much? Doesn't make sense.

Sometimes cooks have issues
 

I know that I have gone to restaurants that I have loved many times before, but for one reason or another, there is a time that nothing tasted good, nothing was hot, and I swore I would never go back. Possibly when the member that had a bad experience went, the main cook could have had to leave, or maybe there was an issue with the stoves. I never judge a restaurant on what other people think, except to try it and keep an open mind.

I would give the place a second change, especially if most everyone else is saying such good things about it.

I didn't care for it, either.
 

Flyguy-I'm so glad someone else agrees with me! I was beginning to wonder if my taste buds were that far off from everyone else's. I actually hesitated posting my "review" because so many others liked it.