Woodshed
 

Boy has the Woodshed changed! My wife and I went last night and it was not what we expected. It took way too long for a waitress to come to us, in fact another waitress (from another table) came and asked if anyone waited on us. So she took our "Drink order," and the manager brought us our wine, sent our waitress over, and told her, those drinks were on her (the manager). After she took our order. It took (once again) way too long to bring us our salads. (Note: It wasn't very crowded), and even longer to bring us our meals. My prime rib, ordered medium rare, was cold and raw, with lots of fat, and my wife said her's wasn't much better. The mashed potatoes were soupy, and the squash was so watered down, it was like mush, with the prime rib "dumped" on top, and cold. My wife said they squash must have been left over from Thaksgiving. The table beside us had the customers complain about the cold food,(looked like chicken) and didn't even eat it, he said "just pack it up." The manager came, appologized to him and told him the kitchen was "Backed up," but once again, it wasn"t very busy, lots of empty tables. When we got our bill, (almost $90.00) I saw those "Complimentry drinks," for waiting, were on the bill anyway. I should have complained, but I held my thoughts, paid the bill, and we just went home. My wife has always loved the Woodshed, but said, "It will be a long time before we come here again! VERY DISAPPOINTED with the Woodshed!

That is really too bad. Sorry to hear these kinds of comments about a place that certainly used to rank an A+. I hope they can build the place back into the excellent dining spot they used be. BTW, you should have asked them to comp you the entire bill. An offer to comp drinks, and then not carry it out on the bill, plus the other poor fare is not worthy of $90.00.

One suggestion. You should add you comment to an existing Woodshed thread so that there is a continuity of comments that people can follow.:)

We are frequent diners @ the Woodshed . We were there on fri 11-25-2011
And agree with the comments. We go there once a month with 2 or 3 other couples and are all dissapointed and wont go back for a while . Friday night the waitress didn't know the menu 2 meals had to go back because they were cold the mashed potatoes were boxed the squash was cold there signature drinks were weak at best, and the place was empty . We are going to take are hard earned money and go elswhere . Good luck Woodshed.

I have been to the Woodshed twice, and was disappointed both times. The food is way overpriced and I didn't think it was that good. I don't see myself ever going back.

Avoid
 

The place has gone from good, always consistent to fair. This summer my last time until new owners take over it has gone to poor!!!!!

Excellent each time
 

We have been to the Woodshed multiple times over this past year and had Thanksgiving Dinner there this last week (Nov 2011). Excellent each and every time. If something unexpected happens (mistakes do occur) the management is always happy to step in and correct the situation. As we rarely eat at home, I can point to the Woodshed as one of few Lake establishments that consistently delivers. It's service staff is especially loyal with many second generation. They know what the Woodshed was and is. If something is not right, let them know as I know of no other Lake's region eating place that is as committed to making it right.

Disappointing to hear that. I have never had a bad meal there, although drink orders are always slow.

These reviews (except one) are concerning me because I had planned to take my parents to the Woodshed for Christmas Eve dinner. It is an old family favorite and I was looking forward to the prime rib.

I went there last March and it was okay.

If you have your heart set on a great dinner with your parents, and the Woodshed is a personal favorite, try this: When you make your reservation ask to speak to the owner(s). Express your concern about what you have heard lately, and tell them you are looking for a special time there on Christmas Eve. It may be little consolation after a poor showing, if that occurs, but at least you could reference your phone call and ask the owner for compensation and if it is not forthcoming, tell them very nicely that you won't be coming back and you certainly will tell others.

look at all the other threads on woodshed overwhelming favorable

my opinion the Canoe is the best show in town never had a bad meal and the service is excellent. good luck Happy Holidays:)

I've been to the Woodshed many times over the years and have had a couple of less than perfect meals but the over whelming majority of times it has been excellent. Plus, the atmosphere is hard to duplicate. I'd stick to your plans Cate.

CateP's situation is alot like mine in that we have limited time, her's a special night, mine limited days to enjoy vacation. We both have had expectations met in the past but we are trying to get feedback on recent meals served at The Woodshed. Yelp seems to have mostly positive comments. I'll stick by my previous exploritory visit, to check things out before she goes.

My Opinion
 

We come up to the lake for Two+ weeks in late September. (We rent on the water.) We also come up in February or so. We always went to the Woodshed for our Best Place (Special) dinner. It has always been excellent. They served what we liked and the service/timing was also fine.

BTW: It is up to the Patron to "control" the timing. The waitstaff doesn't know who you are or what your preferences are. There is no need to make them guess. It's in the best interests of both parties. :) No need to be pushy either.

We havn't been to the Woodshed the last couple of years. We discovered the Lyons Den. We can also go there by boat. We don't go there because it is Better...we go there because it's a different venue. We like both. NB

Woodshed
 

I too have been multiple times over the last 12 years and the last 3 or 4 times food has been sent back because it was cold , just this past Friday wait staff slow and didn't know what went with your entree when asked the place was empty @ 7:pm. Signature drinks weak at best . We go there with 2 or 3 other couples and i'm sure we won't be back any time soon . It has consistently gone down hill . They need to put their heads back in game !!!

Woodshed
 

We have been there and we considered it ok. Not worthy of traveling all that way from Belmont when we have the Canoe and O's which we thought were much better and are much closer.
We did not dislike anything but thought it pricey for what we got.
I have done work in the Meredith area and have talked with others who say they thought the Woodshed food was much better before it was sold.
I cannot say because I’ve not been since it was sold.
I know when we decide to go out and go someplace nicer than the run of the mill T-bones, Patrick’s & Fratelloes, I like to feel like I’ve spent my money wisely, because in this economy it doesn’t happen often.

Positive
 

I stop by the Woodshed most wednesdays for a glass of wine and dinner and have had positive experiences with my food and service, with the exception of one night that service was sluggish.

I think given the veracity of the posters above, there does seem to be some issues that need to be worked out. I would think that it is relatively easy in the kitchen this time of year.

I will report after my visit tomorrow:liplick:

Cate,

I would not be concerned with the quality of the food as some people here have comment. I was there 2 weeks ago and was very please with the quality of my meal. We where a party of 10, and to my knowledge everyone's meal was hot and prepared correctly.

The service was slow, and has always been that way in my experiences with the Woodshed. I don't know why it just is. However if you are planning on appetizer and drinks before you meal, my guess is you will not notice any serious lag in service time.

Do I recommend the Woodshed for families, most certainly not, as the service is slow, but if the event is for a group of adults, I think the wait is quite often counter acted by the quality of the food.

Finally on a slightly different note during my last visit to the woodshed my 10 year old stepson was with me. As kids will at that age, he explored things he hadn't seen before. Such as the spiral stair case just after the hostess booth. He was caught in his adventure, and then escorted back up the steps and allowed to see what was up there, and even got a nice tasting of a brownie. A place that is slipping doesn't take the time to do something like that. They do indeed care, and like every restaurant have their moments.....

I've always wondered what was up there. Sounds like your stepson made the right move!!!

Shore Driver...
 

...next time you go you should ask to eat up there.

It's cool to look down on the rest of the restaurant.

:D

Jay:

I think you are confusing the loft (which has dinner seating and I agree is a nice place to dine) with the spiral stair case which doesn't have any dinner seating above.

I agree about the loft. I always ask for table 23.

But that spiral staircase remains a mystery...

I was underwhelmed by the quaility, quantity, service and temperature of the food at the woodshed. I am not a hard guy to satisfy, but the food was just not that good. It may have been great place to eat in the past...but not in my experience recently.

secondcurve...
 

...thanks for the heads up!!

My mistake!!

It's been a while since I've been there.

:D

Have we ever had a response from the Woodshed owners?

Woodshed
 

I went to the Woodshed this past summer and found the food and service to be quite good...... I hope the owners do respond as there seems to be much concern here.

My guess is the owners of the Woodshed may have learned a lesson from the Drubbing the Wolfeboro Inn "manager" has recieved....Just an observation. :D

In my... (garded) opinion, the "manager' of the Wolfeboro Inn has NOT done his business any good with his .........responses. Maybe just let sleeping dogs lie works better....the problem then just fades away..:look: NB

It does bring in to question the relevence of this forum as far as restaurant reviews are concerned. They (the W Inn) had 300 reservations for Thanksgiving, and we had 1 or 2 responses from people that were there? You may be on to something NB. Some restaurant owners have gotten into some deep doodoo by responding here. Of course some like samiam is a regular contributer to the forum, and his places never have a complaint. And I know why. He does it simple and the right way.

I'm inclined to agree. My advice: If you are a restauranteur getting some negative reviews here...just take the reviews into consideration..and FIX the problem..and all will work out quietly.

The funny thing is, ...when someone is "Called' on their integrity..as they see it..(Such as a restaurant manager).... and the charges are obvious...ie poor food, poor service, etc. it can get very..... interesting..:D

Confusing
 

I find some of the comments confusing. I have been going to the Woodshed for 15+ years but as the years have increased my visits have decreased. Every so often I say I will give it another shot but my last visit will be my last (past summer) until new owners take over.

I hate to criticize the place because there a few enough options open as it is now but the Woodshed of 2012 cannot hold a candle to the Woodshed of 1995.......not even close. Name is the same. Building is the same..............food is NOT the same. Service is not the same.

Very Good!!!

You are definitely onto something here Pineneedles. Its a funny thing, but when someone feels they where wrong, it is easy to step behind a keyboard, and say what is on your mind. Now in the case of a customer, it quickly gets out their frustrations, and they move on... In the case of a business owner, they can be frustrated by what they perceive as a threat to there business and take the issue way to personally. which leads to further conflict. If I where a business owner, I would review threads about my business but never comment on them. If you make changes in your business people are going to know you are paying attention.

By far the worst scenario here, that I have scene is what has happened to the owner of O's and the canoe.... he has made comments trying to respond to issue, only to be pulled into ugly debates.

2 cents
 

I personally think that the right approach for an owner is to acknowledge an issue and commit to rectify it. I think that the forum understands that there is variability inherent in the business and anyone can have a bad day. I have seen a supportive response in the forum to this approach. Of course, crossing swords tends to invariably turn out badly and a non response is more prudent.

Note that we tend to be much faster in typing our frustrations than accolades and that should be considered also.

Just my 2 cents

Jetskier:cool:

They might not read this forum.
 

I was told by a fellow worker that the owners have had marital problems and split up. This may have something to do with what is happening at the Woodshed or it might not.

BR I think the split happened even before this season opened. See earlier posts. I am looking at JDeere's comments and agreeing. It was a different place years ago. This is definitely one of those places I would like to have return to the level of service and qaulity that their pricing is attuned to! As it is now, I can't bring new friends there and KNOW what we will be getting.:(

I believe
 

You should get what you pay for. Has anyone actually gone to the owners and pointed this thread out to them?
That is why I generally won’t go back to a place that I’ve not been happy with.
Yes it could be a fluke, a bad night, a bad waitress etc. but it is still hard earned money that I've spent.
I strive to go above and beyond and set myself apart from those who do what is required, weather it be my painting business or my snowplowing business.
It has gone a long way to retaining my current customers and building my referral base

This is all very distressing news. I'd hate to see them go downhill.

I had dinner at the Woodshed on Tuesday evening of this week and had a wonderful meal.
Being a Lakes Region native, I have been dining at the 'shed for over 25 years and have watched it go through some peaks and valleys of overall quality in the years since Lynn sold it. This past fall/winter/spring for instance I had a series of pretty poor experience there and did not return for over 8 months until now.
On this occasion I had the seafood pie, my date the filet. Our server was wonderful, the timing and presentation were what I would expect there and the hostess (I believe the chef/owner's new wife) was very pleasant and checked upon us during our meal. We had no complaints about our food or any other part of the experience with exception of a large, rude table nearby who was trying the patience of the server and the other guests.
A few more experiences like this and I will be once again highly recommending the Woodshed to my friends and customers.