Winnipesaukee Forum - View Single Post

MaidenCove07 · 07-24-2009, 12:21 PM

Well we stopped into the Makris last evening on the way to the Winni.... Sadly, it didn't stack up even a little to the hype.

We sat in the bar, which we usually do as we're ALWAYS dressed casually once the work week stops. Our bartender/server was very friendly but distracted, and the food and atmosphere was less than OK.

The patrons on either side of us were deep into their evening drunk and were still being served....the first bad sign as far as I'm concerned. When an establishment risks the safety of their patrons and others by over-serving, it means they take many other risks I don't want to know about. 3 beers later for the woman on our left, we mentioned to the server that she was really a mess and the woman was finally shut off, resulting in her storming out, getting into her jeep and DRIVING away. Heaven hopes she didn't kill someone on the way to wherever she was headed next.

Now for the food....as I'd never been to Makris before, I was pleasantly surprised about the soup bar they offered with all entrees in the menu. I love a good cup of chowder before my meal. I ordered baked combo of haddock and scallops, my friend ordered Haddock Au Gratin.
We got some AMAZING hot rolls to start off and they were by far the best part of the meal. I headed off to the soup bar to also find some cold salads as well. I selected the corn and clam chowder, pasta salad and pickled beets. All I could taste was the flour thickener in the chowder...it looked so good, but tasted so awful. So I tried the French Onion, no thickener needed....well, there was some spice in it that was too overpowering, it even left a spicy hot feeling on my tongue. The pasta salad had no flavor, but the beets were pretty good.

The broiled seafood combo was eatable and I loved that they brought me a huge bottle of tartar sauce for my scallops, but I got 6 bones in the fish, one of them was a big one.

The haddock au gratin ended up going back to the kitchen - the sauce had the same flavor as the chowder and the haddock was undercooked. The cook came back and said that the kitchen had forgotten to stir the sauce and to please try it again. My friend ate it, embarrassed that she'd been put on the spot, but said later that it tasted exactly like the first batch, but at least the fish was cooked this time. She too found many bones in the fish.

Overall it's ranked a 2 out of 10 - they get a point for great rolls served hot and a bonus point for having my favorite bear on tap (Longboard by Kona). They must be able to do something right as they've been there for as long as I can remember, but we're not impressed even a little. We'll not be back. Too many other exceptional restaurants closer to the lake where we can trust the kitchen and the bartenders.

07-24-2009, 12:21 PM	#9
MaidenCove07 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Manchester in Winter, Weirs Beach in Summer & Fall Posts: 132 Thanks: 29 Thanked 17 Times in 7 Posts	VERY Disappointed Well we stopped into the Makris last evening on the way to the Winni.... Sadly, it didn't stack up even a little to the hype. We sat in the bar, which we usually do as we're ALWAYS dressed casually once the work week stops. Our bartender/server was very friendly but distracted, and the food and atmosphere was less than OK. The patrons on either side of us were deep into their evening drunk and were still being served....the first bad sign as far as I'm concerned. When an establishment risks the safety of their patrons and others by over-serving, it means they take many other risks I don't want to know about. 3 beers later for the woman on our left, we mentioned to the server that she was really a mess and the woman was finally shut off, resulting in her storming out, getting into her jeep and DRIVING away. Heaven hopes she didn't kill someone on the way to wherever she was headed next. Now for the food....as I'd never been to Makris before, I was pleasantly surprised about the soup bar they offered with all entrees in the menu. I love a good cup of chowder before my meal. I ordered baked combo of haddock and scallops, my friend ordered Haddock Au Gratin. We got some AMAZING hot rolls to start off and they were by far the best part of the meal. I headed off to the soup bar to also find some cold salads as well. I selected the corn and clam chowder, pasta salad and pickled beets. All I could taste was the flour thickener in the chowder...it looked so good, but tasted so awful. So I tried the French Onion, no thickener needed....well, there was some spice in it that was too overpowering, it even left a spicy hot feeling on my tongue. The pasta salad had no flavor, but the beets were pretty good. The broiled seafood combo was eatable and I loved that they brought me a huge bottle of tartar sauce for my scallops, but I got 6 bones in the fish, one of them was a big one. The haddock au gratin ended up going back to the kitchen - the sauce had the same flavor as the chowder and the haddock was undercooked. The cook came back and said that the kitchen had forgotten to stir the sauce and to please try it again. My friend ate it, embarrassed that she'd been put on the spot, but said later that it tasted exactly like the first batch, but at least the fish was cooked this time. She too found many bones in the fish. Overall it's ranked a 2 out of 10 - they get a point for great rolls served hot and a bonus point for having my favorite bear on tap (Longboard by Kona). They must be able to do something right as they've been there for as long as I can remember, but we're not impressed even a little. We'll not be back. Too many other exceptional restaurants closer to the lake where we can trust the kitchen and the bartenders.