Johnsons

[shamrock]

Hi Everyone,
Has any one visited Johnson's in New Durham lately ? Twice now my wife and I and Guests went there as it is our favorite, but the past 2 times service, food, and amounts not their usual. Service not as good, food amounts not the same,
and the food itself cold. I hope this does not lead to another good eating place losing its Quality that made Johnson's
Shamrock

[Slickcraft]

We had lunch there yesterday, good service and good food as has always been the case for us. As for temperature of the food, we had to let the fish & chips cool down a little prior to eating.

We eat there about twice a month and always have found Johnsons a consistently good value. They do serve a lot each day and have a pretty large staff. Sounds like you might have got a wait person in training. Did you mention your disappointment to the manager on the way out?

[kaj]

I get to Johnsons at least 3 times a summer. My parents love this place and any new company just has to go there. Have always found the food and service great.

[ghfromaltonbay]

I was there for dinner on the evening of 12/9 and the food was as good as always. I had the fantail shrimp and my dinner came out piping hot and the portions were not skimpy at all. Had the kiddie cup of ice cream which contained 2 huge scoops. Sounds like an isolated incident, Shamrock, I'd definitely give it another try.

[Stormking]

Hi Shamrock,

Please come in and ask for Jason or Sharon we'll take care of you. Thanks for everyone's support over the years, I always enjoy reading over the Treads but have never commented.

Thank you Jason

[Belmont Resident]

I worked with another contractor this summer, he and his son raved about the place. Since my wife and I drive by it just about every winter weekend going to and from our place in northern Maine we stopped in this past fall.
I got the Lobster roll while my wife got the beef tips. She was happy, I was not. I'd heard about how much lobster was in the roll and how you can make 2 sandwiches out of it. Well the roll was just barely filled and it came with minimal fries. And considering the cost I was very disappointed. We both agreed it was not worth stopping.
I was asked about things when I went to pay and told the lady of my disappointment. She did take ½ off the cost of my meal which was appreciated but honestly the quantity I received and considering I was still hungry when I got home was of little consolation.
We might stop by and try the ice cream but that would be about it.
Considering I like to cook and would prefer not to spend money eating out but rather on doing things we enjoy, it is always disappointing to feel you have spent your money on a meal your not happy with especially in this economy with money being so tight for some of us.

[Stormking]

We love the feedback, thank you for trying us.

[Waterbaby]

[QUOTE=Belmont Resident;86792]...I got the Lobster roll while my wife got the beef tips. She was happy, I was not. I'd heard about how much lobster was in the roll and how you can make 2 sandwiches out of it. Well the roll was just barely filled and it came with minimal fries. And considering the cost I was very disappointed. We both agreed it was not worth stopping.
I was asked about things when I went to pay and told the lady of my disappointment. She did take ½ off the cost of my meal which was appreciated but honestly the quantity I received and considering I was still hungry when I got home was of little consolation....[QUOTE]

I've tried eating at Johnson's several times, always during the summer, and the wait is almost as long as it takes me to get the rest of the way home and make a quick dinner so we've always passed. I do have a couple of questions for you however -- what was the cost? What size was the roll the lobster was served in? And, if your wife was happy with the tips, did she agree it wasn't worth stopping because of your experience, or a combined experience?

Not trying to "start" something here, or criticize, I honestly want to know for future reference. I've heard good things about Johnson's (both Northwood and New Durham), as you said you had also or you wouldn't have stopped. Thanks in advance!

[kjbathe]

The rest of the family had dinner at Johnson's in New Durham last night (I was still skiing) and in response to what I had read here, I asked them how it was. Service, wait time, quality, quantity and temperature of food were all reported as, "Excellent, as they usually are." Then they asked why I was asking.

So, just another point of reference. And my first hand account is that the chocolate crackle cookies remain delicious. Hold on... Going to get another one and a refill of milk now.

[kjbathe]

We ate Johnson's on Saturday night and, again, I was not disappointed. We saw several friends and neighbors, one couple who had never been there before and they were all impressed with the portions, the food was hot and the service was good. I had to blow on my fried shrimp to cool it off, and another friend was commenting about how hot the haddock was.

It was a full house on Saturday night, but even with a 5-10 minute wait for a table, I had my entree in front of me within 25 minutes of walking through the door. I know this reads much the same as my earlier post, but wanted to give a first hand account of another visit. They're still on the mark in my opinion.

And the chocolate crackle cookies are even good after being frozen (I forgot them in car overnight )

[Belmont Resident]

My meal was the only disappointment. My wife’s tips were great and the portion was also.
As for my lobster, just barely enough to fill the hotdog roll with no overflow, accompanied by what I considered a small portion of fries. What I had was good but nothing compared to what I expected from the people I talked to who raved about how huge theirs was.
I'm not a picky eater, I just compare what it costs to buy and eat in front of the TV verses eating out. I love to cook so it is rare to eat out with prices so high. It is just disappointing when you spend on a meal what you could spend to buy make 2-3 and not be happy, and still hungry.

Now subway, that’s a deal that can’t be beat. There is no way you can buy the stuff to make a foot long sub for what they charge. And the bread is made that day.
I like Waldo Peppers and South End Pizza, but when I want a sub nothing compares to the $5.00 foot long.

[SteveA]

We hadn't been to Johnson's for awhile.

We stopped in for dinner last night and I'm happy to report that they are still as good as we have come to expect. We each had the 1/2 and 1/2 deal. $17.99 an you pick the mix.

We each had:
Whole Clams, Sea Scallops, fries and the fantastic coleslaw (I think it has just a touch of hoarseradish... very good!)

I added a bowl of clam chowda... very good, loaded with clams and the right balance between "thick or thin".

Scallops were nice size and sweet, the whole clams were a small to medium belly and cooked perfectly. The portions were big enough for leftovers (todays lunch!) and the service was the usual excellent. Our server Jill was great.

Every time we go there, we leave saying.. "why don't we go there more often"

The place is always clean and neat, and the table spacing is such that you aren't rubbing elbows with your fellow diners.

[Argie's Wife]

We were there on Sunday night. The food was very good but the service was so-so.

I think our waitress was just having a stressed night so I'll cut her some slack... I've waited tables before - it's not the easiest job in the world. We had a very long wait for our check and drink re-fills, which was rather uncomfortable with two squirming kids with us... (The kids were well behaved but it was getting late... they were tired and I didn't want to inflict them on the other customers there)... We opted to do dessert from the take out window (but because of the kids - not the service.)

In short, we'd certainly go back. Perhaps earlier in the evening next time...

[SteveA]

We've gotten to the age that we now understand why our grandparents used to have dinner at 5PM. Allows a person time to digest before that 9PM bedtime!