Dining Impressions: Trip Report

[Mr. V]

I just returned from a two week vacation at Winnipesaukee.

What a great time!

Visiting with family, swimming, sight-seeing and of course, eating.

Alas, my siblings pretty much are addicted to grilling on the porch while overlooking that Million Dollar View (and who can blame them, really?), while I enjoy dining out.

Which is the segue to my shorthand impressions of my culinary experiences in late July and early August ...

Wise Owl: sturdy, simple, reasonably priced (see comment on W.O. thread).

Their sub sandwich however was lame.

Kitchen Cravings: Very interesting decor. Ordered the hash, which was not what I expected: little of no melding between the chunks of meat and potato.

Very similar to what I ate recently at Hash House A Go-Go in Las Vegas.

My son said his Eggs Benedict were average.

Nice toast, though.

Ellacoya Barn and Grill: My filet was delicious, one of the top ten steaks I have eaten.

The place is too noisy though, you have to shout to be heard.

Their bread could be better.

Pop's Clam Shack: we ordered fried clam bellies, which was a first for all of us.

Disappointing: greasy, tasteless, somewhat rubbery.

Maybe that is just the way they always are?

Peking Tokyo: They've expanded their menu to include Korean food.

We had several different plates, one Korean, and all were fine.

Decent, acceptable food, nothing fancy.

Crazy Gringo: Speaking of nothing fancy (pun intended), this place was fair, at best.

Maybe it is because living out West I have geater exposure to Mexican food, but the food here was not all that good, frankly.

Not bad, just not all that tasty.

Nice free buttered popcorn, though.

Gilford House of Pizza: fair at best: a mundane take on the cheese steak and Italian hoagie.

Pizza Express: a really good cheese steak, with good bread and no amiance: where'd they buy their artwork, a garage sale?

William Tell: Very nice eggs benedict; the blintz however was strange looking, sort of like a hat from Revolutionary War days.

Good coffee.

Lanna Thai: their beef fried rice was quite good.

Not much beef, but the rice was flavorful.

All in all, a great trip: I grew a belt size (back to the gym ...)

You people have a gem in Winnipesaukee.

[magicrobotmonkey]

Aww, you missed my shop, Burrito Me in Laconia! May I ask how you chose where to dine during your stay?

[Mr. V]

I'll check it out next time.

As for how I made my choices, some were places I'd eaten at before (Ellacoya,
Peking Tokyo, Wise Owl, William Tell), some were recommended by family (the pizza places), and the rest by my reading this board.

For sure, I wouldn't have gone to Kitchen Cravings or Lanna Thai or Tavern 27 without reading about them here first.

I'd made up my mind to try them long before arriving lakeside.

Never did get to The Woodshed: visions of prime rib still dance in my head.

[VitaBene]

And you missed a special place!

[SteveO123]

We have had the pleasure of their burritos several times, the ingredients are always fresh and delicious! We always take friends and guests there for a nice tasty lunch treat. Highly recommended!

[Rattlesnake Gal]

Originally Posted by Mr. V

I just returned from a two week vacation at Winnipesaukee.

What a great time!

Kitchen Cravings: Very interesting decor. Ordered the hash, which was not what I expected: little of no melding between the chunks of meat and potato.

Glad you and your family had a good trip Mr. V!

I love the Kitchen Craving hash, but agree that there isn't enough potato. I always get a side of hash and a side of potato only and fix the ration myself.

Good left-overs because I cannot eat it all.

Leave your diet at the door, because there is nothing low-fat about the brisket hash.

Originally Posted by Mr. V

Pop's Clam Shack: we ordered fried clam bellies, which was a first for all of us.

Disappointing: greasy, tasteless, somewhat rubbery.

Maybe that is just the way they always are?

No, that doesn't sound normal at all. We've never had anything, but excellent luck with the fried seafood at Pop's Clam Shell.

Sorry your dining experience was less than stellar.

Next time you should try Kevin's Cafe and their all you can eat fried clams!

Originally Posted by Rattlesnake Gal

After hearing everyone rave about the all you can eat fried clams at Kevin’s Café, I just had to try them for myself.
We stopped in on Friday, October 2nd (2009) after a fun day of leaf peeping.
They were fantastic! Among the best I've ever had!!!

I even managed to snap a picture for you before I dove in.


This was the first helping! As you can imagine, there were no seconds for me! They are exactly as ILoveWinnipesaukee and others describe.

Rattlesnake Guy had the chowder, which he said was wonderful. He also got the calamari, and a Caesar salad with chicken.
All items were excellent and the rolls... they were out of this world!

Our server was our Forum friend, Meredith Lady. Laura was awesome as usual and is a real asset to Kevin's Cafe.

Kevin also made the rounds the night we were in to check on his patrons. He is a very personable man and knows how to treat his customers.

There was only one thing regarding our meal, in my opinion that could use improvement - the French fries. The few that you see peeking out from under the clams were not on par with the rest of this excellent meal. I didn’t say anything at the time because I was just enjoying my delicious clams and couldn’t fit them if I tried.

The French fries that Laura made for us this summer on several occasions at the Pier were incredible. Kevin should find out what she did and always do it! Her fries were golden in color, light and fluffy on the inside and crispy on the out - fantastically delicious! I think she should train the whole staff because she is the French Fry Master!

Of late I am absolutely hooked on the crab cake sandwich at Kevin's Cafe at the Pier. Talk about heaven!

Originally Posted by Mr. V

Crazy Gringo: Speaking of nothing fancy (pun intended), this place was fair, at best.

Maybe it is because living out West I have greater exposure to Mexican food, but the food here was not all that good, frankly.

Not bad, just not all that tasty.

The build your own chimichanga at the Gringo is what I have been hooked on from the start - love the chicken, mushroom and spinach with cheese. A little pricey though when we have all the kiddos in tow.

Originally Posted by Mr. V

William Tell: Very nice eggs benedict; the blintz however was strange looking, sort of like a hat from Revolutionary War days.

All in all, a great trip: I grew a belt size (back to the gym ...)

You people have a gem in Winnipesaukee.

We've only been to the William Tell for dinner and cannot get past the Wiener Schnitzel. They do a fine job with it.

[mets3007]

I did not go to NH this year but most places I go to I like:
Breakfast: Donna Jean's, Ames Farm Inn,Friendly's,and Union Diner

Lunch: D' Angelo's, Lakeside,Jon's Roast Beef, Ames Farm Inn

Dinner: T Bone's, Lakeside,Patricks, Friendly's

We did not eat at many places for dinner we rotated the 4 places once and then ate at the best 3 before we left, If we stayed more than 1 week we would get sandwiches ones night, Pizza or Chinese

For Ice cream they are all good especially Lili's and JB Scoops

ps we used to go to Waldo Peppers last year but they closed as did JT's the year before so we lost 2 places we= me and my dad

[CARDER LANE]

As I type this I am suffering from burrito hangover. As usual the food was excellent and the service was great. I highly recommend this as a must try on anyone's dining agenda.

[Chubbs]

Stopped in for lunch at Pops last Saturday. Portions are tremendous. The clams were good but not as tasty as Sandy point. The biggist surprize was the cost. 1 clam plate, 1 Clam roll, 1 small side of clam strips, 1 small onion ring and 3 cokes. I pulled out 2 twenty's to pay the bill..and to my surprize I had to pull out a third. Two dollars change. Oh well... Can't beat the view.

[Marko]

we were up there on vacation too last month and ate at some of the same places.....

Originally Posted by Mr. V

Pop's Clam Shack: we ordered fried clams with the bellies, which was a first for all of us.

Disappointing: greasy, tasteless, somewhat rubbery.

Maybe that is just the way they always are?

yup.......either you love fried clams with the bellies or you don't.......
try the onion rings next time cause they ROCK!

Originally Posted by Mr. V

Crazy Gringo: Speaking of nothing fancy (pun intended), this place was fair, at best.

Maybe it is because living out West I have geater exposure to Mexican food, but the food here was not all that good, frankly.

Not bad, just not all that tasty.

Nice free buttered popcorn, though.

.

we concur........think it's more of a drinking establishment than an eating establishment......
as the place is very LOUD

Marko
St Petersburg, FL

[Overlake97]

Go to this place on a Monday or Tuesday when they have Crispy Chipotle Pork as an option (see link below for availability). I usually get a couple of tacos with this filling, sometime three. In a sane world, Burrito Me will be here for a LONG time, and probably expand to other locations in the future. Better than the various taquerias (e.g., Anna's) in the Boston area.

Before Burrito Me opened in Laconia, I used to get a mexican craving once every 2 to 3 weeks; now it's twice a week. Go to the website below for a menu and live postings of daily offerings. When I see the Crispy Chipotle Pork announcement, I get there ASAP. I was there one afternoon and got the last bit of this delicacy, but the guy behind me also asked for some. He seemed truly dejected when they told him I got the last of it. The good news is, the regular pork is also great!

http://burritome.com/