I rarely write poor reviews but with the experience that my party and I had here, I could not let this one go. Let me preface this review by saying that since I was young (and Tuckerman's had just opened), my family had been going here when we took Winter and Summer vacations in the North Conway area. I always loved this place and was so excited to share it with my friends.
Last New Year's Eve (2011), my boyfriend and I along with another couple came here for NYE dinner. It was something new and fun for us rather than spending it in Boston where we always did. We had the most excellent experience here! It was a pre-fixed price of $60 which included a 5 course meal, live music, and champagne at midnight. The food was fantastic as was the service and we had so much fun. Afterwards we couldn't stop talking about how we couldn't wait to come back next year.
Fast forward to Fall of 2011 and we were already excited to plan our NYE dinner and getaway. This year we had invited another close couple to join and the 6 of us were truly looking forward to some time away. When I called to make the reservation in November I was given to the Manager who informed me that over the course of the last year, the Inn and Restaurant had undergone some changes and there were new owners/managers. I politely asked him if they were offering the same NYE celebration dinner they had the year before and he responded, "Well yes, but we're doing it the right way this time. Really depends on how you chose to look at it." I felt as though my question didn't merit that type of response but I went ahead and made our reservation for NYE. This year they had upped the price from $60 to $70 but still offered a 5-course meal along with champagne at midnight. They were also offering two seatings (an earlier, around 6pm, and later, at 8:30pm). My party opted for the later 8:30pm seating.
When we arrived, promptly at 8:30pm, the manager told us that our table wasn't ready yet but that it would be in about 10 minutes. He suggested we hit the bar for a few drinks and we did just that. No big deal having to wait 10 minutes and grab a a drink at the bar, right? WRONG. 10 minutes turned into in 45 minutes, so I walked up to the hostess to inquire about our table. For about 5 minutes I just stood there waiting for the hostess as she was no where in sight. When she finally showed up I aked her about the status of our table and she acted suprised and then said our table was ready. I am confident that If I never went up and asked her if our table was ready, we would have been forgotten about at the bar.
We were finally seated and it quickly became clear to us that they were severely understaffed. We also noticed that many tables were still finishing their dessert, meaning that they were still there from the earlier seating! Their organization (among other things) was poorly executed. After waiting close to 20 mintues our waitress came over and took our drink orders. Keep in mind, it's now past 9:30pm and there hasn't even been a mention of food. When she finally came back with our drinks she took our food orders. The soup and appetizer courses were medicore at best. It is safe to say that the appetizer course was the best of the night, offering some great options, and everyone seemed to enoy their pick. Then came the entree plate, which was served to us at 11:15pm!! Two people in our party ordered the prime rib, which was stone cold when they got it. They asked the waitress to send it back and she did. When she brought it back it was clear both prime ribs were thrown in the microwave to be heated up. Even when the waitress was giving the guests their plates back, she commented on how they were no longer cooked they way the asked for them to be. At this point everyone was so frusterated that we ate the entree, had the dessert, paid and got out of the there as fast as we could. We skipped the music and champagne and went back to our hotel.
Needless to say, we did not ring in 2013 in the best way. I was so incredibly dissappointed I couldn't even begin to put it into words. I few days later, my boyfriend wrote an email to the restaurant expressing our feelings over what had happened, our displeasure with the overall experience, and how this was our last NYE we would spend with them. As of today, about a month later, we have yet to hear anything back in response to that email. read more