My husband and I stay in the middle-of-nowhere New Hampshire, and Bradford is one of the last towns we pass through before hitting the boondocks, so it is usually our go-to place to grab a bite to eat.
I had intended on going to the Perfect Pear again (it's been over a year and they have since closed), and the Millwaters wasn't yet open, so we decided to give Colatina a try despite it's 3.5 star Yelp rating. We are in our early thirties, well traveled and spoiled by good food experiences. These days we come equipped with a pretty adorable infant-so I'm always looking for places where she'll be welcomed.
I will say things got off to an inauscpicious start when our waitress came over. We had a few minutes with the menu, but were rushed to make a decision on our mains. There were quite a few good looking items and I was having a hard time deciding. The waitress curtly explained "I'm just here for your drink order." It was a relief, but something about her tone just put me off (maybe it's the post-baby hormones, or maybe I'm just :::sniff::: sensitive).
Hubs and I ordered a beer each, and we were both pretty impressed with the local offerings on tap. The baby was asleep, but she too would've been impressed, I'm sure.
We ended up ordering two pizzas and a seasonal salad. I explained to our waitress that we were vegetarian, but I really liked the 'Vermonter' (red sauce, spinach, carmelized onions, vermont cheddar and apples with a maple balsamic glaze) and the BBQ Chicken pizza (subbing eggplant for chicken). She didn't make me feel at all a pain for asking to vegetarianize things and she was super pleasant. She brought over delicious bread and a roasted garlic oil for dipping (really awesome).
My salad had a homemade creamy dill dressing (I'm a sucker for condiments) that was really, truly fantastic. The veggies within were fresh and crisp too. no complaints!
We ordered another round of beers (baby? still asleep) and got our pizzas. Unfortunately the BBQ pizza was prepared with chicken. The waitress apologized and swept it away to be re-made. A moment later the hostess came to our table to also apologize. She also took our salad off the bill (a lovely gesture, but not necessary). We tucked into the Vermonter Pizza and it was AWESOME. Seriously delicious flavors which worked so well together (carnivores take note, the original version included locally sourced bacon!). By the time we'd each had two slices of that pizza, the BBQ returned and was also met with our rave reviews. By this time, the baby had awoke and she got some bread and pizza which she also seemed to enjoy.
The ambiance is warm and homey, with many of the tables boasting a traditional melty candle atop an ol Chianti bottle. We were seating in a back nook, near the kitchen and wood fired oven and we felt very cozy and happy. My husband and I have been coming to the area for years and couldn't believe we missed this little gem. We'll be back and I hope Colatina gets some good reviews. To all those unsure of going-take a chance...You might be as surprised as I was! read more