Ya know, reading some of the previous reviews on this place can be a bit like riding the Yankee…read moreCannonball at Canobie Lake. There are highs, mids, AND lows. Despite all that, I can tell you upfront that our experience was more or less sublime.
Naturally, there was one setback in particular that I just can't ignore (which we'll cover later). First, the good..
Clam chowder: Now, this was a March special. So, it's not on the regular menu, far as I can tell. But let me just say...this is by FAR some of the best damn chowder I've had in a restaurant! Granted, we're in New England. So, I'd expect nothing less. Just the same, it's worth mentioning. This chowder was perfectly seasoned to the point of not needing anything additional. And it had ALL the clams! SO many clams!! 10 out of 10, they really need to make this one more often!
Queso dip: Again, we have a cheese sauce that's beautifully seasoned and creamy as all get out. One thing that perplexed us was the meat (or lack there of). We thought it would consist of larger chunks, but it was minced. Odd. I also would have enjoyed this one a lot more if the chips weren't so heavily salted. 8 out of 10, the cheese sauce is like liquid gold.
Tavern burger: One thing I noticed both here and at the Derry location - not one person had taken a photo of the burgers. Like....ANY of them.
So, I'm a guy who likes to view what he's about to get into. Far as first impressions go, this burger looked delectable! I'm talkin' the perfect charred sear, temperature nailed, cheese beautifully melted over top. Not to mention the kaiser rolls they used were brilliantly crisp on the outside, with a soft interior.
Thing is....this burger would have been damn near perfect, if not for one thing: it was under seasoned. Quite weird, considering the hand cut fries were well seasoned. 9 out of 10, I'd still get this again and just sprinkle salt on the bottom or something.
And for those wondering, wifey enjoyed her salmon salad also.
Now then, I came across something peculiar when we first entered the place. When I went to utilize the facilities, one of the restrooms was allegedly closed for maintenance reasons. I say "allegedly" because, turns out....that was only HALF true.
You see, their sink was broken. Okay. Fine. Whatever. It would have been helpful if they, ya know....mentioned the sink was broken as opposed to letting everyone THINK the restroom itself was ostensibly closed (as per the sign on the door). The whole thing was misleading and, quite frankly, unnecessary. Felt like a damn goober standing there in front of an almost perfectly functioning restroom.
Btw, yes....they had hand sanitizer at the ready to accommodate the lack of sink in one bathroom.
Anyway, service was excellent. Just a note though: it's loud as hell in here as you can very well imagine a bar & grill would be. But I weathered the storm easily thanks to my Loop Earplugs (no, that's not a plug. I swear!).
So, yeah....overall, not that bad. No where near as bad as some folks suggested. Perhaps that was a different time. In any event, we shall return for future date nights. Till then, Friendly Red's Tavern in Windham is worth 4 bad ass burgers charred to utter perfection out of 5.
