Persepolis, 330 BC . . . Carthage, 146 BC . . . Baghdad, 1258 AD . . . Constantinople, 1453 AD - to this veritable list of places that were burnt to the ground, we ought to add the Widowmaker Lounge in the Sugarloaf Mountain ski resort in Carrabassett Valley, Maine.
Like these great ancient cities, this restaurant has it all: inattentive staff, expensive prices, a limited menu where half the items aren't available on a given day, and of course food that may literally kill you.
Last weekend (MLK 2018), I traveled up to Sugarloaf with my friend and his family. What was otherwise a pleasant experience was spoiled-somewhat literally-by our foray into the Widowmaker Lounge. We entered at lunch time following a morning of skiing: My friend and I sat at the bar, and after a solid 20 minutes of waiting, were served by one of the insouciant bartenders. I ordered a cup of coffee and my friend ordered a beer.
We attempted to order food items as well. I say "attempted" because the bartender informed us that literally half of the items on the menu weren't available. Mind you, this was not some random weekday in the depths of winter where small crowds could be expected. It was the Sunday of MLK weekend-arguably one of the busiest skiing days of the year (and yet, the place was not full-odd case). There was really no good reason why the full menu shouldn't have been available. It was especially strange because we had arrived at 11.45 AM, on the earlier side for lunch.
Since the burger and the chicken sandwich were literally the only things that the restaurant had left, that's what we ordered. Humorously, the food arrived at the same time as our drinks (we were sitting at the bar, so a beer should have been pretty easy . . . especially considering the beer was $7/pint).
I wish I could tell you that the indignities stopped there, but, unfortunately, our troubles were only beginning. I dug into my chicken sandwich, which came with chips, as soon as it arrived. The chicken was fairly dry, but I was able to get some ketchup (after trying to get the bartender's attention for 10 minutes), which helped. But the bread . . . the bread was downright stale. I had to stop eating it halfway through. I was about to offer the remainder to my friend, who had housed his burger, but then I saw it: on the crust of the bread there was a LARGE piece of mold. You read that right: The Widowmaker Lounge at Sugarloaf Mountain in Carrabassett Valley, Maine, served me a sandwich with a significant amount of mold on it (see image).
It took another 5 minutes to get the attention of the bartender to inform her of the situation. I explained to her simply there's "mold on my sandwich," and showed her the visible mold. Her response was that of a biologist who has just been shown a prosaic and uninteresting specimen. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "I can have them make you another sandwich, or take it off the bill."
No, I didn't want another moldy sandwich. "Just take it off the bill, please, which I'll take now." Frankly, I think the entire meal should have been comped given what happened, but I was shocked to receive a bill for about $30 (my friend's beers and meals, and my coffee). The waitress did offer a free drink when I was settling up, but at that point I just wanted to get out of there and search the internet to see if there was anything that I could do mitigate my risk of getting sick (there wasn't). Better service from the restaurant after serving something inedible would have been the difference between me letting it go and writing a quip review. Yet here we are.
I realize this place probably does a lot of business because of its location, but it doesn't have to be that way. The Coliseum is in the center of Rome and has been unused for centuries - so too let it be the same with the Widowmaker Lounge (home of the moldy sandwich). My advice:
----If you like to drink while you ski, bring a flask or visit the Bag & Kettle next door.
----If you want to grab something to eat, the food court and 45 North are both nice.
----If you're looking for a place where someone will pay attention to you, try the ski rental shop. The service is great and they people working there will acknowledge that you exist.
But . . . if you want to be ignored, marginalized, bilked, and maybe poisoned, then by all means come to the Widowmaker Lounge at Sugaloaf Mountain Ski Resort.
This place is a blight on the entire Sugarloaf experience, which is otherwise pleasant. Close the doors, save the beer, and torch it. It would probably be best to salt the earth for good measure. If, on the day of my execution, I were given a choice (A) between a last meal at the Widowmaker Lounge (complete with the "full service experience") followed by a painless death or (B) going hungry followed by the Braveheart rack treatment, I'll scream FREEEEDOOOM every time.
In conclusion, I do not recommend this restaurant. read more