Teacher Trekker

Over the course of my time in New Hampshire I had the pleasure of eating at a number of local restaurants that I may have never considered if it were not for family friends. Since we were staying with some of my father’s friends who have been vacationing in the area for over twenty years, they had a great deal of knowledge about many of the local eateries that are in close proximity to the Bretton Woods Ski Resort area. We were able to discuss our dietary habits, desire for particular types of cuisine, cost and travel time (as the weather made traveling to some towns unsafe at certain times during the trip.) Then we made our decisions as a group in order to best accommodate everyone’s concerns. We ended up at three restaurants that I have reviewed below in hopefully what will become a continually updated White Mountains Restaurant Guide after future visits.

Stickney’s Restaurant at the Mount Washington Hotel, Littleton, New Hampshire

There are a number of different restaurants and bars at the Mount Washington Hotel that both guests and non-guests can frequent during their time at resort. The Main Dining Room is the fine dining restaurant and requires men to wear a suit jacket during their meal. It is extremely expensive, but what fine dining experience is not costly and requires patrons to dress up. I was told the restaurant is amazing, but since none of us brought the appropriate attire, we were unable to eat there. On the opposite end of the spectrum was the buffet. It was in a large open dining room that was filled with children running around and dancing to the DJ who was blasting contemporary pop hits the entire time. None of us wanted to deal with that atmosphere, so we passed on that dining option as well. Our most appropriate choice was Stickney’s Restaurant, which could be considered in the middle tier of the hotel’s restaurants. The hotel was packed with guests and visitors looking to enjoy a cocktail and/or meal, so we had to wait to be seated. Since it was too late to make a reservation, we had to wait. We were given a handheld buzzer to let us know when our table was ready, and we were free to explore the hotel and grab a drink during our wait. See my full review where you can find historical information about the Mount Washington Hotel.

Cocktails Infused With Local Ingredients

During our wait we were able to secure a couch and chairs in the main lobby of the hotel. A waitress approached us and took our cocktail order. My friend and I tried two locally inspired cocktails. The first was the Maple Storm made with Marker’s 46, Vermont Sapling Maple Liqueur and ginger beer. The second cocktail was a Berkshire Blueberry Julep, a mixture of Berkshire Bourbon, blueberry syrup, fresh mint, and blueberries. After approximately 30-45 minutes, our buzzer went off alerting us that our table was ready. (Keep in mind it was a very busy night during the ski season holiday, and there was plenty of history to explore while waiting, and the time went by in a flash.) We made our way to the terrace level of the hotel and into the hotel’s steakhouse to begin our meal.

Stickney’s Restaurant was named after John Stickney who was the original owner of the Mount Washington Hotel. Upon entering, patrons will notice that one side of the restaurant is lined with glass windows, windows that in our case did not have the greatest seal and resulted in an unnecessary amount of blowing cold air that made its way through the cracks. Fortunately, it did not deter us from a good time at the restaurant. There are both booths and tables, many of which have amazing views of the top of Mount Washington on a clear day. Any other day you can view the golf course and hotel grounds. During the summer, guests can eat outside on the terrace. Sadly, none of this was possible, since we were eating dinner at night in the middle of the winter.

$39 Lamb…ehh!

Stickney’s prepares their dishes with the freshest ingredients available. They practice farm to table values that result in seasonal menus that highlight food from local suppliers. We ordered way too many appetizers, but did manage to finish the majority of them sharing among everyone at the table. Our opening course consisted of fried calamari, fried mozzarella triangles and mussels. They were all good, and I can’t choose a favorite. Everyone got a different main course with the exception of my father and his friend. They both ordered the burger and did very little talking once their dish was served to them, so clearly they enjoyed their meal. Someone ordered the scallops, which I tried. They were prepared perfectly, and it made me regret ordering my main course. I ordered the lamb, which was good, but with a price of $39 you would think it would have sides included. Actually, most of the main courses do not come with sides, so we ordered mushrooms and the homemade French fries to share while we ate our dinner. My friend had a black bean cake patty with other vegetables. She was very pleased with her vegetarian dish.

In addition to the cocktail list, there was also a decent wine list of single glass drinks and full bottle options. Instead of cocktails or wine, my friend and I had a sampler where we were able to try all of the beers on tap. Like any sampler, some were better than others, but without a detailed description of the six different beers, it was difficult to remember the names of the beverages served to us. My favorite of the bunch was actually a beer I already tried called Pig’s Ear Brown Ale from the Woodstock Inn Brewery only a short drive away.

Local Beer Sampler

Overall, the meal and service was very good, but I did have one major complaint. The price of the meal was ridiculously expensive. I understand it is the Mount Washington Hotel. I understand it is peak ski season. I understand that many steakhouses do not serve side dishes with main course cuts of meat. I eat at high end restaurants in NYC especially, and I am not deterred by having to spend a pretty penny on an amazing meal. That’s just the thing. It was a good meal. It wasn’t an amazing meal. Keeping that in mind, a $39 charge for three lamb medallions is ridiculous. For the same price I might as well have tried the lobster macaroni and cheese, but I found that to have an equally objectionable price. (For the same price you could have also eaten at the buffet, but the children and the music deterred us. I’m sure the food was good, since many people I spoke to said the issue was obnoxious music and bouncing kids and not the buffet style serving.)

Getting back, the prices here are not for the faint of heart, and if you’re looking to save a few dollars, this is not the place to be eating. More importantly, if you’re looking to save money, what are you doing at the Mount Washington Hotel, and what are you doing in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire for that matter? Although many of the desserts sounded extremely tasty, we chose to pass. We were all stuffed from the appetizers we shared and our individual main courses that followed.

Despite the prices I enjoyed our experience at Stickney’s Restaurant. Actually, the only reason I ate there and didn’t mind was because I was not flipping the bill that evening. No one should ever complain when they don’t need to spend their own money. Regardless of that fact, I would recommend grabbing a bite to eat here for anyone who is visiting the Omni Mount Washington Resort and does not mind spending more than the average cost of a dinner. If money is an issue, I would recommend just visiting the hotel, walking around absorbing some of the history, maybe having a cocktail in the lobby and then going somewhere else afterwards to grab dinner at a restaurant more in your price range.

The Beal House, Littleton, New Hampshire

Located in a restored Georgian Colonial, within a stone’s throw of the Ammonoosuc River Valley in Littleton, New Hampshire, sits the Beal House. Today it is a traditional New England bed and breakfast inn. Originally it was built in 1833, and the original family maintained land and farmed in the valley for generations. In 1933, the widowed Mrs. Beal opened up her home to travelers as a Rooming House during the Great Depression. During her time as owner, she also ran an antiques business out of the old barn and carriage house. After 50 years in the business Mrs. Beal sold the property in 1980 to the Clickenger family, who converted the original location into a B&B. Eventually, they sold and during the 1990s, and the Beal House went through a series of owners. In 2000 the property was purchased by Katherine and Jose Pawlek who made the Beal House Inn known for fine dining. The Pawleks also moved on, and beginning in 2006 a new wave of brief owners followed. Most lacked the experience and skills necessary to run the business. Today it is well maintained under its current owners, who are making strides at ensuring the Beal House Inn remains a staple bed and breakfast of the Littleton area.

As a bed and breakfast, the property has two functions: one as a hotel and the other as a restaurant. Guests looking to stay at the Beal House Inn can stay in one of seven available rooms. There are four rooms on the second level and four rooms on the main level. Four of these rooms are suites (two of which have in-room Jacuzzi tubs) and the other three are standard sized rooms. Three of the rooms have fireplaces. At one point during the meal, I made my way to the second floor bathroom and had the opportunity to walk around one of the unoccupied suites to take a quick look. The accommodations and furnishings were all state of the art and well maintained. This suite (Flume Suite) had the Jacuzzi tub and was quite large. Although not my cup of tea, my father and his friends were all impressed with the room they were able to view. They have had friends stay there as guests in the past, and they only had good things to say about their stay.

In addition to the guest rooms, there is also a restaurant for both guests and non-guests of the bed and breakfast. The old barn and carriage house now serve as the current dining room. In the same area is the rustic copper top bar that I was unaware of until well after I left and began writing up this article. The bar has a limited number of draft and bottled beers, hard liquor for any cocktail you can imagine, and an affordable wine list. Wine is available for purchase by the glass or by the bottle.

The dinner menu at the Beal House Inn is very large, especially compared to the other restaurants I visited in the area that are mentioned in this article. The menu was divided into many sections that included: appetizers; soups and salads; vegetarian; seafood; chicken; beef. Actually, one of the reasons we were eating there was because the vegetarian menu came highly recommended and allowed for an increased list of choices for my friend. In addition to this extensive menu, there were also a few specials that were available that evening.

Unlike most evenings, on this occasion we chose to not share our appetizers as a table. A few of the dishes we ordered were specials that were not on the main menu. They included a pork dumpling dish and a clam dish, both of which were fresh and flavorful. My father also ordered the escargot, because he tends to order food he does not make at home regularly when he dines out. (Who do you know that cooks snails on a regular basis?) Our main courses were all extremely good. I actually tried all of them. The baked haddock was fabulous and stuffed with an ample amount of fresh crabmeat. The vegetarian meatballs are a favorite of my father’s non-vegetarian friend who recommended the restaurant in the first place. They were also tasty and had you not told me they were vegetarian meatballs, I would have never known. I ordered one of the specials. It was lobster filled ravioli with scallops in a pink cream sauce. Of all the dishes I tried, I thought mine was the best, but I would have been almost just as happy eating anyone else’s main course that evening.

In summation, our dinner at the Beal House Inn was more than satisfactory. The freshness and quality of the food was apparent with each bite of every dish during both courses. The extensive menu for both vegetarians and meat eaters allowed for many possible dinner choices for guests, and the addition of a number of specials only added to the options available to guests. Although I doubt that I will ever stay in one of their rooms, I can see the appeal of staying there. We all enjoyed our dinner at the Beal House Inn. I would frequent this restaurant in the future as there were a number of items on the menu that I would be interested in trying the next time I am in town.

Blue Mountain Cafe, Bethlehem, New Hampshire

Located at 2015 Main Street in the town of Bethlehem is Blue Mountain Cafe. The restaurant is a small establishment with approximately fifteen tables for patrons. Once inside, you will notice that the walls are covered with paintings from local artists. These pieces of art are also available for purchase if you are interested. They serve a variety of beverages ranging from local beers and sodas to wine from around the world. I was able to try two more local beers (Tuckerman Pale Ale and Smuttynose Robust Porter )and a root beer (from the Maine Root Handcrafted Beverage company) all of which were quite refreshing. The menu, although not large had a variety of different options that will certainly satisfy your taste buds. The menu changes constantly with the passing of the seasons. I was also told by our friends who eat there regularly, that the dishes are made with locally grown produce and proteins.

Among the five of us, we probably ordered almost half on the choices on the menu. Our friends told us that the soup is always excellent, so a few of us tried the mushroom barley soup that was one of the specials of the day. I am a huge fan of barley soup and welcomed it as the start of my meal. The soup was rich in flavor and a good starter to the meal. The Indian lamb stew that my father ordered tasted phenomenal and was quite unexpected considering our location. The bouillabaisse was less of a stew and more of a huge plate of various seafood, but tasted great. Someone also ordered the daily pork special that I tried and found quite appetizing. (If I didn’t order the burger I was going to get this dish, but since someone already was ordering it, I knew I could try it.) My friend ended up only having a salad for dinner, but had no complaints with her meal. I felt like being very simple, so I had the cheeseburger special with local cheese and a bacon jam. I wish I could have gotten the recipe for the jam, because it was to die for. We again chose to skip dessert in favor of having that course back at the house.

Comparing the Restaurants

Overall, the dinner was very good, and it was the most affordable of all the meals we had while in the area. It was also the most relaxed and quietest of the three environments. All three restaurants served quality dishes with locally sourced ingredients. In terms of price, Stickney’s Restaurant was the most expensive. Personally, I found the meal overall to be too expensive. Don’t get me wrong, the food was good, but for the same price I could have a fine dining experience at the restaurant of a celebrity chef in Manhattan. The service was good, but not spectacular. Then came the Beal House Inn. The prices were much better, but I still found some things to be overpriced. Maybe I’m just thinking like a cheapskate as I am wont to do, but even my father made a comment about how he thought a few of the dishes were slightly overpriced. I found the food at the Beal House to be of the same freshness and quality as Stickney’s. Our friends knew the waitress and that made for better service. It was also much quieter and less rushed, making for a better experience. The least expensive of the three was the Blue Mountain Cafe. I found the food and service to be on a comparable level with the other restaurants. If price is your determining factor, I would choose the Blue Mountain Cafe. The prices here definitely provide the best bang for your buck.

Overall, if I were to revisit one of these restaurants, I would probably be going back to the Beal House Inn, because I thought they had the best food, service and overall experience, and I would be glad to eat there again before spending an arm and a leg at Stickney’s in the Omni Mount Washington Hotel. I hope this White Mountains Restaurant Guide was helpful. Happy dining!