The Restaurant at Burdick's

We have been Burdick's fans for many years, visiting several times yearly in all seasons and for many special occasions. We were never disappointed by the service, the ambiance, or the food. Last night none of these features rated highly. The decor has changed from charming to really unattractive art, with high prices labeled for prospective purchase. The service was lackadaisical and the servers were obviously uninterested in their clients. Two fish selections were already gone when we arrived at 7:15 and there was little apology and no accommodation. When our orders arrived, we found them very pedestrian compared to previous culinary experiences here. There was no attempt to offer more bread and we had to ask for more water and butter as a tiny serving was inadequate for 4 diners. And at the end, the plain bitter chocolate, in tiny bits, was no comparison to the Burdick's treats offered in the past. We found the pricing has also changed and the quality of the food does not match the price. We are now bidding a sad farewell to happier memories of Burdick's.

The food was very good this Sunday. We did dinner, as opposed to brunch. I started with the Bleu Cheese salad..very good. Richard had the coconut carrot soup, which was very nice no overpowering of the coconut flavor. For my main I had the Sft Shell Crabs, which were excellent. Richard had the Curry Goat, which was very good, but could have had more kick to it. For dessert we split the Chocolate mousse, which was excellent.

Burdicks Chocolates has the best chocolate you can find anywhere and their little cafe is the closest thing to France you'll find in rural New Hampshire. The adjoining restaurant next door has great food and atmosphere. In addition, the location is Walpole, a beautiful little town with classic New England homes and churches.

We've been going to Burdick's several times a year for many years. In the past it's always been consistently excellent, our second favorite restaurant in NH. However we were disappointed on our last visit, the food was good but it wasn't up to Burdick's usual standards. We are hoping that they had an off night and that last nights dinner wasn't the new norm.

Food is excellent. Love soft shell crabs. The menu is somewhat exotic for NH-VT area. On a Friday night we were surprised how uncrowded it was for 7 PM. We had reservations but did not need them. This has been our go to place fro a few years.