Restuarant Reviews

[GoodTimes]

Without an official Valley Foid Critic(VFC), I am curious what people think of the dining choices in Carrabasset Valley?

New choices

Tried and true favorites

Avoid like the plague...

[Pow on the Mao]

First time at slope side provisions today. Great spot. Not sure why I️ overlook Main street dining options but super convenient to quad and food was good. Will be hitting Main Street more often for lunch.

[Ski_The_East]

Went to hunker down. Salad was a steal for $12. Wings and fritters also delicious but fries a little overpriced for the amount you get. Definitely an app place

[streetracer]

Made it to Hunker Down on Friday...I had a cheese/barbeque meat sandwich, my wife had a Cobb Salad...both were very good and both the service and the atmosphere were excellent. They do have a terrific beer selection, although a little pricey...which could be offset, (if it is not already being done), by having some type of an afternoon happy hour.

[Alpiner]

Went to Hunker Down for dinner Wednesday and Friday. Wasn't intending to go twice in one trip, but it just worked out that way with friends. After Wednesday I was happy to go again. I'm very encouraged and looking forward to the full menu forthcoming. This was a reduced pre-season menu. Wednesday I got the "Balboa" sandwich - like a loaded steak-n-cheese but with roast beef instead, on what seemed like a high quality homemade bun. The beef was well done so it seemed a little steaky. RB should be no more than medium if you ask me, but the sandwich was delicious and more than offset that. I ate it all. I should have brought home half. Spent some time awake that night digesting.

Friday night the table shared wings and fries - one order of bacon dusted, one of salt and vinegar. The wings were outstanding. The rest of the table loved the fries. I'm a big fan of the thick cut fries at their Portland restaurant Nosh, so I was let down with the thin cut fries at HD. The toppings were the same though, which are very tasty, and they were cooked well. I enjoyed them but I'd definitely vote to switch to the Nosh style fries.

For dinner I had a salad and split a bacon cheddar burger with my wife. I ordered medium and it came well done. The restaurant was pretty busy, and I think the size of the crowd caught them off guard this early in the season, so I figured it's just early growing pains. The burger and bun was great otherwise, yummy flavor. Definitely not just another burger. However I mostly only ordered a burger out of curiosity; when I get a craving for a burger at Sugarloaf, it's for a Bag burger. Whenever I eat anywhere at Sugarloaf other than The Bag, I deliberately try NOT to order burgers. Still, this one was excellent other than temperature. Nosh offers a similar (or the same?) burger selection and they are outstanding, so the HD burgers will be hard to resist. The salad was great. I'm not a salad connoisseur, but I know a boring salad when I get one, and this was far from that. I had a traditional gin and tonic that was mixed perfectly, and then on recommendation I tried the Italian gin and tonic. It showed me something new and wonderful.

The decor is basically Gepetto's minus all the plants and the boat. This will probably evolve. The furniture is unchanged and looks dated. IMO there are way too many Narragansett-trying-to-look-like-Guiness decorations. Pick one and take the other 4+ down. Come on, mix it up, this isn't Rhode Island. A blazing Bud Light neon skier sign overpowers the main room. It's fun, but they should put a piece of tinted glass over it to knock it down some. I was thrilled to see a Burton Safari on the wall. I had one, it was my first alpine snowboard. The music selection and volume is not going to fly with my parents. (C&C Music Factory seems out of place at Sugarloaf.) I'm afraid the more seasoned regulars will feel unwelcome.

Our servers were courteous and sharp both nights, we were happy to tip well.

[bigelow]

One of the better deals on the menu is Dale's Pale Ale "Stovepipe" Imperial Pints for $5. You can buy three of them for the price of a single burger.
Apparently we drank too many of them on Friday night as they were all out Saturday night.

[Mr. Vesper]

Mr. Vesper's Top Five

The Coplin Dinner House 1 Stratton 246-0016
Reservations Suggested

The Inn on Winter's Hill 2 Kingfield 340-1020
Reservations Suggested

Tufulio's 3 In Valley 235-2010
No Reservations Required

Hug's Italian Cuisine 4 To Valley 237-2392
Reservations Suggested

The Rack 5 Access Road 237-2211
No Reservations Required

[skiMEbike]

Mr Vesper, Nice five.

Hunker Down, have not been yet, so no opinion....Only can pass on what I heard, “Nine $ beer”

[Ezra]

Hunker has good food but a little dear for a burger with no fries. They could at least they put some fries or chips on the plate. The bag is still a better deal. You would of thought they would at least grab a Bag menu and see what they put on the plate for the $. The bag was full this weekend.

[Skimaine]

I like most all I have visited. We tend to spread our $’s around.

Places I like to visit in no particular order

Hugs - I absolutely love the Veal French. The rest of the menu does not excite me.
The Bag - Cheese Burger Soup and a hot baguette. Killer.
Slopeside Provsions - Great burritos
The Rack - Many good options. BBQ. Pizza.
White Wolf Inn - Wolf Burger. Other unexpected menu options. Any dessert.
Tea Pond Camps
45 North - Hit it for the apps
Tufulios - all around good menu
Sugarloaf Inn - Love the Chicken Picada and now the Seared Tuna
Sugarbowl - good summer option.
The Kingfield Woodsman - all things breakfast.
Orange Cat - get your hippy on. Creative sandwiches

I know I am in the minority, but I have been underwhelmed with Colplin House. I have had one bad experience and two average visits. Food is good but expensive.

I am looking forward to visiting Hunker Down. It will be interesting to see how they connect with Sugarloafers. I met one of the owners during homecoming. He was very un-Sugarloaf like and a bit off-putting. He was shitting on the other restaurants. No need to trash talk. Let the food and service do the talking.

[Gstring]

One Stanley Avenue in Kingfield is definitely worth the visit. The restaurant is only open during the ski season and reservations are required. Food is delicious and "Maine-centric." Ambiance is comfortable and inviting - old, old school in a good way.

https://stanleyavenue.com/restaurant/

[Rossignolsoul7]

I think most place in the Valley are very decent and well priced. However, I am quite surprised that Rolling Fatties hasn't been mentioned by anyone. I can't be the only one who likes this place ???

[Ski_The_East]

No you’re not. Rolling fatties by far is the best food in the area. I’m ecstatic to get a burrito this weekend

[EXILED]

Four cooks quit HD this weekend according to sources

[Skimaine]

I think most place in the Valley are very decent and well priced. However, I am quite surprised that Rolling Fatties hasn't been mentioned by anyone. I can't be the only one who likes this place ???

Forgot Rolling Fatties. My son loves this place.

I wonder if their business model will change once Maine finalizes the Marijuana regulations. “Rolling Fatties” is too good a name to be used for just burritos.

[b632]

Four cooks quit HD this weekend according to sources

I heard this same rumor, I was in HD Sunday and asked the owner why 4 cooks quit. He looked at me puzzled and asked what I was talking about. Apparently it was not true.
Food was really solid and front of the House was great service. Definitely a few bugs to work out but hey it was Day 4 open.

[EXILED]

Four cooks quit HD this weekend according to sources

I heard this same rumor, I was in HD Sunday and asked the owner why 4 cooks quit. He looked at me puzzled and asked what I was talking about. Apparently it was not true.
Food was really solid and front of the House was great service. Definitely a few bugs to work out but hey it was Day 4 open.

Gracias for clarifying .

[Ltaylor56]

Hold a place in your top five for The Waffle Cabin.

[k2trav]

Four cooks quit HD this weekend according to sources

I heard this same rumor, I was in HD Sunday and asked the owner why 4 cooks quit. He looked at me puzzled and asked what I was talking about. Apparently it was not true.
Food was really solid and front of the House was great service. Definitely a few bugs to work out but hey it was Day 4 open.

It is true, 4 cooks did quit, its not a rumor

[goldenboy80]

I guess those cooks wouldn't hunker. Something must have gone terribly wrong for them all to leave. It's not easy finding really good cooks- its a shame and I hope it all gets resolved.

[High Ball]

If this guy manages restaurants in Portland, which has become a real foodie destination, I'm guessing there's a real disconnect between his expectations for quality and quantity and those of the available workforce in CV.

I guess those cooks wouldn't hunker. Something must have gone terribly wrong for them all to leave. It's not easy finding really good cooks- its a shame and I hope it all gets resolved.

[High Ball]

Four cooks quit HD this weekend according to sources

I heard this same rumor, I was in HD Sunday and asked the owner why 4 cooks quit. He looked at me puzzled and asked what I was talking about. Apparently it was not true.
Food was really solid and front of the House was great service. Definitely a few bugs to work out but hey it was Day 4 open.

It is true, 4 cooks did quit, its not a rumor

He was probably puzzled that anyone knew so quickly. He'll learn that news travels a lot faster around CV than Portland.

[EXILED]

[quote="High Ball"]If this guy manages restaurants in Portland, which has become a real foodie destination, I'm guessing there's a real disconnect between his expectations for quality and quantity and those of the available workforce in CV.

^^^^^^ DING DING DING!!!

[SpillwayEast]

I heard that the shipyard lost a couple people last weekend too. I haven't been to hunker down yet............I'll get there at some point...........they will get the wrinkles figured out and I wish them success. The Bag was as good as always and continues to always impress. Glad to hear that they were successful this summer...........it was fun sitting outside on the patio in August!

[tristan]

Mainebiz Food Insider: Shipyard partners with Three Rivers Whitewater on Sugarloaf Brew Haus

http://www.mainebiz.biz/article/2017112 ... /171129949

BY MAUREEN MILLIKEN - 11/29/2017

Fred Forsley, owner of Shipyard Brewing Co. in Portland, is partnering with Joe Christopher, owner of Three Rivers Whitewater, to promote and operate the Sugarloaf Shipyard Brew Haus in Carrabassett Valley.

It’s a partnership made in Maine — Three Rivers Whitewater, located primarily in West Forks and known for warm-weather outdoor adventures that include whitewater rafting, is taking several steps west for the winter and joining forces with the Shipyard Brewing Co. to promote and operate the Sugarloaf Shipyard Brew Haus in Carrabassett Valley.
“I was looking for a winter home for myself and a lot of my staff,” Three Rivers President Joe Christopher said. “I was looking for a restaurant opportunity and looking to round out the year in this area of Maine.”
He and Shipyard “have been teammates for a long time,” he added, noting that it made for a natural fit to partner with Shipyard at its brew house at the Sugarloaf Ski Resort.
Three Rivers Whitewater began as a rafting company on the Kennebec River in northern Somerset County in 1997, and runs rafting trips on the Kennebec, Penobscot and Dead rivers, as well as tubing, skydiving, vacation packages and lodging. The company also owns the Boatman’s Bar and Grill restaurants in West Forks and Millinocket.
The fact the Shipyard Brew Haus caters to the ski crowd, with Sugarloaf Mountain right outside the window, appealed to Christopher. “Myself and Shipyard and its associated brands have been teammates for a long time,” he said.

The partnership with Shipyard is part of Three Rivers’ ongoing diversification over the past decade as it’s grown from being simply a rafting outfitter to a full-fledged hospitality company, with lodging, restaurants and event spaces.
Discussions about the partnership began last spring, and the restaurant, which is located at the Sugarloaf Inn, opened earlier this month.
“We’re very happy to have Joe and his team involved in helping us promote and grow the inn rooms and the Brew Haus experience,” Fred Forsley, president of Shipyard Brewing Co., said in a news release announcing the partnership at Sugarloaf.

Sugarloaf was ranked No. 15 in Turnkey Vacation Rental’s top 30 vacation destinations earlier this month, and opened for the season Nov. 16.
Skiers at the resort in the western Maine town of Carrabassett Valley have plenty to choose from when it comes to places to eat — the Brew Haus, which has been there for 12 years, is joined by 45 North, The Widowmaker Lounge, Bullwinkle’s, the Bull Moose Bakery and Café, as well as food trucks — and that’s just what’s listed on the resort’s website.
A new restaurant, Hunker Down, also opened just before Thanksgiving where long-time mountain pub Gepetto’s had been in Village West. Owners Jason Loring and Mike Fraser own several restaurants both together and separately, mostly in the Portland area, including Nosh, Slab, Roma, Rhum, Bramhall and Big Jay’s Chicken. The seasonal restaurant has craft beer from Bissell Brothers and the Maine Beer Company and serves pub food as well as healthy fare, such as Big Jay’s Super Food Salad.
Hunker Down’s owners are also opening Wax On/Wax Off (yes, it’s “Karate Kid”-themed), as a more intimate apres ski gathering place, featuring sushi and burritos, next door. That restaurant will open around Christmas.

A lot goes on at Sugarloaf during the ski season, and Christopher said one of the Shipyard Brew Haus’s goals is to focus on the off season by becoming a wedding and event venue.
“It’s one of the most beautiful settings in Maine,” he said.
The restaurant features Shipyard’s craft beers as well as a more locally sourced menu that’s “built around the fun of being outside,” he said. It’s a menu that has ahi tuna, but also Maine lobster macaroni and cheese. The brew haus also added a Sunday brunch that includes food like petit filet and lobster carbonara.
Christopher said the Sunday brunch is part of a more all-around approach to those visiting Sugarloaf. “They’ve skied all day Saturday, and, heading home Sunday, they can sit down to a nice meal before they go,” he said.
But he said they’re also hoping the restaurant and brunch will appeal to non-skiers.
The partnership also “is a good opportunity for friends of Shipyard and guests of Three Rivers to get together,” he said. “It rounds things up.
“The year-round thing is growing rapidly, and we want to be a part of that,” he said.

[goldenboy80]

Well, this partnership sounds promising. Good news for all involved. Btw, how many fatties were rolled before the theme Wax-On/Wax-Off was decided... I get the double entendre but wow. I look forward to being pleasantly surprised by the food... and the addition of WOWO 2: Miyagi's Revenge to Sugarloaf in 2019, perhaps a teriyaki sequel to the original.

[Snowynights]

Entire crew minus my wife and two others left Shipyard over the summer. Took only a couple weeks into this season for the remaining three to follow suit. I wish Joe the best but this will be the first time in 14 seasons that I don’t renew my mug and I actually live upstairs.

My mugs now at Hunker Down and they’ve been killing it and that won’t change for a long long time so get used to it.

Gucci Burger w/ a Balantine, yes please.

Shipyard Pizza anytime it sounds right, yep.

$15 burrito at fatties cuz i added lettuce, sure, but you’re pushing it.

Food particles stuck on my glass at Widow, no problem hot ass waitress.

$9 Fucking awesome beer with a $12 side of Big Mac fries at Hunker, done deal.

Get my point?

[Liv2Ski]

I have been to Nosh in Portland several times. Food and drinks are always great and reasonably priced. I had lunch at Hunker Down last Friday and was a little disappointed. The Rusty Edge burger was OK at best. Asked for medium and got well done. Not a big deal. Obviously they are working through some quirks in the new space. Really the biggest thing for me is the price difference between Nosh and HD. Burgers and sandwiches that run between $12 and $15 at Nosh are $17 to $20 at Hunker Down. Little steep if you ask me. Let’s face it, a burger is a burger and a sandwich is a sandwich. You only need to walk about 50 feet to get similar food for less. With fries..

So the Bag. Steady as she goes. Consistent as always. Seems like they have a few more specials for lunch than in the past. What else can you say?

I have also been to the Sugarloaf Inn/Shipyard Brew Haus a few times this year. The food is spot on. Good variety and very well made. I have yet to try something I didn’t like. I’m sure they are working through some things as well. New staff adjusting to the new facility and old staff adjusting to the new management. Good to see Kenny Cox back on Friday night. So far so good..

Looking forward to trying Slopeside and the new Widowmaker this weekend.

[Rossignolsoul7]

Anyway, the best thing you can do is to go back home for an 30min and eat healthy food for lunch. In fact, for the past 3 years, I noted the number of times I went to bag/shipyard/BW for lunch and there's a near-perfect inverse correlation with my final times at the SL marathon. If the trend holds this year, I will post the graph right here.

[Pow on the Mao]

i only eat grass-fed carrots...