The Old Courthouse

Superb birthday dinner for my hubby. The Old Courthouse is a great eatery in the Lakes Region of New Hampshire. The food, ambiance, historical setting and service made for a memorable time. The Old Courthouse is an elegant place.
Made reservations for 1930 and they were honored on the spot, even though we spent about fifteen minutes looking for parking… In Newport?! That’s because the restaurant was recovering from the fracas of the pre-​theatre crowd that had just left for curtain time at the Newport Opera House. The manager told me that ten minutes before our arrival they had every table full. The staff was busily redoing virtually all the tables, such as like after a huge family Thanksgiving dinner.
Our server, Kate, made sure everything was in order. We began the evening with the crab cake appetizer which we shared, followed by a baby spinach salad with sliced parmesan cheese, fresh strawberries and a delicious vinaigrette. Then the piece de resistance, I had the scallops, exquisitely done, and my spouse had the strip steak, delicately seasoned and cooked just short medium, providing for a tender and juicy selection. I’ll say my scallops were cooked to perfection, seared on the outside and very tender on the inside. Both were accompanied by a mélange of delicately sautéed vegetables and mashed potatoes. And we washed it all with a bottle of pinot noir.
We shared the dessert, a large slice of german chocolate cake that came with a burning candle to celebrate the birthday. And a visit from the restaurant manager to ensure we had a memorable evening.
Very, very good dinner. Total bill for appetizer, salads, main courses, dessert, a bottle of wine and espresso at the end came under $ 100.

I really wanted to like this place, but, alas, that was not to be! Being retired, Hubby and I like to eat fairly early in the evening on a weekday instead of the weekend, figuring to avoid most of the crowds. However, since we were the only diners in an entire restaurant that could easily hold 50, we were uncomfortable. Not a good beginning…
We each ordered a glass of wine — a Georges Duboeuf Pouilly Fuisse for me and a William Hill Cabernet Sauvignon for him. The wines were quite good and the selection by the glass was generous. 4 stars.
We shared the Veggie Won Tons with Oriental Dipping Sauce for an appetizer, which turned out to be the best-​prepared food we were served. The wontons were hot and crunchy, the filling tasty. 4 stars
I ordered the Pan Seared Sea Scallops with Blueberries and White Zinfandel, expecting maybe scallops on a plate with a wine reduction sauce and a few berries, or something similar. Our server presented a dish of overcooked scallops floating in a mess of liquid and blueberries. Pretty awful! The mashed potatoes were good, but the Swiss Chard Vegetable Mix was off. 2 stars at best
My husband ordered a NY Strip Steak, Grilled, with Onions in a Jack Daniels Sauce with Rice Medley and the veggie mix. He requested the steak cooked medium rare but received it medium well. The steak tasted OK, just overcooked, and he really liked the Jack Daniels Sauce, but said the rice was just ok, and the veggie mix was oily or something. He wanted another glass of wine to go with his dinner and another roll to sop up the sauce, but the server had disappeared. Again, 2 stars because of the overcooked steak
Thinking I could salvage the evening with a dessert, I ordered decaf cappuccino and a slice of tollhouse pie while hubby ordered the profiteroles. The pie was just OK. Unsurprisingly, the profiteroles were filled with ice cream not custard, since that is easier for a restaurant to provide. 3 stars
The staff is pleasant and friendly, but the service was just OK. Though our server did check on us and refill the water glasses, she never asked if we wanted more wine, nor was she around when my husband wanted a second glass and more rolls — missed sale! She served the cappuccino but we had to ask for sugar. 2 stars
I’m willing to forgive mediocre sides and even desserts if the main course is great, but not much can salvage a meal if the main course itself is poorly prepared. I’m not inclined to return and cannot recommend this place.
Total for 2 glasses of wine, 1 appetizer, 2 dinners, 2 desserts, and 1 dessert coffee: $ 90, plus tip.

Six of us came for Saturday evening dinner. Three had lamb chops, two had scallops, and one had by strip steak – everyone very pleased. Meat perfectly cooked, tender. Scallops sweet and sumptuous. Nice subdued atmosphere in restored courthouse. Waitress very pleasant and helpful.

Absolutely fantastic for lunch. We ordered the lobster rolls — prepared perfectly. Delectable chunks of tail meat and just enough mayo served on the traditional split-​top roll. My mother loves soup and their corn chowder was wonderful — light and the sweet kernels popped with flavor. And the coconut crème pie — amazing. To top it all off — the lunch prices are so reasonable. The lobster roll was just $ 12.00. I spend every July in the area and this is the first time that I have eaten at the Old Courthouse. Maybe because it is tucked behind the Hubert’s and the logo on the sign looks like the place would be stuffy and expensive. For lunch, this is definitely not the case. Can’t wait to try it for dinner! A hidden jewel that any one in the area should definitely try.

Stopped by the courthouse restaurant for Sunday brunch wihtout reservations. They were kind to acommodate us. A relatively small selection as buffets go, but all food is custom made in house, with all pancakes, waffles, franch toast, egg dishes, etc made to order. Homemade pastries that were exquisite. The two best things about this stop were 1) the service — personal, kind, truly caring about providing guests a nice experience (so rare these days it seems) and 2) food that while limited in selection, was fresh, made to order, and/​or not your standard buffet faire. We will be regulars here — its worth the drive!

Bacon wrapped scallops with Maple Bourbon Glaze = AMAZING, sweet and savory and every bit satisfying. Scallops were PERFECTLY cooked. Only qualm, its a bit too rich so perhaps they should serve it with something starchy or crunchy. The roasted artichoke appetizer was great, though the sauce that came along with them could have used more sesame oil. The lamb chop entrée was very unique and tasty, though undersalted. Great service, great food, great ambiance, great prices.

As you can guess, this restaurant is in the old town courthouse in Newport, NH. We went for brunch today and, I’ve gotta say, this was probably the best meal I’ve ever eaten up here in this area.
All the food is made fresh in-​house, the dining room is small but nicely decorated and they have a old guy playing the piano.
They make omelets, belgian waffles, pancakes, french toast and eggs to order (they bring these to your table after you put your request in) as well as a great assortment of carved meats (the ham was great) and danish type desserts including fresh cinnamon rolls, an apple tart (with nice and crispy filo dough), a chocolate crumb cake, blueberry scones and a blueberry crumb cake. There was also a mixed fruit, homemade granola (with coconut yum!), a Greek-​style yogurt.
Today they had a dish they called peach crème brûlée french toast. It was very, very good. My wife absolutely loved the vegetable quiche and the omelets were very nice– I had cheese, ham, onion and shrimp in mine.
The service was good, but the 2 wait staff seemed to get a little overwhelmed once the dining room started to fill up so it was a bit slow to get coffees and waters refilled.
We had reservations for 10:30 but there was only one other table seated when we arrived. Around 11 more parties started arriving.
The price was also very reasonable at only $ 15 per person. That included all drinks, except for alcohol.