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  1. #1

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Cape Cod / Warren VT
    Posts
    73

    Timbers! (And Foodservice in General)

    Had lunch in Timbers with my wife on Saturday afternoon.

    OUTSTANDING!



    Food is excellent, atmosphere is great...there is even a fireplace! This is absolutely a beautiful piece of architecture, and it is executed and decorated wonderfully. We will be regulars, without question. The staff is friendly and courteous, the menu is creative and daring, and the food itself is absolutely some of the freshest stuff I have ever eaten at a resort area.

    Well done, and well thought out. Oh, and the Clay Brook building ain't too bad either! It will look great in deep snow!

  2. #2

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    In the woods of Mad River Valley
    Posts
    599

    Opening night at Timbers

    My friends and I had dinner opening night at Timbers.




    Peter Knoles after 36 hours of working to get it opens looks good here. Nice Job!



    The food was yummy and well presented





    I recommend that if you have the time to make the reservations and have dinner there.

    (There is coupon in the Brovo Book)

    Here are a couple fun image


  3. #3
    Looked like a good time. (And me without a Bravo book. )

    It would be great for someone to add one or both of these reviews in the Valley Restaurant Review thread.

    Also, for those not knowing about the thread, any reviews of other places you might be willing to share would be great.
    .
    Two roads diverged in a wood,

    and I- I took the one less traveled by,


    And that has made all the difference.

  4. #4
    Treeskier -

    Thanks for sharing your experience and pics. The food looks great, they say we eat with our eyes.
    Curious how you got that almost cartoon-like look on the outside Timbers shot. Very cool
    www.firstlightphotographics.com
    Sugarbusher since 1970
    Skiing is a dance, and the mountain always leads.

  5. #5
    Food looked so good, I could even smell it over the internet!
    "Quietly Heartbroken Tennis Player."

  6. #6

    Join Date
    Dec 2005
    Location
    In the woods of Mad River Valley
    Posts
    599
    So who has been there since?

  7. #7
    The decor's a bit... eccentric... those couches? Not complaining, just...interesting...

    Post-Christmas I plan to venture up on a Saturday night and check out the fare...
    Ithaca is (not) Vermont (but it is gorges)

  8. #8
    The couches give it a comfy lounge atmosphere....albeit country lounge. It's a nice place to sit, chill out and drink some adult beverages with friends
    "Quietly Heartbroken Tennis Player."

  9. #9
    My wife and I had lunch there on Saturday. It was great! I had the burger with homemade ketchup, "blue-ribbon" colby cheese, and onions-- excellent. My wife had the ham sandwich with smoked gouda cheese, apple slices, and honey maple mustard on a baguette. She really enjoyed it. The place looks incredible inside. I was definitely very impressed. It was so nicely appointed, with white tablecloths, cloth napkins, microfiber booths, leather chairs, wood floor, etc. that it initially felt strange to be walking around in there in ski boots and gore-tex. We got over it. It is at a ski resort, after all. Looking forward to going back for dinner sometime.

  10. #10
    I ate there with my family last night. I have to say I had a very poor expierence. They are definitely understaffed. The staff were working their butt's off! I know it has only been open a couple weeks so I will take that into consideration. Service was extremely slow. The scallops were fantastic! My app never made it to the table I got to taste a little bit of everyone else's apps. Three of us got the Tenderloin steaks that were under cooked and the mashed potatoes were cold! My wife's pork tenderloin was raw in the middle! I hope my expierence was a fluke.

    The atmosphere was a 10! However it didn't make up for the poor service. The menu was difficult to read....very wordy(?). I had to read thru it 3 times to make heads or tails. Maybe it was just me. Also, there should be a host station when you walk in. The hosts were busy setting & busing tables.

    I will give it another shot in a few weeks.
    "Quietly Heartbroken Tennis Player."

  11. #11

    Timbers

    Went into Timbers Sunday at around noon looking for a six top. Hostess said they would have a table in 15 mins, no problem, saddled up for a couple of LT's. Table took 45+ mins to get. Bartender during the wait was way overwhelmed. (she did have a nice demeanor and consistent smile though)

    After we sat down, waited for another 20 mins for some sign of service, got nothing. Six top got up and left, went back to Super Bravo fueled by Long Trail. Timbers looks great although that floor is a problem in ski boots when wet. Watch out.

    Sure looks to me as if they need staff help. Will try again next weekend.

    The mountian was great. Earned some turns that made for a great couple of days.

  12. #12
    Moderator
    Join Date
    Nov 2005
    Location
    Behind That Tree
    Posts
    1,627
    I've modified the title of this thread b/c I think, with the new foodservice team, this is an issue that deserves to be discussed in a broader context. Interesting comment re: the slippery fall. I had heard from a friend on Sunday that they saw someone slip and fall in Timbers with their boots on. This will be an issue going forward it seems.

    Second, while the food quality is definitely better in the Gate House, something really has to be done about the staffing. The lines were ridiculous this weekend - I've never seen anything like it even during the busiest of holiday weeks. The staffing levels were quite simply inadequate. You don't short staff the cafeteria, especially when some have a shaky grasp on the English language, on the busiest week of the year. It's really that simple. Even if you have to bring in some extra help for the 11:30-1:30 rush, please just do it. The back-up at the salad/soup/sandwich station was a disgrace. As mentioned in a previous post, having just one lonely kid at the Glen House on X-Mas day was a bad situation for him and for the customers.

  13. #13
    [quote="Tin Woodsman"]
    Second, while the food quality is definitely better in the Gate House, something really has to be done about the staffing. The lines were ridiculous this weekend - I've never seen anything like it even during the busiest of holiday weeks. The staffing levels were quite simply inadequate. You don't short staff the cafeteria, especially when some have a shaky grasp on the English language, on the busiest week of the year. It's really that simple. Even if you have to bring in some extra help for the 11:30-1:30 rush, please just do it. The back-up at the salad/soup/sandwich station was a disgrace. [\quote]

    Better signage and someone directing traffic would be a big help. It seems that most people see a line and get into it even though they don't know where it goes. Folks are confused by the "station" concept and don't understand that if they want a hot dog they can go straight to the hot dog station.

    As an employee and a 30 year veteran food service professional I'm embarassed by the condiment station. Let's at least make an effort to clean that stuff. When I see that kind of lack of effort in the front of the house the first thing I think is, "What does the kitchen look like?".

    As for Chef Carosi:
    I won't even get into my experience at Timbers except that food was VERY slow coming out of the kitchen on a quiet night and our server, and I now assume all of them, need to be trained in tableside wine service.
    When I heard Chef Carosi talk of "putting the Pitcher Inn to shame" I was dissapointed. When I heard that he went to Chez Henri and introduced himself as the guy that will put them out of buisiness I was disgusted.
    Maybe Mr. Carosi should have dinner at the Pitcher Inn or Chez Henri or one of the other fine establishments we have in the valley to see what excellent food and service is all about before he starts talking trash.
    "It could be that the purpose of your life is only to serve as a warning to others."

  14. #14

    Join Date
    Mar 2006
    Location
    warren
    Posts
    1,217
    I am not going to comment on the most of the specifics raised other than to say that whenever something opens hard like everything did the past two weeks, there are going to be issues that need to be improved, and I think we are aware of most of them but do appreciate everyone's comment. Overall, I got very good comments. When we opened the Pitcher Inn 10 years ago, we had many of the same comments for the first couple of weeks until everything settled in.

    On the 31st, our skier visits we 90% of our busiest day since we owned the mountain. While they may have been more glitches, I personally thought we handled that volume very well. The mountain with only 68 of 111 trails opened did not seem overly crowded and the lift lines flowed well. Timbers turned over 4 times and while it was very busy in the Gate House people found seats and the food lines flowed OK. This time I do not agree with Tin.

    As far as Bubba's comments go, I never believe third hand comments that are attributed to someone. Here is my position. We encourage competition. It makes everyone better and we want everyone in the Valley to do well.

  15. #15

    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Cape Cod / Warren VT
    Posts
    73
    Thanks for responding, Win. I started this thread, and still think Timbers is going to be a wonderful place and a big asset for SB. My wife and I tried to get in New Year's Eve, but hadn't realized it would be closed for a party. My bad. Anyway, we never judge a restaurant until it has been open for quite some time. It isn't fair to the management and staff. We will keep coming back, and we are sure it will improve steadily and take its rightful place.

    As an off-topic aside, I was there on the 31st also, and your people did a great job. It was busy as heck, but I never saw even one staffer who wasn't smiling. They did an especially good job at the Gatehouse skier services desk...and the woman who was the "traffic cop" in the locker room area deserves a raise. She handled a tough day with a lot of finesse.

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