1846 Inn & Tavern — Restaurant in Dover

We came upon this place just out of pure luck. We drove by on the way to mount Snow and thought we should check it out. The outside looks like a house, so be careful driving by it. They had live music on the night that we went (Saturday). The menu is small but inclusive. They serve American/French fusion food.

Let’s talk about one of their advertisements, craft beers. They really do have a beautiful selection of local (extending to the rest of New England too) craft beers. The menu is easy to read as they categorized everything into sections for ease of finding the right beer. For those who enjoy beers, you’ll love it here. The menu is teeming with IPAs, strong imperial stouts and largest. Their wine selection is pretty minimal but I would beers are their strong point. The bar is lively with a wide array of liquors.

Now the food. The selection is AMAZING!! 🤩🤩. The chef is thoughtful and inclusive. There’s options from poultry to beef to seafood to vegetarian. We started with an order of buffalo wings that has been twice cooked. I know it sounds dried but it was one of the best chicken wings I’ve had. It was roasted to almost fall of the bones then deep fried to crispy perfection then tossed lightly in a rich, deeply flavored buffalo sauce which is served with celery and carrot sticks along with blue cheese dressing. We also had an order of lentil soup, which I wouldn’t recommend if you like strong flavored food. I was not impressed since it was quite watery and bland only with a hint of tomato in the background. A bit lackluster for my taste, but there are other options. The entree is definitely the star of the show. I got a hanger steak entree which was cooked almost perfectly. They seared the steak in a cast iron pan which gives the steak a nice crackly crust (my fav!!). I would suggest that they season the steak a little more aggressively next time. Know that a cast iron seared steak will have a different eating experience than a grilled one. You’re not going to get the perfect warm center that sous vide steak will have, but it is compensated by the amazing flavor of a nice crust from aggressively searing. The mash potato was also amazing. It is smooth with just a hint of truffle that goes along really nicely with the steak. The asparagus was a little over cooked but has a great char on them. Overall, an A! My boyfriend had their duck entree which I wish I had gotten too! The duck came out amazingly!! You get two duck legs which is unheard of. The legs are large. They are roasted to perfection! The duck meat was tender and flavorful. The skin was crispy and fat rendered to tenderness. The duck was paired with a fruity, sweet, and tangy sauce that lifts the flavor of the duck. Since the meat was so rich, the sauce could have used a bit more acid to tame it a bit. The black rice that came along was cooked perfectly. By itself, the rice is insignificant but it was meant to act as a delivering mechanism for the duck and the sauce. Fantastic!!

Now the bad or sort of bad stuff. We got in around 6:45PM and the place was already busy. The server took quite some times to get to us. We were basically asked what we’re ordering and how the food was. We sat around without water or drinks in the middle of dinner which wasn’t ideal since the food was rich. She was very sweet though. I used to work in the restaurant industry for a few years so I understand that it wasn’t her fault. I saw her running around, so it’s definitely NOT her fault. The bathroom was clean and the ambience is lively and appropriately dimmed. The live music was also an amazing touch as people around sing along with the performer creating an enjoyable experience. Walking out of the restaurant though was lackluster. We were given an unfriendly “Bye” by a gentleman with a large handlebar mustache. It wasn’t a good way to end the night.

It is quite pricey but you can’t expect less for the large portion and it being near Mt Snow. I could tell that the chef takes pride in his food. Wish the front of the house...

The night we went we had a reservation for 6 to celebrate my birthday. When we got there, we were told that someone had made a mistake and that whoever took the reservation forgot to put it in the system. They were out of tables and running out of food. We were told that it might be over an hour before we might be seated and reminded that they were busy and were running out of food. As annoyed as we were, we decided to grab a drink at the bar and hope for the best. We waited for about a half hour and the manager came over and told us the could seat us. As we sat he came over to us to apologize for the mistake and that drinks for the entire evening were going to be taken care of. I though this was great. I expected they would take care of a round of drinks, but they went above and beyond and took care of everything. The came with 2 fairly expensive bottles of wine for us to choose from. As mentioned earlier, the restaurant had been extremely busy that weekend due to St. Patty's day, and they were short on the food. We were only offered the bar/late night menu. Everyone was satisfied, but I can't really speak on the entrees because our menu was basic bar food. I would like to go back and try the real menu. Overall they took really great care of us due to their mistake and our group went away very content. Great job guys. That's all it takes to make a happy customer if their is a mistake. Own it and make good on it. I will definitely be back on my next trip...

140.00 Bill, 4 drinks, salmon dinner, salad with chicken add on and shrimp cocktail app . Before owner chose to respond: Excellent wait staff, great raw bar stuffs. Meals were way over priced for what you get, bar and apps are good. Find somewhere else to eat though. After owner chose to respond: 3 stars is a decent rating for people that know what good and great food is. Critique: Chicken add on dollars are 15.00 a salad garden salad that was also in the neighborhood of 15.00, that is excessive, also a bit rubbery on the chicken (from a farm). Big price brings big expectations, you didn't deliver. Clam chowder was not hot and a very limited amount of clams, it was closer to a potato chowder than a clam chowder. Salmon was as if it was deep-fried, very tough. Veggies alongside we're completely over cooked, luke warm not hot and tasteless. Last time I checked, all of fresh ingredients come from farms. Clearly your are not comparing what's coming out of your kitchen with either the Sawmill or 2 Tannery, because there is NO COMPARISON regardless of the fact you cannot take criticism. We won't be back to eat a meal, perhaps drinks and apps, and will make sure to let others know the same. People who do not complain about prices and order at the high price without question and tip your staff appropriately should not be hammered down by a Napoleonic owner, just sayin. They paid for the right to express what they got, not...