The Strawberry Lodge — Restaurant in Four Corners States

My wife and I stopped in after hiking in Pine after she saw a bunch of positive reviews. Unfortunately, our experience was not that at all. I will say that the food was good. However, my wife admitted to me most of the patrons were 55+ and constantly staring at us like we didn’t belong there (we are late 30’s). At first, I dismissed it, but after our experience, I believe she was correct. We ordered a Caymus variety bottle of wine to split. When the wine was brought over by the waitress, she opened it and poured us two glasses, not presenting the bottle & no initial taste as is normal protocol for any Italian restaurant. She even commented “The bartender gave me a bottle opener, but I guess this bottle is screw top. That’s odd.” Ok, no problem. But after drinking my glass, I found it to be watery and not what I expected out of a Caymus. I then studied the bottle and realized it was a different bottle of wine from what we ordered. We told the waitress and she apologized that we had indeed received the incorrect bottle. She removed our glasses from the table (but not the bottle) and went to talk to the bartender and brought the correct Caymus wine. She came back and said “yes, you asked for the Caymus, but we figured you wanted something else”. Ok, that’s rude. I guess since we were under 50, they figured we couldn’t afford a Caymus? The rest of the night was a dance where the waitress held over our heads that we may have to pay for the $75 incorrect wine. She asked us several times if we wanted to take the wine home but it was implied if we did, we would be charged full price for this “other” bottle of wine on our bill. She said “maybe we can offer a discount. I’ll see what we can do.” Keep in mind we never ordered this first wine. At dessert, she said “we have decided to comp each of your $12 deserts”…ummm, $24 off but we need to pay for the incorrect $75 bottle we didn’t order?? That’s not right. In the end, the bottle was comped without issue (fyi we paid for our desserts), but after politely telling our wine experience to someone, it came to my attention that management was under the impression we ordered a wine, didn’t like it, and then requested a different wine and refused to pay for the first. I wonder who told told them that; maybe the waitress who messed up to cover herself…and yet we still tipped her 20%. This will be the one and only time we...

Excellent Italian restaurant!!! Formerly a hotel and restaurant, this has changed owners and been converted into an upscale Italian restaurant. The atmosphere, food and service are excellent. You need to make a reservation, but you can often call earlier in the day to get a table. They will take walk-ins if they have tables available.

We've been here several times now. The bruschetta has a nice tangy balsamic vinaigrette and fresh tomatoes. My favorite dishes are the penne pesto and the fettuccine bolognese. I ordered the penne pesto with added chicken and ended up with leftovers (which they package for you). The fettuccine is perfectly light and a nice balance to their bolognese. If you like something a little more spicy, the spaghetti with calamari has a nice kick from the red pepper.

Don't forget to ask about the specials when you're there! They had a spaghetti with chicken and mushrooms tonight in a cream sauce. Delicious! Last time they had a pork chop (1/2 lb!) that was cooked to tender perfection and came with a side of spaghetti in a light cream sauce and zucchini. The glaze they use on their zucchini will make you wish you had an entire plate of just that!

Yes, we've tried their desserts too! The spumoni is popular, and for good reason! They don't always have it as it can run out quickly, but don't overlook the other desserts. The chocolate cake would make any chocolate lover swoon. The lemon cake is divine. I'm rather picky when it comes to tiramisu, but the Strawberry Lodge nails it! The flavor and texture are the best I've encountered outside of Italy.

The vibe is dressy casual. We've seen other diners dressed up, but many are somewhat casual. However, I definitely wouldn't show up in cutoffs or sleeves shirts.

Overall, I highly recommend having dinner here if you're in the Pine-Strawberry area. It's a taste of Italy in the...

I recently dined at Strawberry Lodge with a party of six. Unfortunately, the experience was far from satisfactory. The restaurant was vastly overpriced for the quality of ingredients, which you would think were fresh, but they weren’t. The chef was notably uncompromising when it came to accommodating food allergies, which created a challenging situation for some members of our group. One redeeming aspect of the meal was the complimentary bread and dipping sauce that were served as we were seated. This was a nice touch compared to the rest of the experience. Our server had a nice assistant who did try to provide better service, but since the chef wasn’t willing to accommodate, her efforts went in vain.

Feedback from our party indicated that the appetizers were notably better than the entrées. The fettuccine, in particular, was disappointing and lacked flavor; a comparison was made to Olive Garden, where the dish is considered to be much better. Ouch.

Additionally, a gratuity was automatically added for our party size, but the app to pay made it exceedingly difficult to override any additional gratuity. Although the ambiance of the place was pleasant, we were disappointed to find that the curtains with views were shut, diminishing what could have been a more enjoyable atmosphere.

Overall, I would not recommend this establishment and am giving it a 1.3...