Fiddleheads Café — Restaurant in Hancock

FIVE STARS FOR FIDDLEHEADS THURSDAY SUPPER! Breakfast and lunch were already excellent at this charming cafe in picturesque Hancock, New Hampshire—with incredible homemade muffins, donuts, cookies, salads, eggs and sandwiches. But now they’re branching out for dinners too. For those of you who were lucky enough to try Fiddleheads first Thursday Night Supper, cleverly named "Waxing Crescent" after the moon, congratulations! For everyone else, you too can get lucky when the suppers resume the Thursday after Thanksgiving. Cozy romantic lighting and the quirky tea towel curtains transformed the bustling cafe into a calm and cozy retreat. Every dish our party of five had was a delight. Blue Hubbard and Ginger Soup was proclaimed, "Maybe the best soup I've ever had." Instead of the usual gooey, cheesey, thick soup often encountered with squash, Fiddlehead's was a robustly flavored broth that showcased the nutty Hubbard and spoke of rich leafy Fall. Sumac Pickled Onion and Fennel Salad was sharp and crisp and in an unexpected counter point, larded with shreds of tender duck confit. Garrigue Kippered Salmon with Fresh Radish and Pickled Beat was lightly smoked and resting on a bed of hard cooked egg and dilly cream. This dish took one directly to a heathery streambank in Scottish Highland where it may have been prepared right after being caught. The entrees we had, Chicken Milanese with roasted cauliflower, caper, lemon and shaved apple with spicy greens and a Red Wine Braised Short Rib with dried fruit, arugula gremolata on a pond of black peppered polenta were completely satisfying--the richness of the meat, set off and highlighted by sharp contrasts of sour, bitter and sweet accents of vegetable, herb and sauce, lingered. Cranberry and Lime Curd Tart is a revelation that should be on everyone's Thanksgiving table from now on. Roasted Apple Cobbler with salted caramel and sweet rosemary biscuit and vanilla ice cream is the Platonic ideal of an apple dessert. And calling the flourless, espresso flavored, boozy orange cream topped dessert simply "Chocolate Cake" is a funny way of disguising a plate that no one could stop eating. The wine list is perfect--small, focused and affordable. And if beer is your preferred beverage the representation is as varied and food friendly as you could want. I don't believe I've had a better meal in the whole Monadnock Region. And the price was as good or better than many. If we all say our prayers or nicely ask Santa, Fiddleheads Thursday supper will spread over the whole weekend.

But for now, pick a...

Fiddleheads Cafe in Hancock, NH just reopened under new management over the Memorial Day weekend. So, I thought I'd stop by this morning to check it out and have breakfast. When a restaurant opens under new management, the hope is that there's positive change. Unfortunately, that is not the case here.

Disappointment is the one word I can think of to summarize my visit at Fiddleheads Cafe. First of all, the menu has been moved to a blackboard on the side wall with so much written on it that it's nearly impossible to decipher. A couple of others came in while I was there and also stared at the blackboard with the same blank stare that I employed. Because I couldn't make heads or tails out the breakfast items listed (with the exception of OM-wich), I went to place an order at the counter and asked if I could get a regular breakfast. Poached eggs, yes. Toast, yes. Home fries, no "we don't do them." Ham, yes. Coffee, yes. But, I was shocked when my order was tallied up. The new Fiddleheads is expensive (very expensive for what it is). For my two eggs, toast, a thin slice of ham, and a small coffee the total was $11.94 before tip. Yikes. And, maybe it's just me, but no home fries?! In my mind, that's a breakfast staple (the old Fiddleheads had them). Finally, the kitchen service was a bit slow for just eggs, toast, and ham especially considering that I was one of just a few customers there at the time.

As I was exiting, another customer that came in while I was eating my breakfast was sitting at a table just outside the door. He had ordered a day-old blueberry muffin (apparently they sell day-old and new muffins) and a 16 oz. coffee. He said he paid over $9.00 and that the day-old muffin was over $4.00. I commented, "yes, a bit disappointing." He agreed and commented, "very expensive."

I...

Fiddleheads catered my baby shower. At first we were excited to use them bc the food looked good and the restaurant was cute. But then they started getting critical details wrong, such as the date of the event and number of guests. We had to correct them multiple times. It was decided prior to the event (per Fiddleheads' suggestion) that we would use their serving platters and bowls, which we would return after the event. On the day of the shower, my mom picked up the food. They must've forgotten to give us the serving items bc they handed my mom everything in ziplock bags. Potato salad, macaroni salad, in ziplock bags. Gross. My poor mom had to drive to the store, in a hurry, and purchase bowls, utensils, and platters. The food tasted ok (not great), but when you're paying over $700 for catering I'd expect better presentaton and a general ability to remember critical details. Overall, do...