The Smokehouse at Hueston Woods Lodge — Restaurant in Oxford

We've been going to this restaurant for years, for dinner, as campers, for holidays. This Thanksgiving was another repeat visit for their buffet. Prices are up to $35 per person, pretty steep, but still worth it for a quality holiday dinner. Unfortunately, this was not a quality dinner. They raised prices, but seem to have sacrificed quality as well.

The salad was good. The turkey was good. The cut of beef is cheaper than before, but I cannot speak to the taste. If it's done correctly, it might be ok, but still. The beef slicing station was a sloppy mess, no efforts to keep it tidy by the meat slicing guy. The dish they had the gravy ladel in was sloppy with spilled gravy and a cloth napkin was added to the plate, gunky with gravy and the ladel balanced atop. No supervision?

Mostly, I found most of the sides had a bad taste, perhaps from using a cheap lard or a cleaning solvent that was used to wipe out the stainless casserole dishes, or maybe the stuffing and potatoes (disappointed that they seemed boxed and flavorless) were made in advance and left to absorb bad smells from the fridge overnight. I don't know, but the off-taste was also detected in the green beans, too. This is unacceptable. It's a smell and taste that smells of old lard or rancid cooking oil.

The desserts were also a big downgrade from previous years. Very little selection, no cheesecake, no pecan pie, weird cake roll slices in 2 mystery flavors, and no ice cream either.

After about ten years of coming here, I won't be back for a holiday meal - Ever. I might stop in for a burger sometime. I'm...

We called to ask about times for Sunday dinner at the front desk. We were not told that a reservation was suggested. It does not say that on here and the girl at the front desk did not tell us on the phone. We were told the wait was 20 min. Not a long time to wait but we were here before 5:30. It was not a busy night. It would have helped to tell us when we called about making a reservation. We gave her our name. I asked where we could wait and if she would call us because she didn’t give us a pager. She took our name and said yes and told us where to sit which was a ways down the hall. We and another couple waited almost an hour. I went to hostess and she said she initially told us to come back in 20 minutes. I told her no she did not. She answered that yes she did. I don’t like to be lied to and talked back to by a young disrespectful girl. Another couple had the same situation. No hostess tells you to come back after a certain amount of time to be seated. They call you when they are ready for you. Never in all my years was I told to com back after a designated time. I don’t like to be lied to. If you are short staff there are plenty of Miami students who need a job or call someone in. People go out to dinner on Sunday. You need more servers on the weekend. Also why isn’t the front desk who answers calls for the restaurant aware of restaurant procedures? Our servers were nice and food was good. Hostess and manager leave something...

We have visited The Trailblazer dining room several times over the years, and the experience has been, well, mixed. I would like to say I like coming here because of the environment. Nothing nicer than a park lodge setting; it is really very beautiful. And the lodge itself is nicely appointed.

The food is inconsistent, at best. Today I ordered an omelette with ham and American cheese. I am not sure these are "real" eggs. The egg part itself was pretty dry and papery. There were a lot of tiny bits of ham inside, but the cheese was all but nonexistent. My husband could not find the cheese in his western omelette, either. They were 3-egg omelettes, and I don't think anyone needs a 3-egg omelette. But it was the only choice available. The bacon side order was plentiful, but very much on the burned side. The toast was dry, and we had to ask for butter. The side of potatoes that came with the meal were, I think, pre-packaged/pre-cooked and they just, perhaps, took out portions and microwaved them. At least they were not hot throughout and they, too, were burned. These are the same potatoes they have served for years. They would do well to change the menu a bit in that regard. Honestly, everything was pretty dry and laid a bit heavy on my stomach. At over $40 for a breakfast for 2, it was not worth it.

I think eating here is a nice experience, given the large fireplace and lodge/park atmosphere, but the food is really hit-or-miss....