Lisa G's — Restaurant in Town of North Elba

My family and I went to Lisa G’s on July 4th. We ended up ordering 3 burgers and a 14oz ribeye steak from their special Independence Day menu.

Burgers were all well cooked and delicious. Unfortunately, the steak, which is not usually on their menu, was inedible due to the insanely elevated sodium level. The portion was generous, the steak was perfectly cooked, but the salt levels were beyond what a normal person would be able to withstand. Even the mash potatoes were unbelievably salty, and had they not been, it might have been able to balance out the saltiness of the steak.

Unfortunately, our server was quite busy and after dropping off our plates, didn’t come back to see us for close to 15 minutes. By that time, everyone was practically done their meal and by the time he checked up on my meal, took it back, brought me a menu, came back to take my order, put in the order, and I received my second meal (shrimp tacos), we’re talking a good 35-40min. Needless to say, I watched my entire table eat and then they watched me eat, which took away any enjoyment of my food that evening.

Shrimp tacos were okay, and the fries that came with them were so heavily salted. At that point I wasn’t really hungry anymore and left practically the entirety of my fries on the plate. Also to note, the fries that came with one of the burgers were not hot and they brought back some new fries. However, they took already cooked fries and refried them, resulting in a bowl of fries completely dark and oily (I worked at New York Fries years ago so I know exactly what they did, which to me is unacceptable and a cheap shortcut to “heating up” fries, which just turns them inedible).

I can forgive the inedible steak, especially since it’s a dish that’s not usually on the menu, and they might not have balanced the steak spices with the sodium content of the demi-glaze that they made. However, the saltiness of the mash potatoes and of the corn on the side (which I didn’t even taste because I could see the large salt cristal on them), is difficult to understand how all these components were not noticed by the chef before sending that plate out. Also, my shrimp tacos and fries should have taken no more than 5-7min to send out, and should have been fired right away, and it clearly wasn’t. Also, taking ready made fries and refrying them is unprofessional and should have never left the kitchen.

When we got the bill, we were told that I was not charged for my steak (which I took a total of 3 bites total and shouldn’t have been charged for anyways). I won’t go too much into details, but the manager was made to believe that I didn’t enjoy the steak, to which I had to explain the problem with the dish and how long it took to receive a replacement main, on top of eating alone and having watched everyone eat beforehand. He was very professional and checked with the kitchen before coming back to us and making it right - which we really appreciated.

I think there was a serious problem with the quality control on the kitchen side that night, as well as one with service. Had our server come check on our dishes after a reasonable amount of time, I could have had a replacement dish that I could have enjoyed with my family, despite it coming a bit later. I understand that he was very busy, and it just unfortunately happened that there was a problem with my dish. Kitchen wise, the heaviness of the salting was beyond reasonable, even on the fries, and refrying fries to reheat them is a little insulting. The lack of making sure that the components of a dish are of quality is just unfortunate.

The restaurant was however very accommodating to a gluten allergy and made us feel very comfortable with understanding celiac disease. That was a huge plus and having that party eat comfortably and not getting sick afterwards is worth visiting that restaurant if you suffer from a gluten allergy.

I have mixed feelings leaving Lisa G’s. I can’t tell if the pros outweighed the cons, but could still recommend it if you come to...

Just came back fmr here tonight for New Years Eve dinner. First time here, and will be Last time, unless they fire there whole chefs and sous chef staff. This place has the potential to be a top-flight restaurant here, but failed badly in the food dept. Q: Do you love airline food? Then you'll luv this place. Hell, I've had airport food that was surprisely great. 4 people tonight ordered different items for appetizers and entrees. The morroccon chips not bad , and the broccoli soup ok as well. The hamburger I rcvd , no seasoning , and 1-2 day old stale walmart quality buns, the shrimp tomatoe sauce dish unedible, and sour and just tasted off, I hope they dont get food poisioning, and only ate 1/2 of plate. And the nothing special beef sandwich was just 'ok', came with 'kettle' chips which was walmart ruffles fm a bag, dumped on plate- definitely not worth $16 for this, this was a $7 gas station sandwich quality at most. Total bill came to $95 and that's with 1 Mic Ultra beer. Rest had waters. --- So the take away is run don't walk fm here , unless coming here for drinks , then you'd enjoy the tavern like experience here, but food- a disaster, save u money and go anywhere else. Easily worst food here in L. Placid. Really can't believe all the 4-5 star reviews here they are fraudulent or people have no concern over was is and isn't good tasting. IF you want a similar food fare with a lesser ambiance But way better in food quality,-- the 'Dack Deck restaurant is wayy better. And chk out they're sister restaurant next door for lunch , equally good 👍... I lament my last meal in 2022 was a failure. So if management wants to contact me, go ahead, many yrs of food prep u der me belt- and my question to them is: Do you sample (eat) the food coming out of...

The Experience

After a long morning of making banana bread and lying on various couches in our Airbnb, we arrived at Lisa G's around 12:30. We sat outside surrounded by an orchestra of heaters which kept us plenty warm. The outdoor area didn't have great ventilation but we were the only ones out there so we felt safe enough. We also had a lovely waiter who helped us pick our orders with the kind of smooth confidence I need in my life.

The Accoutrements

I was craving wings and so we got two variants. These greek wings replaced heat with lemon zest and herbaceous seasoning. They also had the necessary wing crispiness that makes you scarf down a few in a minute's time.

The buffalo cousins were just absolutely classic. They were so good I probably could have skipped my entrée and just ordered 20 to eat as a lunch.

The smoothly confident waiter suggested we upgrade our fries to the garlic parmesan variant and I was glad he did. They shared the crispy factor with the wings and the garlic added a nice kick.

The Main Course

I got the roasted pork and bacon sandwich. I will say I expected more of a pulled pork sandwich than deli-style meat but that's mostly cause I didn't read the menu. The onion and aioli added great flavor and helped ensure the bread didn't turn into a dry roof of the mouth damaging machine. The pork was a nice base and the bacon brought its usual delicious fattiness.

The Verdict

The meals we had in Lake Placid weren't always the most mind-blowing culinary experiences. Between Swiss Miss hot chocolate and overpriced lakeside meals, we weren't always impressed. However, relative to those experiences Lisa G's is a tier or two above. In the 2020 Lake Placid Gastronomical Olympics Lisa G's gets a gold medal and five...