Red Rooster at the Woodstock Inn & Resort — Restaurant in Woodstock

We went to the Red Rooster to celebrate a special occasion, but ultimately the horrible service ruined the night and the mediocre food had no chance of redeeming it.

On the whole, the waiters were rude and unhelpful, but there were also a few really strange points. -We we’re a party of 5 at a circular table, and when the waiter first came over he just dropped a stack of menus in front of me and just said “pass these around”. And when he brought out plates, silverware and napkins, he did the same thing. Now, if it were busy or he didn’t have good access to pass these out, I would understand. But there were only two other parties dining that night (it was empty) and we were at a completely accessible table. The attitude in his voice didn’t help either…or the fact that these are 35 dollar entrees….it’s not like we were at a BBQ place. -One of our friends has a dairy allergy and asked if one of the items had dairy in it. The waiter went to the kitchen to check and came back saying they actually didn’t know so we should get something else….shouldn’t you know what’s in the food you’re serving?! -We went the whole meal without getting out water glasses refilled, even after asking for more water. It was weird and was like he was going out of his way to be inhospitable. Keep in mind, the restaurant was nearly empty.

The food was supremely meh. Half of us thought the food was ‘fine’, others thought it was bad. It definitely wasn’t good.

To top it all off, they add 20% gratuity to all bills.

We even went down to the bar the following day and that was no better. I ordered a beer and they gave me a dirty can and no glass. Now, to be fair, I don’t mind drinking for a can at all. But this was visibly dirty…. What kind of bar does that? Other than some dive bars, I’ve never been to a bar that doesn’t give you a glass when you get a can….let alone a fancy hotel bar.

This...

Red Rooster is meant to be the flagship restaurant at the quaint and truly lovely Woodstock Inn and Resort. The decor of the main dining room aims at comfortable and rustic charm, not necessarily fine dining. (Not a problem or critique.) The wine list is reasonable and there are many bottles there that are approachable and would suit any dinner just fine. My main issue with the restaurant was the entrees. We had the Parker house rolls with maple infused butter as a starter. It was fine and tasty, if served more like rolls and less like an iron skillet Parker house roll presentation. I ordered a cheeseburger - where I swapped cheddar for pimento cheese; I wasn't about to get pimento cheese on a burger. My wife order bass with potatoes and an eggplant puree. My burger was disappointing. The bun was a bit oversized for the patty and dry. Medium cook requested ventured to medium well on delivery. And to those who suggest I ought to have ordered something else, I wasn't ready for the $68 steak. I wanted to walk before I ran. My wife's bass dish came out looking dark, without skin on but not crisped. The potato hash that accompanied it was similar dark and a bit oily, so the entire dish had a dark hue to it that I imagine was not as conceived (and wouldn't be how they'd serve it if they stepped back and reconsidered the presentation). My point in writing all of this is to set proper expectations, and perhaps nudge the restaurant to take a refreshed look at some of the entree offerings. I really did enjoy the main...

This restaurant offers understated elegance within the Woodstock Inn & Resort.

We started with the Squash Soup which was thick and flavorful. The Rooster salad was fresh and light with just the right amount of dressing. The Parker house rolls were delightful and delicately salted throughout. We did wonder if they had been placed in a microwave because after pausing to eat our starters and then coming back to the rolls, they were hard similar to the way bread hardens after being heated in a microwave.

We enjoyed the spiced panisse as our entree. It is always nice for us to find a vegetarian option. The dish was slightly sweet with savory moments and sprinkles of charr. We would have liked a fuller flavor with a savory anchor. The dish was good - the sweetness, however wore thin midway into the meal. We agreed that we were glad to have tried it but would not order it again.

Service was good. The pacing became slower than I preferred as the diner load increased. Our heavily-accented waiter became harder to understand as he was forced to rush. We weren’t offered a dessert menu but the waiter mentioned “ice-cream” as he cleared the table. Not fully understanding the dessert offerings, we opted for our bill.

There was a generous wine menu and also an offering of mocktails. These included a Sauvignon Blanc that would never fool a wine drinker but was pleasant for us teetotalers nonetheless.

We would highly recommend this upscale restaurant. Remember to make...