Woodlands Tavern

[Overlake97]

My wife and I had a great dinner here on Sunday night (July 14, 2013)!

I'd been looking at the enticing pictures of their menu offerings on Facebook (see link in Post #6. Once on their page, click on "photos" link near top or on any random photo to bring up the album), so I had a pretty good idea of what I was craving even before seeing the menu. Ended up with the Creole Jambalaya, which the waitress warned me was very spicy, but I really didn't think so. It WAS excellent though, with nice, large pieces of shrimp, scallops, chicken and chorizo, plus assorted veggies and rice (ended up taking 1/3rd home) - and just enough heat. My wife ordered probably their simplest entree, the Spaghetti Napoli, and she really liked that too. We also had two appetizers: Grilled Lamb Chops and Portobello Mushroom, stuffed with goat cheese, spinach, garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. My wife thought the mushroom was the best appetizer she'd had in a long time; and my lamb chops were great. Because they were followed closely by the seafood heavy Jambalaya, I felt like I'd had Surf n Turf!

Although I'm usually too stuffed for dessert, at Woodlands - motivated again by those great Facebook photos - I just had to try a dessert, and opted for the Eton Mess (fruit laced with thick cream). I also let the bar manager, who dropped by to introduce herself (it was a quiet Sunday night), talk me into a speciality coffee, with Kahlua, Amaretto and Bailey's irish Creme. Both after-dinner treats were worth it, and were a nice finishing touch to a great meal.

[surfnsnow]

thanks for the menu tip overlake

[FranklyH500]

We ate here last night and had one of the best meals ever in the lakes region.
My wife and I have both been coming here since we were children and we've eaten in a bunch of restaurants. Woodlands grill was a standout. I had chicken Parmesan and it was perfect. Tender moist chicken. ( not a cutlet) the sauce was delicious and the presentation was a work of art that you could eat! My wife had a chicken Caesar salad that she raved about. Our server was attentive , well dressed and very welcoming. I had a glass of the house Cabernet that was excellent and a bargain as well. I would recommend this place to anyone.

[polarisman14]

Wanted to share my experience with you guys as well.

Short version, it was excellent.

Long version, my wife got the French Onion soup to start and I got the soup of the day--Chorizo in some kind of spicy gumbo-style broth with kidney beans,tomatoes, onion, celery. Both soups were very good and hearty, full of flavor. Then the wife moved on to her entree, Chicken Parmesan (says it's the best she's ever had!) and I tried the Seared Duck Breast. That was also excellent--the skin on the outside was slightly crispy and the meat was super tender and juicy. The port demi was a nice touch as were the raspberries and strawberries and small arugala salad on the side. The drinks we both had, the "Kaboom" and Toblerone Martini, were presented in a very unique way (especially the Kaboom--very cool) and were as tasty as they were neat to look at. We split the dessert special (chocolate and fudge cake with almond on the outside and a puddle of raspberry glaze). One word--decadent.

We'll definitely be going back.

[riverat]

Good friends of ours wanted to try out the Woodlands a few weeks ago and were told by the hostess that they probably would not want to wait for a table because it was going to be about an hour wait, they said why and was told that they just seated 2 large parties totalling 28 people.
They really wanted to stay but were told "do you really want to wait an hour" and they decided to leave, disappointed they did not get the chance to dine there. Maybe next time they're up, and make reservations.

[polarisman14]

Yeah on Fridays, sat, and sun you want to make reservations for anything after 2pm-ish. They said it's been crazy there since they opened, they are getting much better and streamlining the whole process but still need one or two more staff members to keep up with the rush. Good things come to those who wait .

[Lyver]

Originally Posted by polarisman14

Yeah on Fridays, sat, and sun you want to make reservations for anything after 2pm-ish. They said it's been crazy there since they opened, they are getting much better and streamlining the whole process but still need one or two more staff members to keep up with the rush. Good things come to those who wait .

That surprises me that I have read several reviews saying they need one or two more staff members, then I see the owner post on Facebook that he can't find any help, yet I know 2 EXPERIENCED people who have applied, interviewed and have heard nothing back from them.

[Jeanzb1]

After reading all these glowing reviews, I'm hesitant to say anything negative; however, we were there on a Friday night several weeks after they opened (four of us with a 7:00 reservation) and it took a full THREE HOURS! And that was with no appetizers and no dessert! Totally unacceptable. The people at the table next to us got up and walked out after waiting 1/2 hour for a waitress to acknowledge them. Sorry but we are not rushing to go back.

[lunch lady]

Seven of us went to dinner last night and we all loved it. I am so glad to have it opened. I really missed the William Tell and this new restaurant really fits the bill. I think they are going to give "O's" a run for their money. I waitress was very attentive and very pleasant. Will try lunch next week.

[Resident 2B]

Originally Posted by lunch lady

Seven of us went to dinner last night and we all loved it. I am so glad to have it opened. I really missed the William Tell and this new restaurant really fits the bill. I think they are going to give "O's" a run for their money. I waitress was very attentive and very pleasant. Will try lunch next week.

I wish them well.

The off-season is so tough on restaurants around the lake. Do you know if the will be closing for the winter or making a go of it?

We usually eat at Lyon's Den in the winter; never, ever at O's. I hate to share my winter business by taking away from Lyon's den, but variety at the higher end is important as well.

R2B

[mcdude]

I had the pleasure of celebrating a birthday here recently. Everything was delicious. The server was friendly and attentive and our food arrived in a timely fashion. There were fresh flowers on the tables. I have no idea why they call it a tavern....it's not really "tavern-ish" at all. My only suggestion would be a little "dinner" music in the background ....would have been perfect.

[polarisman14]

^^Funny you should mention that--on their facebook page they said they are doing the prewiring for the audio system this week. That was my only gripe too, everything else is great. Can't wait to go there with my parents in a few weeks and introduce them to the "new and improved Tell."

[Shore Driver]

Went there with my wife and had a nice meal. The Jambalaya was very hot and had a good amount of meat (chicken, sausage, shrimp, scallops in that order). They do warn you of the heat when you order and I overheard a lot of people ordering it!

Wife had chicken francaise and she liked it.

Bill was reasonable. Crème Brulee was not the best but the chocolate lava cake was very good.

7.5/10

[Just Sold]

The Woodlands met and exceeded our expectations last evening. We started with the Antipast Misto plus a side salad. Mrs. JS had the Shrimp Parmesan and I had the Beef Chasseur, cooked to perfection and sooo tender. Everything was wonderfully delicious and the Tiramisu (Baileys and Kahula) and Cre'me Brulee really topped it all off. My glass of red wine was also perfect. Our bill was well within what we would expect for this level of service and food.

Business was good with all of the 4 seat tables occupied by 6:00. Only the few 6 seat tables were empty.

We will be back.

[Winni Luvr]

I just returned (sadly) from a beautiful week in NH and while we were there we had a lovely dinner at the Woodlands Tavern. I wasn't sure before we went up to the lake if a new restaurant had taken over at the old William Tell location, but on our way to Mt Major for a hike we were thrilled to see a new place had opened there.

I had the Pork Loin, my husband had the Jambalya, one of my daughters' had the Shrimp Parmesan and the other had the Gluten free pasta dish, which we were thrilled they offered. The waitress was friendly and attentive and made our visit there all the more enjoyable. From what I could see and hear from the other tables it looked like everyone else was having the same experience. All of us enjoyed our entrees very much and I will definitely go back there again.

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by polarisman14

^^Funny you should mention that--on their facebook page they said they are doing the prewiring for the audio system this week. That was my only gripe too, everything else is great.

Question for the more recent diners; Is the audio up and running?

[Just Sold]

Originally Posted by mcdude

Question for the more recent diners; Is the audio up and running?

As of a week ago no music was heard but I did see speakers on the dining room wall.

[jetskier]

Originally Posted by Just Sold

As of a week ago no music was heard but I did see speakers on the dining room wall.

We were waiting until the end of the holiday weekend as we knew the restaurant would be crowded otherwise.

First, they do have an audio system installed and running. They are still playing with the setup a bit and the chef is partial to heavy metal although the staff keeps the music much more tame.

The restaurant was not crowded, but the music does tend to mute the background conversations and we were told that they will be installing curtains to further soften the acoustics.

The food was extremely good (as always). They are running specials on Monday and it was beer and either steak tips/mushroom pie or lamb stew. I opted for the steak tips/mushroom pie with a Guinness. It was somewhat like a Wellington with a flaky crust ... very good and reasonably priced. As you can guess, we now consider this one of our favorite restaurants in the area.

Jetskier

[mcdude]

Originally Posted by jetskier

the chef is partial to heavy metal

Jetskier

oh great! .....one should be careful what they wish for!

[polarisman14]

Happy to report that I had another good experience at the tavern for lunch today. They are making many improvements--as previously noted they have music now, they have artwork on the walls, and now have themed dining nights as well.

I had the venison osso bucco on a bed of parmesan risotto and that was fantastic as was my wife's lobster salad on a criossant roll. The drinks were good per usual and my mother was thrilled with the soup du jour.

We'll be back.