Lyons Den

[snowbird]

Special consideration has been suggested for the patrons of one "tax-paying restaurant". The non-public docks are reserved for Gilford's Island Residents. They reside on 19 Gilford islands. There are 240 tax-paying properties on these islands, paying more than 200 times the taxes paid by the restaurant. Do the math.

[mcdude]

Check out Lauren's updated Appetizer, Soup, Salad and Dinner Entree menus.

LYON's DEN UPDATED MENUS

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by mcdude

Check oput Lauren's updated Appetizer, Soup, Salad and Dinner Entree menus.

LYON's DEN UPDATED MENUS

Dude that is our favorite table!

We were there (that table) for lunch last Tuesday; it was our anniversary and an evening obligation ruled out dinner out so we went for the best lunch in the area. The appetizer sampler was great, a very fresh salad with yummy dressing made there; crab cakes (my favorite) and a lemon square with the best ever raspberry sauce made for a very nice lunch.

[rick35]

We made our last trip of the season to the Lyon's Den on Saturday night and as usual the food and service were excellent. I found a favorite in their tips and we may have to make the trek this winter if the withdrawals become too severe. I have to say I was really pleased about finding this great restaurant on the forum. We've been over a few times by boat and this has become our favorite lakes region restaurant. I'll be watching the web cams this spring for ice out and when we can resume our treks to a great restaurant.

[BroadHopper]

Originally Posted by snowbird

Special consideration has been suggested for the patrons of one "tax-paying restaurant". The non-public docks are reserved for Gilford's Island Residents. They reside on 19 Gilford islands. There are 240 tax-paying properties on these islands, paying more than 200 times the taxes paid by the restaurant. Do the math.

As a Gilford taxpayer, I'm not sure if the 240 properties justify in taking over 2 docks and leaving only a quarter of a dock for Gilford non island residents to use. A quarter of it is reserved for boat launching and the other half is for loading and unloading only. I have talk to John Goodhue, who heads the island association about moving the load unload to the other side and share it with the boat launching site. That way the non island residents can have a full half. He just chuckles at me. There are hardly any boats on the loading/unloading side.

[The Big Kahuna]

My wife and I eat there this past weekend, Saturday night. We had a drink and apps at the bar and then dinner in the dinning room. Great attmosphere, great food. Will have to go back and make it a regular stop.

[SIKSUKR]

This is old news.I can't believe people are just finding out about this place.You need to go out in the boat and find other places.

[The Big Kahuna]

Originally Posted by SIKSUKR

This is old news.I can't believe people are just finding out about this place.You need to go out in the boat and find other places.

I didn't want to mention in my original message that we had been trying to get into the Den for about a year but every time we went they were having a function and the dinning room was resurved. We must have just had dumb bad luck because every time we went (no less than 4 times) we ran into these funcitons. So it want for a lack of trying or knowing the place was there.

[MaidenCove07]

Well this summer, Maiden and Crew finally made it over to the Lyons Den.

Thanks to forum reassurances, we went on the Jet Ski and sat in the bar.

Never actually got to meet the king pins, but tasted their wares, a la Caribbean Jerk chicken wings, French Onion soup, calamari, and burgers.

Nothing disappointed!!! The wings were awesome - that jerk slather was spicy and sweet and the wings were cooked all the way through. We've not had better French Onion Soup anywhere, the calamari was sweet and tender and it's tough to ruin a burger, but a good burger is so satisfying.

AND, best of all, they have Leinenkugle on tap!!! Woo Hoo!!

We're fans for life. Never been there for dinner cuz the dress up thing is the last thing we wanna do on weekends, but for lunch and lounging, it's perfect!

We'll be back and we recommend the place highly for a casual afternoon.

[Rose]

Originally Posted by MaidenCove07

We're fans for life. Never been there for dinner cuz the dress up thing is the last thing we wanna do on weekends, but for lunch and lounging, it's perfect!

By all means, go for dinner. Four of us were in shorts, t-shirts and sandals or sneakers when we went on a Saturday night in August.

We're headed up tomorrow to drop the boat off for winterization and wrapping, and we're planning on hitting the Den for lunch when we're done. I think I'll try the tips this time, depending on what the special is.

We're also hitting the Wine'ing Butcher to bring home some tips to carry us over for a while. Of course, they're so darn good (I feel like Sarah Palin typing that) that they'll probably be gone by Halloween.

[Rose]

Originally Posted by The Big Kahuna

I didn't want to mention in my original message that we had been trying to get into the Den for about a year but every time we went they were having a function and the dinning room was resurved. We must have just had dumb bad luck because every time we went (no less than 4 times) we ran into these funcitons. So it want for a lack of trying or knowing the place was there.

Well, I guess I should have taken a cue from your post and called before going there for lunch. It was closed for a baby shower. Jeez, the kid's not even born and it's already ruining my dining experience. I'm just not used to going to a restaurant and having the main seating area reserved. We could have gone to the bar for lunch, but it was crowded and those stairs are less than inviting...perhaps they should be replaced, painted, something to make them look more welcoming. So instead we bought some tips at Wine'ing Butcher and we're now sitting fat and happy on our couch after partaking in the Steakhouse Tips...they were very yummy.

[Maria]

It's too bad you feel this way about the BEST restaurant in the Gilford area in a very long time.
You really should give it another try!
We love this restaurant, I don't know where to begin.
Service, price, food, people, etc........... We normally eat the bar because of the convenience of being able to order off either the dinner menu or lunch menu. (not too many places offer this). We have never been dissappointed!

Finally a place we can go to without worrying about wait, service and product.

The owner's Lauren and Roland are by far the most cordial host and hostess you will ever meet. The wait staff is just as stupendous!!!! That includes all of you. The kitchen help - great!!!
Cheers to you all!!

We'll see you soon!!!

Ralph and Maria

[kayakn]

Just had a great lunch at The Lyon's Den. Little snafu getting in as they forgot to unlock the front door. (musta heard we were coming) But, we had fun with that and call from the cell to ask to be let in! Food & service was great as usual. Hopefully, they have a great winter as local events start to pick up! And the view is breathtaking esp now that the lake is frozen over & bob houses are starting to pop up.

[rick35]

If Saturday is as nice as the weathermen say its supposed to be we'll be launching the boat for the first time this season. Almost as exciting is the thought that we may even get to go to the Lyon's Den. I can taste the tips already!

[meredith weekender]

Went to the Lyon's Den last night for dinner after hearing that the place was great. Well the forum is correct. The food is great. The tenderloin tips were melt in your mouth and the chicken nicole has incredible flavor. The service was top notch. We were greeted immediately upon walking in the door. The hostess sat us in the corner overlooking the cove (great view). Our waitress was very attentive, knowledgable and personable as well. The Lyons Den will be going to the top of list as one of our favorite dinner spots.

[ishoot308]

My wife and I have been frequenting the Lyons Den for a couple years now and have decided it is our favorite place to eat in the area. We went again this past weekend and everything was delicious as expected from the appetizers, to the main course and finally the desert. Lauren, her daughter Nicole and company offer the friendliest service around and are simply just plain nice people to talk to.

If you have never been, you really are missing out on one spectacular restaurant and owners who seriously care about consistent quality of food and service. We hope they are around for a long time.

Dan

[Phantom]

Damn .........
keep making posts like that ishoot and I'll never see my window table again !!! .

[Lakepilot]

Had lunch today at the Lyons Den and it was as good as always. We had the corner table right by the window and enjoyed the sun for a little while. I had the fish and chips and my wife had a grilled chicken salad. Both were excellent.

This time we came by car. Another couple sat down just after us and had come by boat. They were told they would get a ticket at the dock they had left the boat. The husband left to move the boat and the wife stayed at her table. He came back after 5 or 10 minutes and said he was told by the marine patrol (not the folks who usually issue tickets, but the only uniformed folks there at the time) that he couldn't park the boat on any of the docks. He came back to the restaurant, picked up his wife and left. What a shame for the Lyons Den.

We usually come by boat, but I wonder if they are not reserving one side of one dock for out of towners now? It was one of our favorite places to go in the boat.

[rick35]

That's odd. We were just there for lunch on Sunday and it still said three hour docking. I hope they didn't change it. Its not like there isn't enough space for the Gilford residents.

[Slickcraft]

Originally Posted by Lakepilot

This time we came by car. Another couple sat down just after us and had come by boat. They were told they would get a ticket at the dock they had left the boat. The husband left to move the boat and the wife stayed at her table. He came back after 5 or 10 minutes and said he was told by the marine patrol (not the folks who usually issue tickets, but the only uniformed folks there at the time) that he couldn't park the boat on any of the docks. He came back to the restaurant, picked up his wife and left. What a shame for the Lyons Den.

We usually come by boat, but I wonder if they are not reserving one side of one dock for out of towners now? It was one of our favorite places to go in the boat.

The MPO was wrong (also they have no jurisdiction over the use of the Gilford town docks). The 3 hour section of docking can be used by anyone. Only the 8 and 12 hour sections are reserved for island residents. There is ample signage.

[Lakepilot]

I'm glad they were wrong. It's a great restaurant and I'd hate to not be able to reach it by boat.

[nerual721]

I spent a little time in the MPOffice on Friday - trying to get to the bottom of who scared away my customers with incorrect information. Apparently they were not sure so they called the Gilford Police dispatch and were misinformed by the Police Department. So, I called the police department and found out that indeed they were also confused about the new regulations for the Glendale Parking Facility. The upshot is that the Gilford PD sent an officer Bradbury down to speak with me in person and to apologize for all of the misinformation. Indeed the 3 hour dock can be used by anyone for a maximum of 3 hours. The 8 hour and 12 hour docks are reserved for Gilford Island Residents and it clearly - very clearly - states this at the end of the docks. Unfortunately the people who are in charge of monitoring and ticketing the docks and parking facility are not very customer service oriented. We have watched them over this past weekend - they watch people dock their boats where they are not allowed to dock and say nothing to them. They wait for them to leave or come up to the restaurant and then they go over and ticket them. We had 3 people come by jetski to the tavern today - they went out to find 3 $50 tickets on their jetskis. How much better for the local economy would it be to not upset and insult our vacationers? I am sure that they would gladly have relocated to the 3 hour dock had they been asked. I doubt that they will come back to this area any time soon as $150 makes for an expensive lunch.

[upthesaukee]

...the good will the monitor / ticket writers could have established, with a simple "Sorry, those docks are for island residents. You can park over here (and if necessary) if there is space." Of course, maybe the town doesn't want them to be customer oriented, and just write out those tickets.

Sorry, Lauren, lousy for your business. Maybe calls and letters to the selectmen on this will help you.

[Wolfeboro_Baja]

Originally Posted by nerual721

Unfortunately the people who are in charge of monitoring and ticketing the docks and parking facility are not very customer service oriented. We have watched them over this past weekend - they watch people dock their boats where they are not allowed to dock and say nothing to them. They wait for them to leave or come up to the restaurant and then they go over and ticket them. We had 3 people come by jetski to the tavern today - they went out to find 3 $50 tickets on their jetskis. How much better for the local economy would it be to not upset and insult our vacationers? I am sure that they would gladly have relocated to the 3 hour dock had they been asked. I doubt that they will come back to this area any time soon as $150 makes for an expensive lunch.

This is exactly the reason my wife and I haven't been to the Lyon's Den yet; I haven't been able to figure out IF there's public dock space and where it is!! Thank you nerual721 for getting to the bottom of this! Hopefully, we'll be able to visit your establishment next week when we're up on vacation!

I also agree with upthesaukee and seaplanepilot; town officials and/or their representatives should be helping visitors to the area, not ruining their day!