If you want a recommendation for a good restaurant, ask at the local ladies’ dress shop. This has been a good source three times now in Wolfeboro.
51 Mill Street is tucked away on a back street where you wouldn’t find it if you were just passing through town. Previously this restaurant property has had two different owners. After Mike Love sold it, we were told it went down hill, but now it has been taken over by John and Cathy Vatistas. Their previous experience has been in casual eateries on the seacoast and in Dover, but they have cranked it up a notch with 51 Mill. The location is easy to find, and there is plenty of parking, which is a great commodity to have in Wolfeboro.
The menu covers all the bases well, with something for everyone. The soups are made in house, and the appetizers could easily make a meal. The fried calamari is served with a chipotle tomato remoulade or a sweet chili pepper sauce, and grilled Asian spare ribs in a garlic-ginger sauce offer a choice of sweet or regular fries. The portion size on the Maine crab cakes is enormous. Two large crisp patties, not overly stuffed with filler, are served on a bed of greens, decorated with lemon herbed aioli squiggles. I could have stopped right there ($8)!
My guest ordered the plain Mill Street salad, and it was anything but plain. Organic baby spinach, beet greens, grape tomatoes, cucumber, red onion and sliced carrot were nicely arranged on a large white plate. There were several choices of dressing, blue cheese, honey-scallion, all house made, and she chose the Russian with baby Maine shrimp. You couldn’t actually see the shrimp, they were chopped small, but added texture and flavor. The salad was garnished with candied pecans, which had not been mentioned in the menu description.
I couldn’t resist the lobster roll ($16), a quarter pound of lobster meat with a little mayo on a grilled roll. It came exactly as described. The sweet meat had at least three little claws, no great chewy, tough chunks of tail. There was only enough mayo to hold it together. The traditional hot dog roll, toasted, lined with lettuce, was only necessary to transport the lobster from the kitchen to the table. Apparently there was no salt or pepper in the mix, so you add your own. A wedge of lemon was thoughtfully provided.
The sweet potato fries that came with it were even better. Shoestring, light as a feather, cooked crisp and served very hot, these little devils appeared to be grease free.
My guest passed on the fish and chips I thought she would order, and chose instead a simple vegetable wrap. It came on whole wheat, and was filled with greens, tomato, onion, sprouts, kosher dills, black olives, hummus, avocado and Swiss cheese ($7). It was a nice combination of flavors, and the usual sharp-flavored spears of bell pepper were mercifully absent. The hummus held the ingredients together and kept the wrap from being too dry. This too was served with fries, so I didn’t have to give any of mine away!
Desserts aren’t made here, but by pastry chef Donna Love, and they are fabulous. Just when you think you can’t eat another thing, the server brings a tray of samples, and you know you have to try one. Unlike the dead, plastic-looking desserts in some restaurant displays, these are fresh and oh, so tempting. They are all $6, and you only have to decide which one from about nine selections.
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In the evening, the menu maintains many of the appetizers served at lunch and at the same price, but now you move into the realm of serious entrees as well. Wild salmon, prime rib, rack of lamb, filet tournedos, or how about pan-seared medallions of veal with sage and proscuitto served over lobster ravioli? As you might expect the prices rise commensurately, but several of the entrees stay in the teens.
The service here is provided by polite youngsters, who are overseen by a watchful hostess. The accommodations are comfortable, with sturdy chairs, well-dressed tables and thick carpet, and lazy paddle fans overhead. The dining room is quite formal, but the porch feels more casual. It looks out on a back bay of Winnipesaukee, and is highly favored in season, so reservations are advised if you want to ensure a seat out there. We had a most enjoyable meal, and it looks as if the restaurant at 51 Mill Street is back in top form.
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