Merlino’s Steakhouse – Decent Steak in the Heart of North Conway
Written: Oct 23 '07 (Updated Nov 05 '09)
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Pros: good menu selection, quality steaks
Cons: kids meals expensive, sometimes not as good depending on who's in the kitchen
The Bottom Line: A good restaurant to dine at in the heart of North Conway. Great location, friendly staff, & decent food.
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| AliventiAsylum's Full Review: Merlino's Family Steakhouse |
One thing that’s great about living in a resort town that caters to tourists is the number of restaurants. North Conway has been somewhat successful at keeping the huge chains out and have mostly restaurants that are independently owned and operated.
Merlino’s Steakhouse is one of those restaurants. It’s located on the main strip in North Conway, Route 16, right in the heart of everything. It’s pretty hard to miss with the giant cow up there for everyone to see. It’s within walking distance of several hotels.
The ambience of the place is like most steakhouses. There's a rustic feel to it and the lighting is somewhat dim. It's not a place I think of for a romantic meal, but it can be a nice place for two people to have a conversation.
Of course, the main thing on the menu at Merlino’s Steakhouse is steaks. They use only Certified Angus Beef for the highest quality. There are also a variety of other offerings including Italian dishes, seafood, and burgers. When we go, I always get steak.
Merlino’s Steakhouse is family-friendly as are most of the restaurants in the area. It’s also 100% smoke-free. That law was just passed up here, so all of the restaurants were forced in this direction.
If you’re in the mood for appetizers, there’s a pretty good selection. I found the usual fried mozzarella ($6.99) and potato skins ($6.99) on the menu, but there are also items such as mussels marinara ($8.99), bruschetta ($8.99), and St. Louis Style Spare Ribs ($8.99) available as an appetizer. We usually just order a Combo Platter ($9.99) which consists of fried mozzarella, buffalo fingers, fried ravioli, and potato wedges.
There are soups and salad available, but with a salad included with the meal, I haven’t tried them.
I’m a filet person, and the Filet Mignon (market price) at Merlino’s Steakhouse is pretty good. I get it medium-rare which is warm with a red center and I have to say that out of about ten trips we’ve made there, maybe twice I can think of when it wasn’t perfect, and that was usually during a very busy time. It’s served with a wild mushroom demi glaze that is really good. I did try the Prime Rib (varies depending on weight) once and found it to be good, but I’d just rather have a filet. It was seasoned quite nicely without the seasoning dominating the meat. I also tried the Certified Angus Beef Kebobs ($14.99) which are sirloin tip on a skewer with onions and peppers. This was also good, just not my favorite!
When I’m out for a steak that’s about all I want, but some of the people I dine with have been known to try the Italian Entrees offered at Merlino’s Steakhouse. While they said it was good, there are better Italian restaurants in the Mount Washington Valley if that is what you are looking for exclusively. Otherwise, it’s a good way for two people with varying tastes to be satisfied.
All meat and surf & turf meals come with a family-style salad, either Caesar or mixed greens. I’m boring – we always get mixed greens. There is also a choice of potato, pasta, or rice plus the vegetable of the day. All in all, a very satisfying meal even if you don’t want to splurge for appetizers.
There’s a full bar at Merlino’s Steakhouse with a good selection of beers, both local and mass-produced.
For the kids in the family, the Kid’s Menu is a set price of $6.50 and includes a selection of ziti with meatball, hot dog and fries, cheeseburger and fries, chicken fingers and fries, or a cheese pizza, plus a drink and juice pop for dessert. That seems sort of expensive to me and I keep wondering where the days went when I paid like $3.99 or $4.99 for a kid’s meal?
Take-out is available and there’s also an abbreviated lunch menu.
Service has been pretty good. There were a couple of times when it seemed like we were waiting for a while for the check, but in general they have been attentive. The food seems to come out hot with no problem. The staff is friendly and nice to chat with.
While Merlino’s Steakhouse isn’t my favorite steak place in the Valley, it’s one I can go to and be pretty certain I’ll enjoy my meal, even if it doesn’t dazzle me. It’s a step above the chain restaurants like 99 Restaurant or Outback Steakhouse.
Other places to eat in New Hampshire:
Bea's Cafe, Conway NH ~ Cafe Noche, Conway NH ~ Decades Steakhouse, North Conway NH ~ Delaney‘s Hole in the Wall, North Conway NH ~ Harts Turkey Farm, Meredith NH ~ May Kelly's Cottage, North Conway NH ~ Moat Mountain Smokehouse, North Conway NH ~ Muddy Moose, North Conway NH ~ Peach's Restauran, North Conway NH ~ Red Parka Steakhouse & Pub, Glen NH ~ Yankee Smokehouse, West Ossipee NH
Sites to see in New Hampshire:
Attitash Bear Peak Ski Resort ~ Bretton Woods Ski Resort ~ Canobie Lake Park ~ Cranmore Mountain Ski Resort ~ Franconia Notch State Park ~ Kancamagus Highway ~ King Pine Ski Resort ~ Loon Mountain Ski Resort ~ Madison Boulder Natural Area ~ Mount Washington Cog Railway ~ North Conway, NH ~ Polar Express Event ~ Shawnee Peak, Bridgeton ME ~ Six Gun City ~ Story Land ~ Whale’s Tale Water Park ~ White Lake State Park ~ White Mountain National Forest ~ Wildcat Mountain
Some places to stay in New Hampshire:
Attitash Mountain Village - Bartlett NH ~ Comfort Inn & Suites - North Conway NH ~ Hampton Inn - Concord/Bow NH ~ Yankee Clipper Motel
Books about the area:
Appalachian Mountain Club White Mountain Guide ~ 50 Hikes in the White Mountains
© 2007 Patti Aliventi
Recommended:
Yes
Kid Friendliness: Yes
Vegetarian Friendly: No
Notes, Tips or Menu Recommendations Filet, Steak Kebobs, Prime Rib
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Epinions.com ID:
AliventiAsylum
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Member: Patti Aliventi
Location: Mount Washington Valley, New Hampshire
Reviews written: 2079
Trusted by: 687 members
About Me:
Now writing reviews to pay for the "out of network" costs of our health insurance...
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