Mr. Nick's - 11

Date: 7/25/10

Restaurant: Mr. Nick's   
Address: 160 Main St.       
City: Kingston   
Phone: 642-8312

Breakfast Hours: M-Sa 6-12, Sun 7-12       

Mr. Nick's is a bit off the beaten path, with no curb appeal and the decor leaves a bit to be desired, but the food was mostly pretty darn good. We wouldn't travel from Lempster or Keene to eat there again, but if we just so happen to be heading to or from Boston we would consider hopping off I-93 and heading East for a bite.

STANDARD - 2 eggs OE, potatoes, bacon, toast

Eggs ****
Done as ordered. Good dippability.
      
   
Potatoes **
Kind: Home fries. Potatoes were labeled as home fries, but they were more like large chunks of boiled potatoes that barely hit the grill. Big, soft, and mushy. They had a little seasoning added to them, which was about the only thing going for them.
   
Toast ****
Kind: 10 Grain   
Homemade: No
Darn good. Would have been a 5 if it had been homemade.
   
  
Bacon ****
Very tasty. Cooked just right. A strong 4. 
    


SERVER RECOMMENDATION
The server recommended the Tex-Mex breakfast tortilla, which was at the top of the extensive menu. Since we have had numerous mexican-themed breakfasts lately we went with one of the specials. 
   

SPECIAL/OMELET **** Apple Cheddar & Bacon Omelet with Honey Oat Toast and Beans
It was big, chunky and so loaded that it was impossible not to get a piece of each ingredient in every bite. Sven added nothing to it, no salt, no pepper, no hot sauce (which might have been a little odd), nothing. Said it didn't need anything and that he would definitely order it again. When I got my half, I added salt, mainly out of habit and because I can't seem to get enough salt these days, but it probably would have been fine without it. I didn't like it as much as Sven did. I think it was the apple and egg combo I didn't like. I love apples and cheddar, and bacon is good with just about anything, so I think it was the egg that threw me off. It was also pretty cold by the time I got it, which may have had something to do with it as well.

The beans were delicious! Homemade, more of that good bacon, and pretty sweet, just the way I like 'em!

MISCELLANEOUS
Coffee **  Sven didn't even finish his cup. I had iced coffee, what was weak, but that is expected in a place like this, so I wasn't unhappy with it.

SERVICE ***
Service wasn't the greatest. Our server left our check when she delivered our food, and returned a moment later, before we had our first bites, to ask how our breakfast was, and then we didn't see her again. Well, almost. She did come by to ask if I wanted more iced coffee, but there was not warm-up of Sven's coffee cup. There seemed to be a lot of staff, and not a ton of customers, so a little more attention should not have been a problem.
   
    
   
DECOR * and **
Mr. Nick's sits in a suspicious looking, poorly built, aluminum-sided, exposed fixture-wired, plaza that looks like it has been that way for decades. The interior had two different sides. At first we thought that maybe they just expanded and hadn't decorated the new side yet, but then we noticed on our way out that the sign out front looked as though it has always been centered between the two sides. One side (**) had wood panelling and a lakeside camp sort of feel, with fishing pictures. There were red, blue and silver stars hanging from the ceiling. The other side (*) had no decor what-so-ever. the walls were blank and if they didn't just recently expand, then they are just lazy. They seem to cater to children with a bookshelf full of books and coloring materials.
    
      
   
BATHROOMS  *** and ****
We both liked having to walk through the beaded curtain to get to the bathrooms. In both bathrooms the paper towel dispenser was broken with the front hanging open to give access to the paper. Sven gave the men's room a 4. I couldn't go that high.   
    
   
NOTES
The food was better than good, but the place was a little strange. The plates were a bit too small for the amount of food on them. Lots of things looked good on the menu.

SVEN'S TAKE
After being out of town for about a week, it felt like a long time since Olga and I could have breakfast together. So it was with great anticipation that we awoke on Sunday morning in Boston and headed for our home state for some early A.M. grub. Before leaving Beantown, though, we absolutely had to stop at my favorite muffin place in the world — Sorelle Bakery on Monument Avenue in Charlestown. I sat in the car while Olga ran in to grab the muffins and emerged a few minutes later with a lemon blueberry muffin and a morning glory. Driving north, I broke off piece after piece of the lemon blueberry number, and it was ridiculously good. So good, in fact, that I vowed that whatever diner we ate at that morning would get a free 1/2 star upgrade courtesy of Sorelle.

Turns out that Nick's Place didn't really need the freebie. . . it was plenty good all on it's own. I'd never been to Kingston, NH before, but it seems like an outdoor, campground/boating type of town, with a lot of local spirit. Nick's was a little rundown, but it actually suited the casual vibe of the town well. The food I had was great — all except the coffee. There were a number of tempting things on the menu, and my one regret was that I wasn't hungry enough to try three or four of them. The cheddar and apple and bacon omelet was exceptional — not a combination I would have come up with on my own, but one that I will definitely have again. The apples were green, tart, and firm enough to crunch a little on each bite, and they didn't skimp at all on the cheddar. The beans tasted homemade, and had a fair amount of bacon in them as well. All in all, great eats, and a nicer drive through the southeastern part of NH than I would have expected.