Restaurant Impossible - The Country Cow Restaurant Update

Photo - Facebook

Tonight on Restaurant Impossible, Robert Irvine and his crew are in Campton, NH to makeover The Country Cow Restaurant & Bar.  The co-owners are a divorced couple, and there are horror stories of them cursing in front of diners and throwing pans in the kitchen.  However, when Robert Irvine arrives, everybody seems to be on their best behavior.  Robert then looks at "behind-the-scenes" footage to figure out the problems that need to be fixed.  As I normally do with Restaurant: Impossible episodes, I searched around the Internet to read stories, comments and reviews about The Country Cow Restaurant & Bar to get an idea of how the restaurant is doing since Robert Irvine visited, and here is what I found (note - all reviews are post Restaurant Impossible):

Positive Reviews:

• "We sat near the window and the views were great.  The service and food was good.  The onion soup was hot and delicious.  My wife had the chicken blt wrap and that looked great.  Our only complaint is the cigarette smoke coming in through the ventilation system.
• "I would try the restaurant again as some of the food was really good. I think with all of the changes they are going through they are still working out some of the kinks and I hope they make it; but the food and service need to get better."
• "We have eaten here a number of times, and have always enjoyed the folksy quaint nature of it, if not 4-star gourmet, but the last time we went, the decor, food, and service all seemed to have ratcheted up a notch."
• "While visiting the White Mountain area for a few days, I chanced upon the Country Cow and had a delightful lunch overlooking a scenic river and covered bridge. The waiter was great...The food was excellent salad and sandwich, creatively prepared and presented... all with great flavor."
• "We sat outside on the patio overlooking the Pemi River and the Blair Bridge this past Saturday and had the best Prime Rib ever. We love this place!"
• "We love the deck and you have a beautiful view of the Blair Bridge (New Hampshire coverd bridge) and the Pemigawasset River...Very friendly staff"

Negative Reviews:

• "I would say it was over all marginal service, for mediocre food, we were there for a total of one hour and fifty minutes, much longer then we expected for lunch....We'll be back up there for a few days in August but I think we'll pass on the Country Cow"
• "To be fair to the kitchen the burgers were really good. It was fairly busy and they are going through a change since the show rolled in but no excuses for the service. They did comp a few beers which was okay . Like I said I really would like to see this place make it but if they continue like this they will be buried up the road in the Blair cemetery. We support the local businesses so we will go back...one more time."

*Reviews from Yelp, Tripadvisor

Other News and Links:

• Here is The Country Cow Restaurant website, which is one of the better designed websites I have seen for restaurants that have appeared on the show.
• Here is The Country Cow menu, which was recently updated on 7/28/2014.
• Here is The Country Cow Facebook page, which is kept up-to-date.
• In odd news, newest Food Network Star winner Lenny McNab (from New Hampshire) is a friend of the restaurant and helped them open 12 years ago. (Link)
• Robert Irvine is really hyping up this episode.  On Twitter, he said, "Next week's show it another totally different show ! The biggest behind the scenes shocker in the history of RI . The Country Cow in NH OMG."  And in a local interview, he said, I’m giving you an insider thing here, that will be the first of a new formatted show in Restaurant: Impossible. You’re going to see things on that show that you’ve never seen before. Which is really, really cool. I can tell you, it’s never been done. That was a whole re-formatted show for this episode.....It wasn’t dirty, but the story is so shocking, when you see it you’re like OMG...The story is something we have never, ever done before, ever. You’re going to see pieces of their audition tape, should I say. But I can’t say anymore. It’s really exciting to me, I can tell you."
• The Blair Bridge, which is next to the restaurant, was damaged during Hurricane Irene in 2011. Two and a half million dollars was put into repairing and improving the bridge (Link).  Also, here are pictures from The Country Cow Restaurant during Hurricane Irene, which show the damage sustained at the restaurant.
• In 2011, owner Jennifer Leonzi won "The Business Of The Year" award from the Waterville Valley Regional Chamber of Commerce for The Country Cow. (Link)
• There was an MLS listing for the property at $679,000, but not sure of the date it was active, and it is no longer active (Link 1, Link 2)

Conclusion: 

It seems the reviews for The Country Cow Restaurant and Bar are mostly positive, however there are a few complaints about slow service.  One of the main draws of the restaurant is its location and beautiful scenery, which people seem to like.  The money put into repairing and improving the nearby bridge should also help bring additional people to the restaurant.  With their location and national exposure, even if they serve decent food, they should be able to be successful.

It will be interesting to see what Robert Irvine is hyping up about this episode and if there will continue to be format changes for the show.  It almost sounds this episode will be a combination of Restaurant Stakeout and Restaurant Impossible.

UPDATE -  The owners changed the name of the restaurant to The Covered Bridge Farm Table Restaurant & Bar.

UPDATE - The property and restaurant is for sale and the current asking price is $999,000. (Link)

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