Parrott House

~ THE PARROTT HOUSE OF HORRORS ~
— they had sweet potato fries on the menu, but didn’t actually have them
— 50 minute wait for what was essentially bar food… 50 MINUTES!
— 7 people of our party of 8 received their food. the ribeye came 20 min later after everybody was finished. the waitress said this was because the kitchen was out of mashed potatoes like it was meant to come with and had to substitute french fries. that takes and extra 20 min? her apology was waving her hands around and saying the cook was «overwhelmed» because we were such a big group (8 people… only one other table in the place, and they were done eating)
— didn’t even comp the drinks for that ^ although he didn’t ask either so maybe that’s our bad. our waitress did put down a bowl of cold fries to sustain him while everybody else ate dinner though. (not sure if they were even free, didn’t see the bill)
— when my dad ordered the turkey entrée, the waitress literally paused and said «oh… we have turkey??» BAD SIGN! he ordered it anyways and guess what? it was a) horrible and b) nothing like what it was described as on the menu
— turkey entrée was meant to be turkey on texas toast (thick slices of bread) with mashed potato, vegetables and gravy. he got turkey on wonder bread, drenched in canned gravy with fries and no veg… i wish i had a pic, it was almost funny how gross it was. except that we spent money on it… so no, not funny
— had to pay extra for cheese on my burger and the amount they put on was so minuscule. not worth the money
— asked for no tomatoes on burger, got tomatoes (this isn’t usually a big deal, but it was just the cherry on top on the incompetence here)
— fries with everybody’s entrees were cold and shriveled. obviously reheated and not tasty
~~
+ clean bathroom

I’ve read other reviews. and I guess that this restaurant has new ownership at this point. My husband and I go out to dinner often. and I must say that this was a wonderful experience! From the appetizer to the dessert, I have no complaints. He ordered the buffalo mozz and I ordered the Scallops for appetizers. Both prepared perfectly. Scallops cooked to perfection. not overcooked as MANY other restaurants prepare. juicy. wrapped in prosciutto… OMG… Our entrees… He ordered the Beef Wellington — cooked TO PERFECTION. I had the Beef/​Lamb stew. and I used their rolls to sop up the broth at the end.
We were fortunate to find the PH. and know we will return. The staff was very attentive… I really have no complaints! It was a great evening. wonderful meal.

Checked out the PH this past Saturday night during it’s St. Paddy’s weekend festivities. The décor hasn’t changed mush since I was here last fall, except for some more Irish decorations (and the owner is really from Ireland).
Anyhow, it was nice having a little live music while we ate. It was a group of young guys playing some string/​folk music on a small riser-​stage. Seems to fit this pub pretty well. If the owner reads this at all, it’d be nice to have some more live music, even if 1 – 2 times a month. The corn stove in the corner added some warmth to the place; not that it needed it as the pub seating was full and our side room seating was near capacity.
Seems they have a relatively new chef (our waitress told us) who turned up some pretty good grub at a decent price. The kids split a nicely gooded cheeseburger and crisp homemade french fries (~$ 7). The wife has a pretty simple quesadilla for about the same price. I had the shephards pie special ($ 12) which, although simple, was also very tasty and filling. The menu is fairly limited and I thought the waitress said they wanted to offer a smaller, simpler menu during the winter months. I’m fine with that so long as the quality remains.
Long story short, I’d go back with the family for dinner anytime, then sneak back later that night for a hearty Guinness and live music!

I had to rate the Parrot House with a measly one-​star because it doesn’t quite deserve anything else. Believe me, they are trying to be an important place and have good beer and I am sure that they offer service far better than what I encountered. However, I wasn’t impressed with their menu nor their appearance. With that said, I went in with low expectations.
Schoharie County has endured a lot of damage from Tropical Storm Irene and I get that it’s hard to find rural places that can compete with more urbane locales. I’ve seen places throughout the Hudson Valley that have been far more impressive and I’ve really like to see my dear old home, the Schoharie Valley, offer more places that are worth the drive.
Sorry to hate on you, Schoharie.

I concur with the other reviews of the Parrot House. I had the worst meal in my life there. A lunch special was a Reuben sandwich, but they had no Swiss cheese, an essential ingedient. The sandwich arrived badly burnt and the French fries were barely cooked and limp. My wife’s Mexican dish was badly burnt too.

The story I have to tell about The Parrott House is a classic nightmare story that is shared at least once on every dinner occasion my family gets together. I am proud to share this with you now. Let me begin by saying that my grandpa had HIGHLY recommended this place to us while vacationing at our upstate house. «Don’t forget to get the Fiesta nachos!» he said in a failed attempt to pronounce the word «fiesta». Excited to try this new place, my dad’s girlfriend made a reservation and we mildly starved ourselves throughout the day preparing to enjoy this potential feast we planned on having. After an hour long car ride, we finally arrived at our destination, The Parrott House. I was a little skeptical at first due to the creepy, antique look of the building– so my dad’s girlfriend and I decided to go scout it out before we all committed to eating there. We went in, it looked decent, and we thought– why not? So we all sat down to eat. After about 20 minutes of sitting in awkward silence, our 14 year old waitress finally came to the table… to take our drink orders. Saying that we were cold would be an understatement. The word «freezing» barely does this place justice. Starving and freezing, our drinks finally arrived and we placed our meal order. My boyfriend ordered the corned beef and cabbage. About 15 minutes later, the waitress came back with a confused look on her adolescent face. She turned to my boyfriend and said «Sorry,. we don’t have the corned beef… we. lost it.» Lost it? That sounded assuring. «I’ll go with the chicken instead.» he added. Another 10 minutes passed and she returned again, this time with a smile on her face. «Never mind, we found it!» were the words that came out of her mouth. I didn’t know what was worse– the fact that my boyfriend agreed to continue with the corned beef order or the fact the real question of where the heck was the corned beef in the first place? After another 15 – 45 minutes, she was back again, this time with the food. We all sat like impatient children waiting for my boyfriend to take that first bite of the «corned beef». After one bite and possible internal regurgitation, the look on his face said it all. The «corned beef» was shades of grey and green and the potatoes were floating in stagnant water. Needless to say his meal was not edible and I am very lucky to say that he’s still alive after consuming that. Would we be back? NO. Would we recommend? Absolutely not. Please take my advice and stay as far away from this place as possible. Oh and last but not least– there was no fiesta nachos on the menu.

Review is for the restaurant only:
We had a comically bad dining experience here on Christmas Eve, 2011. The waitress was extremely uninformed about the basics, such as their drinks on offer and specials, and then would have to go back and check with someone which would take extended waiting periods for her to return. The drinks and food were all slow to come out despite only one other table being occupied.
The slow, uninformed service would not be a deal breaker in and of itself but the best part was, the dining room and bar were all FREEZING. Like literally no heat, whatsoever. Keeping with their nice renovations, I guess they are going for a truly 19^th Century dining experience – although I think by the 19^th Century fireplaces were in common use, at least. Everyone in there was wearing a coat, and in my grandma’s case, a wool hat.
The food itself was typical bar food, nothing special, but good enough to save this from being a 1 star review. It seems like they really don’t want to be a restaurant and would rather just be a bar, which may be a better thing for their customers as alcohol tends to warm up the blood stream. They really should offer mulled cider though.

Decided to stop in during a drive about to look at hurricane Irene damage. The Parrott House is gem in Schoharie – one of the few things open – and well worth the visit. Prices are very reasonable (excellent burger for $ 6 and beer is $ 3.50). Great atmosphere – very historic and interesting building in the center of town next to the court house. Help support local Schoharie businesses like this one — stop in for a great meal – you’ll be glad you did!

I love David the owner from Ireland — exactly what an owner should be. He respects the small town feel and welcomed us with open arms (even if I was a Giants fan, and he was a Pats fan).
But besides that, the food and drink were excellent and reasonably priced. Would definitely stop in again if I was in the area.