Baited Hook – August Quick Look

Chris Carroll, a carpenter by trade, bought a dairy bar with a few tables 23 years ago and today with his wife Patti has established a casual dining niche for 75 diners overlooking Lake Mascoma on the Lebanon-Enfield border, just two miles from I-89.

After placing an order at the counter inside a small, rustic wood-paneled dining room, move out to a screened-in porch or onto a deck to enjoy the panoramic lake views and the boats moored along the shore. Other than the strip clams and fish burgers, seafood is prepared with their own sauces and breading. We chose the fried belly clams and a hot Italian sausage sandwich with sautéed green peppers, onions and Swiss cheese for lunch. Both were delicious. Lunch prices range from $3.75 for a grilled cheese to $11.95 for a double, fried whole-clam roll. Dinners run from $6.95 for chicken O’s (chicken nuggets in the shape of an “o”) to sautéed scallops at $18.95. No liquor is served. Not to forgo its early beginnings, the Baited Hook sells 15 varieties of ice cream for diners and from a window outside. – Helen Brody

The Baited Hook Restaurant,
Rte. 4A (Exit 17, I-89, toward Enfield), Lebanon
(603) 448-1133. Open Wednesday to Sunday through Labor Day 11:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m.; weekends through foliage season, closed winters
Cash and personal checks – no credit cards

Helen Brody is author of “New Hampshire: From Farm to Kitchen,” co-author of “Cooking with Fire: Two Hundred Years of Recipes and Foodlore” and a writer for New England newspapers and magazines.