Morse Mountain Grille at Smugglers' Notch Resort

"The hostess was grumpy, but the food was great!"

The title truly says it all.

After a few hours on the mountain, our party was "dying of hunger, man" (that would be my husband's swan song). We hightailed it over to Morse Mountain Grill, what appeared to be the quickest solution to our hunger problem.

The host staff were rude, plain and simple. I understand that the younger crowd that work resort restaurants aren't always in the best humor, but after encountering so many friendly, mellow Smugg's staff we were dumbfounded that there could be an alternative. One hostess glanced at us and walked away to entertain conversation with another employee. Another hostess came into the front to ask us if we wanted to eat (to which my husband said, "Um ... is there food here?"), then huffed us over to our table before slapping the menus down and walking away. As my 9 year old would say: "Excuuuuuse me!". (She really watches too many "Full House" re-runs)

The menu is what you'd expect to find at Chili's or TGI Friday's, with comparable price points. We had the black bean burger (vegetarian) and the house salad. Our skiing compadres had what they called "the typical ski resort $12.99 burger" and various appetizers to share. Our server was friendly and upbeat, offering many suggestions and answering questions we had about vegetarian items on the menu.

While we were eating, I noticed that our favorite hostess (huh huh) was giving new guests the same treatment, which was quickly recovered by a friendly server. Groups of skiers and riders, mostly families, were engrossed in conversation over Morse Mountain Grille's delicious steak fries, a testament to their pacifying power. One hot morsel in your mouth and you've forgotten all about whatsherface at the host stand.

Our party? We were busy debating on whether or not we had to wait an hour before getting back on the mountain.

*Disclosure: This review is based on a complimentary stay at Smuggler's Notch Resort. I received no other compensation and the owner did not indicate that I express a particular point of view.