Henry VIII Carvery Fit for a King

Editor's note: Welcome to "Across the River," which offers stories and news from Kittery, Maine. Each Thursday, Portsmouth Patch will present a story about this community along with a short list of upcoming events and happenings around town. All Portsmouth Patch stories about Kittery, Maine will also be posted in our new "Across the River" topic page that can be accessed by clicking on the News section of the tool bar any time.

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For nearly three months, Kittery area residents and visitors have been discovering a mouth-watering lunch alternative on Route 1 called Henry VIII Carvery, which offers high-quality beef, turkey and pork sandwiches, wraps and soups.

Owner Fritz Olcott of Kittery Point said he and his wife, Alice, decided to open the eatery after the chose to close two other Henry VIII restaurants they owned in Portland's Monument Square and Kennebunkport.

Since they opened their Kittery restaurant just after Labor Day, Olcott said the response "has been very good."

He said they haven't done any advertising or much publicity, but "curiosity keeps bringing people in and they seem to be coming back, which is also wonderful." The couple currently has a Facebook page for the restaurant with a web site on the way.

And who can blame them. The minute one enters the restaurant, they are immediately greeted with the menu that features sandwiches such as the signature roast beef fare of Henry VIII, the Beefeater, the Tower of London and turkey sandwiches such as the Squire or pork loin sandwiches like the Duke of Pork.

The regal dining room features a suit of armor and an oil portraint of King Henry VIII. Olcott said his goal was to create sandwiches that are made of the finest certified angus beef and slow roasted in special ovens for 12 hours. The same is true of the whole turkey's and pork loin they serve.

Olcott said there are no meat slicers or microwave ovens in the restaurant's kitchen because the sandwiches are literally hand-carved, which would probably appeal to King Henry VIII.

Henry VIII Carvery is open from Monday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Meetings:

Kittery Planning Board, Kittery Town Hall, Nov. 29, 7 p.m.

Kittery Town Hall closed, Friday, Nov. 30.

Kittery School Committee, Kittery Town Hall, Tuesday, Dec. 4, 6:30 p.m.

Events:

Kittery Holiday Parade: The Kiwanis Club of the Greater Seacoast will host the annual Kittery Holiday Parade on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 3 p.m. The parade steps off from Post Office Square and heads through Kittery Foreside to John Paul Jones Park.

Kittery Youth Cheerleading Fish Fry: The Kittery Youth Cheerleading program for grades K-8 is hosting a Fish Fry at the Kittery Community Center at Frisbee Common on Sunday, Dec. 2 from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Meal includes Fish and Chips, Sides, Salad, and a drink. Desserts will be available for an additional donation. Tickets are $10 in advance and $15 at the door.  Tickets are available at the Kittery Community Center, Frisbee Common, 120 Rogers Rd., Kittery, ME 03904.

KTP Holiday events: The Kittery Trading Post is celebrating the holiday season with a host of fun family events.

Want to contribute to "Across the River?" Kittery, Maine residents are free to contribute photos, news and any other items of interest they want to share directly to the site or they can sign up as bloggers by e-mailing robert.cook@portsmouth-nh.patch.com.

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