--- author: Eric Wagoner date: '2001-11-28T03:43:00' draft: false title: The food is worth it --- _This entry got cut off. I added more at the bottom._ I would gladly endure the travel troubles I had, both directions if necessary, for the dinner I had last night. There's a group of restaurants here called [The Common Man](http://www.thecman.com). I ate at the original one in Ashland, NH, celebrating its thirtieth anniversary. The meal ranks up there with the best I've had, all time. I started things off with a bowl of French onion soup (topped with rye and crusty swiss cheese) and an order of escargot. I've only had those once before; they're not on many menus. A garden salad followed, dressed with homemade blue cheese dressing. All this was accompanied by a Black Martini, which was equal parts Absolut, Bombay Sapphire, and three-quarters ounce of Chamborde. Fantastic! The main course was chicken Kiev, with herb stuffing and a wonderful mushroom sauce. Also on the plate was mashed potatoes and mashed sweet potatoes (with a hint of maple syrup, but just a hint). I ended things with a baked apple (which I had to order early, as they're baked to order) and homemade ice cream. Along with a hunk of homemade white chocolate. And an "Uncommon coffee" -- coffee with kahlua and brandy and fresh cream. Delightful! I know that sounds like I was living large, and to be honest, I'd not kept up with the prices. So, I was shocked and amazed to find the total bill at only $33 -- even after the New Hampshire 8% sales tax. True, it was more than I'd budgeted for a whole day's food, but my breakfast and lunch were covered for me, so I splurged. Now as you know, I'm a cook. So when I eat out, I'm gathering recipe ideas, guessing what I could do better, and so on. With this meal, there was only one thing I could improve upon. The escargo, rather than the traditional complete crust of puffed pastry, had individual squares of pastry over each snail. I'd guess they were cut with a dull knife, because they didn't puff. But that's minor, compared to the rest. Across the street is the "Company Store". It was closed when I left the restaurant, but I'll be back tonight. I'm sure I'll find some goodies for my new house.