163258 Wed Oct 19 23:56:45 -0700 2005 3 13 New England 0 873521 We had a wonderful special event dinner at The Restaurant at Burdick Chocolate (LA Burdick). They have an excellent selection of wines, a great cheese tray, and a menu of standards as well as some very creative dishes. Service and preparation are outstanding. We shared a 3-pate app and a couple of cheeses, then had steak frites with a side of greens and seared scallops. These were the best frites I've had in a long, long time - shoestrings that were crunchy and yet almost puffy and steamy inside, nicely salted. Nice piece of strip, too - but why they (and so many others) insist on calling it a Sirloin is beyond me... The strip or shell is part of the short loin, nor the sirloin. The greens were done right - baby kale with just a touch of bacon. The whole dinner, including one of their terrific chocolate cake desserts and coffee, and the $36 bottle of a very tasty California Pinot, came up to $108 plus tip - very reasonable for what we had. Of course, we visited the chocolate shop afterwards and came home with a bag of goodies (I'm writing this up in General Topics). The place is easy to get to - Exit 5 off I-93 in Vermont, then a short hop across the river into New Hampshire. If you're leaf-peeping or just want a nice ride into the hills, this is definitely a destination eatery. Link: http://www.burdickchocolate.com/restaurant-hours-and-directions.asp Wed Oct 19 23:56:45 -0700 2005 0 applehome 1 873522 Oops - that's I-91, not I-93. Thu Oct 20 00:10:53 -0700 2005 873521 0 applehome 1 873526 Thanks for the reminder. I had a wonderful lunch there last fall. I, too, sampled a wonderfully chosen, mostly Vermont cheese plate. The beef stew was incredible. Rich and satisfying, perfect for a cold day. And the dark hot chocolate might have been the best thing I've ever had. Thu Oct 20 09:23:43 -0700 2005 873521 0 Mr. F. 1 874087 we're driving from Hartford, CT up I-91 to Manchester, VT and would like restaurant suggestions along the way, we're traveling around New Years Sun Nov 13 22:03:18 -0800 2005 873521 0 Jarrod