Dinner at Bedford Village Inn Bedford, NH

Exterior entrance of the Bedford Village Inn, exquisitely decorated for the holidays.

After a particularly long and stressful day, we find ourselves in Bedford, NH, right around dinner time and this is a no-brainer. Get thee to the Bedford Village Inn in Bedford, NH for a relaxing dinner. We have been coming here forever and have never left disappointed. Plus we had a gift certificate.

The building itself is historic and beautifully appointed, with 6 different dining rooms and a wine bar, plus function rooms galore. There are two menus to choose from - one from the Tavern, which is a bit more casual and relaxed, and one from the Dining Room, decidedly upscale. Both menus feature fresh regional meats and produce, plus fabulous cheese and dessert menus. Oh, and there is a wine list from their 8,000 bottle wine cellar. Brunch is served every Saturday and Sunday. I've had it. It is damn good.

We decide to do the upstairs wine bar, Corks, which serves both menus in a warm atmosphere. It is decked out for the holidays and is jam-packed. Friday night, after all. We snatch up the second to the last available table. Seats are close, but that's ok. I have a Grey Goose cosmo and Bob goes for a lovely bottle of red he will later take home.

I am choosing from the Dining Room menu tonight. There is a great selection of seafood, steak-house style beef and assorted main dishes starring duck, chicken, pork and a vegetarian option. Bob is all over the crispy crab cake appetizer so we order one to split. It comes already divided on two separate plates. It is perfect, just enough. Served with a salad of lightly dressed greens, bell peppers and pickled onions, and a grain mustard aioli.

Half order of crispy crab cakes. Most excellent!

I WAS going to go duck, but once I start with seafood, I either go beef or seafood, no bird, so I chose an herb crusted grilled swordfish with basmati rice and roasted broccolini. I think it had a buerre blanc. It was really good! I paired it with a glass of chardonnay. Bob went for the duck with grilled local mushrooms and two other things, I forget what they were, but they are in the picture. There is cauliflour in there somewhere and he ate it. Good boy.

We were pretty full, so decided to call it a night, sans dessert and head home for a movie, the original "Thomas Crown Affair" with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway. Just to compare and contrast with the more recent one. If we WERE going to do dessert, there are choices. Oh are there choices! Soufflé of the day (order early), a killer crème brûlée, or their signature dessert, The Chocolate Bag, literally a bag made of dark chocolate layered inside with sponge cake, chocolate mousse, whipped cream and fresh berries. It is amazing! Share one, they are big!

If you find yourself in the Bedford, NH area, treat yourself to a lovely brunch, lunch or dinner at the Bedford Village Inn. No need to dress up, unless you want to. It ain't cheap, but it's good. And by good I mean excellent. By the way, the Inn also has 14 distincively decorated rooms of finest quality, so if you have a special occasion, stay overnight. Their sister property, The Grand Boutique Hotel, is a short 75 yards away and offers 50 rooms with a small-plate restaurant, dining patio (in season), fitness center, hot tub and a year-round naturally formed outdoor heated pool. Yes, you heard me, year round. And of course, they host weddings and functions of all shapes and sizes. It's a special place. Learn more here: http://www.bedfordvillageinn.com.

The Barn at Bedford Village Inn, perfect for an elegant yet rustic New England wedding.