Cotton

We went to dinner with Stephanie and Carolyn last night. Cotton was opened in Manchester, NH in 2000. I can't believe last night was my first visit. I have always heard great things about it, and I love fine dining (for NH)...I just never got around to it.

The chef/owner Jeffrey Paige creates seasonal menus using locally grown and harvested ingredients. Paige is an accomplished chef who has composed meals for President Bush, President Clinton, Julia Child and the European Parliament -- quite impressive for a chef located just 2 miles from our house!

For a starter, I chose the local farm fresh organic mesclun salad with a white balsamic vinaigrette. The mixed greens were a lively combination of textures and flavors. Darcy had the same salad, only with traditional balsamic vinaigrette. Stephanie and Carolyn split Firecracker Calamari, which was calamari fried in a honey chipotle sauce, served with blue cheese dressing for dipping. I didn't try it, but they said it was yummy.

For my entree I chose the Bistro steak, which is a flat iron steak served with your choice of red wine demi-glace, bacon bleu cheese butter, port wine mushroom sauce, lemon herb butter or horseradish creme. I chose the horseradish, and it complemented the meat wonderfully. I had grilled asparagus on the side, and it was grilled to perfection. The steak came with a heaping helping of creamy buttery mashed potatoes, but I skipped those. Carolyn and Stephanie ate most of my mashed potatoes, and they were moaning...I take it they were good!

Darcy had grilled chicken with the port wine mushroom sauce, and it was also delicious. The chicken was so moist and the sauce rich with flavor. She had the same sides I did, and she said the potatoes were fantastic. She only ate half as she is trying to lose weight as well, and she's down over 2 lbs since Friday!

Stephanie had the lobster spaghetti in a tomato basil creme sauce. The spaghetti appeared to be homemade, and it looked wonderful. Carolyn had the vegetable ravioli in a red sauce, and she said it was delicious as well. For the quality of food and the upscale environment (again, for NH), it was very reasonably priced. The least expensive entree is $13, and the most expensive is $30, most choices were between $18 - $22.

We will definitely be visiting Cotton again soon.

We met Billy and Lanie at Rita Mae's for breakfast this morning. Darcy, Lanie and I all had over easy eggs with dry rye. For lunch, I made turkey burgers on multigrain english muffins with salad and reduced fat pringles. I know tonight is the super bowl, but we are probably going to skip out on the game and all associated festivities. I thought of going to a party at Alison's friend's house, but I know the phenomenal food display that will undoubtedly be present will be tough for Darcy since she's trying her best to eat healthy. We've been so spoiled with the Patriots lately, I have no inclination to watch the game if they aren't playing.

Tonight I am probably going to make the chicken saffron risotto dish I've been planning to make for some time. I will post photos and reviews later!