Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Bedford Village Inn is still a Classic Fine Dining Experience

Because the weather in February had been less than cooperative, my wife decided to go local for my birthday and I didn't mind at all after discovering that it was one of our favorite restaurants, The Bedford Village Inn. They have persevered over time offering some of the best meals we have ever had in New Hampshire. That said, it had been a few years since our last visit making me wonder if it would still be as good as I remembered.


Located on Route 101 in Bedford, it’s difficult to miss the stately yellow main house and surrounding buildings. As we walked from their large parking lot to the dining area, the backdrop of the snow coupled with the lights at night makes you realize that this is a special place.

Looking through into the dining area you could see the fine white linens on the tables and everything in its proper place. My wife checked in on our reservation, they were all set to take us to our table. Suddenly, a manager yelled out, "happy birthday young man", and I realized that I must be in the right place. Surprisingly we headed upstairs. In all the visits over the years, we’ve always eaten downstairs. I didn’t know that they even had second floor seating. There is a large dining room and pub on the first floor and a smaller more intimate room on the second floor along with a second large dining room and Corks, their wine bar. The table was set with a card wishing me a happy birthday. There was a fire place in the background, very nice with a candle on the table and chandeliers above.

Our waitress stopped by and we put in our drink order. They do have an extensive wine list and we asked if they had one our favorites from the past, Conundrum. Sadly, they do not carry it any longer. The sommelier recommended something similar, the Etude pinot gris. We did enjoy this just not as much as the Conundrum.

On the appetizers, we went simple. I chose their classic clam chowder and my wife the beet salad. While the chowder was well made with plenty of potatoes and clams, it could have been a little hotter. My wife enjoyed her salad very much. A little while later we did see some guests ordering their cheese and cracker plates that looked delicious. In hindsight next time I would order one of these as well thinking that they probably taste as good as they look.

Next, their bread basked teaming with scrumptious goodness. The onion focaccia was superb, they should start selling this by the loaf.

For our entree we ordered two 8 ounce filets covered in crispy onions and blue cheese butter served with asparagus and mashed potatoes. This combination made to work together exquisitely by the chef and the filets cooked just right.

The service was good and our waitress professional and attentive. A couple of minor things, we were surprised that our table was not crumbed and please make sure that the water glasses are kept filled as mine was empty for too long.

The first time we ever went to The Bedford Village Inn we ordered the chocolate bag and it’s one of the best desserts we had ever had at a restaurant. We were delighted to see that it remains a staple so naturally we had to order it again.



Your eyes are not deceiving you, a large chocolate bag filled with fresh berries, white and dark chocolate mousse and sponge cake. Don't take my word, try it yourself and let me know what you think.

So there you have it, for a wonderful fine dining experience The Bedford Village Inn should be one of the restaurants at the top of your list in New Hampshire.
Bedford Village Inn & Restaurant on Urbanspoon