Dinner at the Almost Home Tavern

inner is a meal that most Halflings prefer to have at home in the company of their families. But from time to time, perhaps for some special occasion, it's nice to be able to go someplace special for a really special dinner. Almost Home assumes this is what is on a patron's mind when they come to the tavern and order Dinner. In fact, the private party rooms at the tavern are most likely to be booked for Dinner parties to celebrate a birthday, or bonding anniversary, or some unexpected good fortune. Dinner is served during the hours of the Retiring Watch.

Dinner is where Almost Home's chef, Lavinia Barrowfoot, gets to exercise her formidable repertoire of Halfling and other world cuisine. The only thing that's certain is that it will consist of four courses:

An Appetizer course starts the meal with little tidbits designed to remove any hunger edge and allow the patron to enjoy the rest of the upcoming meal. It might consist of fresh lake mussels, or roasted asparagus spears wrapped in dwarven bacon, or some similar delicacy. Lately, a Chittiki-inspired dish called dough-strings has appeared during tavern Dinner time.

Next, a course of fresh greens - similar to that served at lunch and supper, but more elegantly decorated with small cubes of toasted bread, nuts, dried berries or fruits, and an oil/vinegar/herb dressing is provided.

The main course will consist of several things. Slices of freshly roasted meat, sometimes swimming in their own cooking juices will always be there. The meat may be chicken, duck, turkey, venison, boar, cattle, or even something more exotic from time to time. There is always a starchy vegetable dish usually based on potatoes. But these may be boiled, roasted, mashed with butter and cream, and are often mixed with onion, garlic, and even small bits of Dwarven Bacon. Sometimes turnips or other starchy roots replace the potatoes, and sometimes cabbage or other large leafy green is mixed in with them. A second vegetable course might be peas one day, one of a number of "stalk vegetables" the next. These may be sauted or roasted, and are usually served with an herb sauce of some sort to bring out their flavor.

A dessert course will consist of a variety of cakes and other sweets.