In Ashland…

…we only toss the expensive stuff in the bushes.

This was just up the street from the wonderful Smithfields restaurant. Seriously, Smithfields is a carnivore-foody’s dream come true. We’ve only been twice, but that’s only because we’re afraid of going more often. The first time was the week they opened and were running a prix fixe dinner deal to die for. This most recent trip was for brunch and it too was simply a marvelous experience. Duck fat fried potatoes with sautéed collard greens under slices of butter-soft corned beef topped with a lightly fried farm-fresh egg served with a light-as-air mustard cream sauce and house-made worcestershire sauce on the side. Paired with a bloody mary of a quality i’ve not experienced since decades earlier at Eamonn Doran’s in Brooklyn and you’ve got a dangerous combination. Dangerous to my bank account.

Annette had a similar plate, but her focus was duck hash rather than corned beef. She paired her meal with a greyhound made from freshly squeezed grapefruit and champagne you’d actually want to drink solo.

But here’s the thing… with tip, and the lovely 5% Ashland meal tax, we got out for about $50. Ok, that’s steep you say… but consider this: just the day before we had a late breakfast at The Breadboard, an Ashland institution, and had a good, but totally average breakfast with the same brand coffee we have at home that totaled $35. For an extra $20 at Smithfields we got a meal we could not have made at home without extensive prep and stocking. And that’s the key… dining is about eating food you can’t, or wouldn’t want to, make at home.

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