There was about a 20 to 25 minute wait for a table, so we opted to wait upstairs in The C-Man's lounge and have a pre-dinner cocktail. My mom and I both ordered a glass of dry Pinot Grigio.
I love the rustic, cottage-like atmosphere of The Common Man. The Merrimack location is even set inside the former home of Hannah Jack Thornton (wife of Matthew Thornton, a signer of the Declaration of Independence), which is fascinating to me. It was really nice catching up with my family while sipping a nice glass of wine, and taking in the history of the place. However, after about 40 minutes, I walked downstairs to to see what the extra wait was for. The hostess admitted - very apologetically - that she gave our table of four to another party. Thankfully, she quickly fixed the situation, and we sat down for dinner.
I have to admit, I didn't think The Common Man had many vegetarian-friendly dinner options. But, after perusing the menu, I was pleasantly surprised - there were quite a few meatless options, including Stuffed Acorn Squash and Butternut Ravioli (both seasonal dishes). After some consideration, I finally decided on the ravioli.
The ravioli is normally an appetizer, but the waitress doubled the order for me - so I ended up with 10 well-stuffed raviolis. The filling was silky smooth and wasn't overly sweetened, as some similar varieties can be. The sauce, which was a sage brown butter sauce, was also very flavorful, albeit a bit too oily for my liking.
Our meal, per usual, came with complimentary crackers with cheese and/or dip, as well as freshly made date nut bread and Italian bread. My mother had a great birthday dinner overall, and I was so happy to have been there celebrating with her.
I love the Common Man! I've never been to the Merrimack location but to the locations farther North - I think Plymouth / Ashland.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like your mom had a great birthday dinner!
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