4. Dozen: Depending on how you 
There were holiday lights and decorations but only a few people sitting across the room from us. Carols were streaming from a speaker in the room. I remember sharing my glass of white wine with my daughter as the waitress served the appetizer order - Escargot !! It wasn't a dare, but rather that I had always been taught to try new things and was passing the idea on. With a bit of hesitation we took our first bites - expecting to swallow it whole, and for it to be slimy, or spit it out. Once I had tried overly cooked calamari and found it to be horribly rubbery and without taste. I was surprised to experience a mellow, tender, pleasing taste...a flavor all it's own. Alternately with the wine, needless to say, they went down smoothly with a few chews. We both were amazed at how delicious they were and knew then why they are considered a delicacy. I do not have their recipe, and they serve it only in certain seasons when snails are harvested in the area. The dish in the picture above is mushrooms stuffed with escargot (ours were seasoned in wine and I'm not sure what else, but alone) and sounds very tasty with bleu cheese and pecan sauce. Together with their cranberry bogs, kite and music festivals, the town draws quite a crowd all year long.
