My husband and I had the three-course fixed-price turkey dinner, he with the wine selections and I with a glass of sparkling wine. Our semi-vegetarian daughter, however, decided to order from the a la carte menu.

She asked for recommendations from our charming waiter, and he enthusiastically obliged, going through each course. When he got to the hot hors d'oeuvre and the foie gras, he explained how the chef deveins it first.

I sat watching Gailor's face and all I can say is, someone ought to stake her to play in the World Poker Championships. I would describe her expression as pleasantly interested, not "I'm about to get up and leave the table."

She ordered the quiche.

We all agreed this was the most successful Thanksgiving at a restaurant ever. The food was delicious, although I have a couple of suggestions, and the wine pairings, as you'd expect, superb.

The first course, a chestnut soup with wild mushrooms, was mostly cream. It was a lovely soup, but I would serve it in a smaller portion because it was so rich.

That would mean the main course would have to be larger. I think holiday meals should be elegant, not overwhelming, which is why I don't like buffets. But the portions of the entree looked a bit skimpy even to me. I didn't want any more to eat, I'm just saying that Thanksgiving is a meal where people expect the plate to be bountiful.

Maybe all it would take would be to arrange the collard greens on the plate with the turkey, the pretty little swirl of mashed potatoes, the tablespoon of cranberry sauce and the bit of stuffing.

Still everything tasted wonderful, and I can't pretend I was hungry again for the rest of the day after the apple-cranberry pain perdu (bread pudding) with creme anglaise.

Then we drove to Pennsylvania.

This morning we woke up and there were two inches of snow on the ground. I had forgotten about winter. Anyway, this is a food blog, so I won't give you a blow-by-blow account of our visit to Fallingwater. I'll simply say that winter is a fine time to visit, although driving there this morning was a little nerve-wracking.

Sadly, once we got there the snow changed to rain, so my photos don't show the house in snow. Then the snow started up again on our drive back.

Dinner last night, by the way, at a Ruby Tuesday (half an avocado quesadilla was all I could manage). Nothing else was open, even the Eat 'n Park, contrary to what we had been told.

I would love to hear about other successful Thanksgiving dinners out. If you ate at a restaurant and loved it (or hated it), please post below.

(Photos at Petit Louis by Gailor; the others by me: Thanksgiving afternoon on the road, Fallingwater shots, and the drive back today.)