Cold enough? Tired? Come and sit by the fire

Watch someone flame your drink or get some hot rocks for your body

January 27, 2008|Marty Basch, Globe Correspondent

NORTH CONWAY - Warming indoor rewards can take the edge off winter's freeze - even in the White Mountains.

Slip into a comfy chair before a roaring fire, indulge in a massage, try a bubbling fondue, or kick it up a notch with flaming drinks and desserts.

Chill out by warming up at these ski country locations:

1785 Inn Showmanship and sustenance share the stage here. For over 20 years, the staff has warmed guests with flaming drinks like the coffee French Connection, Cocoa Lava, and Flaming Hot Apple Pie. The fireworks begin with a glass that's dipped in a bowl of sugar and cinnamon before adding the liquor and lighting it. The flaming liquid is a sight to behold. The drinks are made with various liquors, from 100-proof peppermint schnapps to a touch of Italian Tuaca for a vanilla taste. Come off the cross-country ski and snowshoe trails behind the inn and defrost in the post-and-beam tavern with one of these warming concoctions and a couple of flaming desserts: bananas Foster and cherries jubilee. The desserts sizzle from a wheeled-in cart that produces some pub dazzle.

3582 White Mountain Highway, North Conway, 800-421-1785, the1785inn.com. Drinks, desserts $10.85.

The Met Coffee House and Art Gallery Slip onto the purple couch and sip frothy latte at this coffee house and art gallery. Watch the baristas work on specialties like The Carmella, a blend of espresso, chocolate, and caramel sauce; the Met Tuxedo, a hot chocolate mix topped with whipped cream and more chocolate; Spiced Chai Tea Latte with black tea, Eastern spices, and honey; and local apple cider with a shot of gingerbread or cinnamon. Located in North Conway village in a high-ceilinged brick former bank, The Met radiates relaxation with its music and tranquil color scheme. Head upstairs for a bird's-eye view of the coffee doings or get some Wi-Fi work done in the Quiet Room.

2680 Main St., North Conway, 603-356-2332, metropolitancoffee house.com. Medium latte $3.50.