I’ve never actually dined at Stone Soup Cottage, but I’ve had the good fortune to taste Chef Carl McConnell’s food on two separate occasions … and that was enough to know exactly why his award-winning restaurant is booked for months in advance.
Stone Soup Cottage, voted “Restaurant of the Year” in 2010 by St. Louis Magazine, is located in a restored 1850′s farmhouse in Cottleville, Missouri, just 30 minutes outside St. Louis. This wildly in-demand restaurant is open Thursday through Sunday for dinner, offering a prix fixe menu that changes every few weeks to include the best of what’s available locally in season. And yes, as you may have guessed from my opening paragraph, reservations are an absolute must.
I first enjoyed a taste of Stone Soup Cottage at Slow Food St. Louis’ Feast in the Field held at Claverach Farm back in June. Chef McConnell’s fried squash blossoms stuffed with smoked duck confit were absolutely delicious and a great start to a wonderful meal featuring fresh, local, seasonal cuisine prepared by many of St. Louis’ best chefs. (Side note: If you’ve never been to one of Slow Food St. Louis’ Feast in the Field dinners, you are truly missing out … though in the interest of full disclosure, I should note that I am a current co-leader for the group … but even if I wasn’t, I’d still tell you that you’re missing out.)
My second taste of Stone Soup Cottage occured back in October at Macy’s “A Taste of Fall” event, a ticketed affair that included a cooking demonstration, a 3-course tasting menu with wine pairings, and a copy of the Chef McConnell’s new cookbook, “Stone Soup Cottage: A Vignette of Seasonal Recipes.” As soon as I heard about the event, I bought two tickets for The Chef and I … fabulous food, wine, and a new cookbook … how could I resist!
The dishes we sampled that night included roasted butternut squash soup with bacon and carmelized squash seeds, smoked duck cannelloni with brown butter, and a classic creme brulee. As expected, everything was delicious and listening to Chef McConnell tell stories of his culinary adventures—and how Stone Soup Cottage got its name— was a true treat.
So, how does all of this tie into Rhubarb and Honey’s first giveaway?
As I mentioned, I bought two tickets to the Macy’s event, which means The Chef and I now have two copies of the beautiful, mouth-watering Stone Soup Cottage cookbook so I’m giving one away to a lucky Rhubarb and Honey reader!
The 176-page, full-color, hardbound cookbook includes 72 tasty, approachable recipes (including the delectable dishes we sampled at the Macy’s event) and beautiful food photography from local photographer Carmen Troesser. Oh, the copy I’m giving away? It’s also been signed by Chef McConnell himself.
For a chance to win a copy of this fabulous cookbook, just leave a comment on this post telling me about one of your favorite cookbooks. Want an additional chance to win?
You can either 1) subscribe to Rhubarb and Honey via RSS or email, 2) “like” Rhubarb and Honey on Facebook, or 3) follow me on Twitter, and then post a comment here letting me know which option you chose. (If you are already a subscriber or Twitter follower or you already like Rhubarb and Honey on Facebook, just leave a comment indicating that—it will count as your extra entry.) Oh, be sure that your comment(s) includes a way to contact you if you win!
All comments must be posted by 11:59 PM CST on Thursday, December 15th, 2011. I will randomly select a winner on December 16th, 2011, at which time I will contact the winner and then update this post with their name. If I don’t hear from the winner within one week to claim their prize, I will choose a new winner. (Please note that the cookbook can only be shipped within the United States.)
Good luck!
Update: The contest is over. The winner is Emily B. Congrats, Emily!
