Customer Reviews

The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion

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If you have ever eaten at the Inn at Little Washington then you know how fabulous the food is. Everything that enters your mouth is a masterpiece! This book contains some of Patrick O'connell's best recipes. Unlike some gourmet cookbooks, these recipes are easy to follow and "realistic." The photography is beautiful and accurately depicts the Virginia countryside. This is an excellent gift book, for yourself or your favorite cook!

It only takes one visit to The Inn at Little Washington to realize that a little bit of heaven lives in the Shenadoah Valley. Virtually few other restaurants offer the experience or the chance to experience what it's like to cook with one of the world's truly great chefs without going to the ends of the world to find the five hundred ingredients most require. Patrick O'Connell has written a book that is charming to read with easy to follow directions. For once, you need not be afraid to purchase a book written by a professional chef. You may not be dining at the Inn, but at least your taste buds are going to bring back some exceptional memories or the desire to get on the next plane headed for Washington D.C. to gain your own personal experience. Needless to say, some of my most pleasant evenings have been spent there or at home recreating memories of them with this book.

We have been guests at the Inn at Little Washington and enjoyed lovely repasts there. In the book, "The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook," we have taken the magnificent offerings to our own table. Especially memorable is the tomato salad, rated the best by the Washington Post reviewer, with tri-colored tomatoes, basil, pine nuts, and shaved asciago cheese - a feast for the eye and the palate. The lobster medallions with grapefruit are delicions and easy to prepare. There is practicality in the preparation and easy-to-find ingredients. The photographs are wonderful. I have given this lovely book to many friends who have shared my delight with Patrick O'Connell's gift from the heart!

Having eaten at the Inn twice, it's a real joy to have a cookbook that lets you experience at least part of the joy (the setting there is amazing) at home. O'Connell provides recipes for exotic dishes in a way that makes them accessible for any modestly adept cook. Nor is he pretentious at all - If you don't happen to have foie gras in the fridge for the tuna and foie gras dish, that fine he says. Leave it out.

The dishes are beautiful without being self-indulgently elaborate. The accompanying photos and narrative make it fun to read, but the real value is his practical explanations of how to make extraordinary dishes. Enjoy!

We had the pleasure of spending a weekend at the inn and on one of our 2 dinners there actually ate at the "chef's table" in the kitchen. While there we were able to sample a large portion of the menu and obtain an autographed copy of his cookbook. Upon returning home I assumed the recipes would be convoluted and difficult to follow. THIS IS NOT THE CASE! Patrick's recipes are clear, straight-forward and enable any cook with moderate kitchen skills to wonderfully replicate the dishes he serves at his fantastic inn! If you want to produce delicious dishes, with a hint of southern US, French & Italian influences then buy this book!!! You will not be disappointed & your guests will be amazed!

This is the restaurant by which all other restaurants are measured. It is perfection in every way. Therefore, it is not surprising that I would want the cookbook. What may be surprising to some, then, is how good the book is. There are many notable restaurants and famous chefs are not rare. Chefs, however, who write well and present good cookboooks is less commonplace. The writing is excellent and the recipes turn out as anticipated. I pick up the book (together with Levin's book) sometimes just to recall the most splendid restaurant experience of my life and to look forward to dining there again soon. This should be a good book even for those who have not had my experience; it should be for any lover of good food and good dining.

A sumptuous look into the secrets of the famed inn, "The Inn At Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion" is more than just another cookbook. Chef Patrick O'Connell relates how he taught himself to cook, the twenty year evolution of the inn, and his philosophy of entertaining. O'Connell's writing is a lot like his cooking...bold, visually gorgeous, inventive, and slightly tounge-in-cheek. Stunning photography and clear, well tested recipes make this title a must for food lovers everywhere!

This cookbook contains many of the most popular dishes served at the Inn at Little Washington. I was surprised how true the recipes are to the dishes served at the Inn. Few recipes require exotic or inaccessibly expensive ingredients. While some recipes are labor-intensive, others can be prepared rather quickly and easily with excellent results, such as the Rockfish with Mushrooms and Grapes.

The Red Pepper Soup with Sambuca Cream has become a favorite in our house, even among those who typically do not enjoy red pepper. The Medallions of Veal with Calvados Cream is also well worth the effort. The ice-cream recipes in this text are also excellent.

If you are not an avid cook, this book has lovely pictures and makes for a good coffee table book. The text is also well-written and interesting. Highly recommended.

I have this book and am buying these for gifts. The food is easy to make - try the Red Bell Pepper Soup (delicious!).

The Inn at Little Washington is an exquisite restaurant/Inn. The cookbook was written by its chef. I am not a chef. I sent the cookbook to a friend who is a chef. My friend owns/runs the top bed and breakfast in France. So the cookbook was looked at with a highly critical eye. The cookbook was thoroughly enjoyed.