Stone Soup Cottage

Neil and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary earlier this month. I know, we’re not newlyweds. Just roll with it. To celebrate, we went to Stone Soup Cottage in Cottleville. You should know that after we go to a new restaurant, we usually write an email review of the place to my parents. After sending this one, I thought, “Huh. This is pretty much a blog post.” SO, here ya go. Our review of Stone Soup Cottage (spoiler alert: A++++)

Warning: All of these pictures were taken with my iPhoneXS and get progressively worse as the sun set.

After driving about 40 minutes we arrived in Cottleville. We had never been to Cottleville, but it reminded us of Hermann. Cute little main street town with shops and restaurants. We drove through that, then through a more residential part of the town, and then up a winding driveway onto the Stone Soup Cottage property.

Stone Soup Cottage sits on several acres of farmland, where they grow fresh produce used in their dishes. The restaurant itself is inside a reconstructed barn, and boasts a beautiful patio overlooking a pond. We enjoyed cocktails on the patio as we waited for the other guests to arrive. They say arrive at 6:30, dinner is at 7:00 and to plan a 3-3.5 hour experience once dinner has begun. I think giving that half an hour of wiggle room at the beginning of the evening is super smart to accommodate guests stuck in highway 40 traffic.

I had the Cottage Mule on the patio. Deeeelicious.

Neil had a gin martini, made just the way he likes.

We went inside because a pesky wasp was getting a little toooo close for comfort. The house is gorgeous. Reclaimed wood, brick, fireplaces, very comfy chairs, and unique silverware.

Five forks is a sure sign of a good night.

Kyle was our waiter. I think he was THE waiter, actually. He was very, very nice. Every time he came by our table he had the biggest smile, genuinely listened to our questions/requests, and promptly got us anything we needed. Two other younger girls were walking around refolding napkins when guests got up to use the restroom, refilling water after you had three-four sips, and stating “of course” each time we said “thank you.” Each dish was brought to the table and every ingredient explained, including where the ingredient came from, by either Kyle or Chef himself. I was watching their logic, trying to figure out who went to what table when, but didn’t figure out any pattern. Everyone there was celebrating something. Anniversary, birthday, etc. Chef to us: “10 years?! That’s a big one!” Kyle went through the wine pairing option. When I asked about how much wine you end up having, he said “three to four glasses” …. whew. I passed on that one. But am so glad Neil went for it! I tried all of his glasses. First out was a sparkling dry prosecco. We knew this place was going to be great just by looking at the butter. Look at that perfect tip! Warm, fluffy, buttery ginger brioche bread with honey butter. I asked for a second helping, and have no regrets.

The amuse-bouche: scallop with hollandaise and bacon. Topped with a fried zucchini and marigold leaf. Oh my. What a glorious, perfectly executed bite.

Wine came out for the first and second course (they give you a refill for the second): 2017 Poet’s Leap Riesling

First course: Chilled sweet corn bisque with smoked pork empanada. I thought it would be pureed bisque, but I was wrong. Sweet, raw corn swimming in a luxurious cream bisque. The empanada was crispy and hot with flavorful succulent pork. Topped with micro cilantro. Winner!

Inside the empanada:

Second course: Summer garden salad with roasted garlic and cantal cheese soufflé finished with herb vinaigrette. This was such a beautiful salad. Each leaf was stacked perfectly, and to our surprise there were layers of beans and paper thin red onion stacked between the various greens. Really good dressing, almost like a pesto. That soufflé tho. It reminded us of a big crouton (I’m sure that’s what they were going for), but fluffy, piping hot, and so cheesy. Sweet roasted garlic cloves inside.

Inside the Salad:

Wine Pairing for Third Course: 2018 Delaille Domaine du Salvard Cheverny

Third Course: Pan roasted grouper filet served with cucumber, dill, mustard, and potato. The first thing we noticed about this dish was THE SMELL. It was so dill-forward. The cucumbers were so precisely diced. The fish melted in your mouth and topped with a potato pancake. Man, so good.

Intermezzo: Honey Rock Melon Sorbet with Limecello: Refreshing, bursting with melon flavor. And I loved the limecello that was drizzled on it. Great palate cleanser.

Wine Pairing for Fourth Course: 2017 Domaine Serol “Eclat de Granite” Cote Ronnnaise Rouge

Whitney’s Glass of Wine for the Rest of the Evening: 2014 Crabitey Bordeaux

Fourth Course: Crepes with Wild Mushrooms, Fresh Farm Cauliflower, Pesto, House Made Ricotta, and Bechamel. Suprisingly hearty for a vegetarian dish. The little tiny mushrooms were locally grown and really flavorful, the ricotta inside was delicious and all of the sauces were delish. Cheesy, savory, yum.

Wine Pairing for the Fifth Course: 2016 Chateau Argadens

Fifth Course: Breaded Tournedos of Prime Beef with Pepper Relish, Fresh Gnocchi, and Hollandaise. OH MAN. The gnocchi was the best I’ve had. Light, fluffy, crispy edges. The beef was tender and delicious, also with a light crispy finish and delicious sauce.

Whitney’s Dessert Drink: Decaf coffee with really good cream

Sixth Course: Summer Peach Gateaux with Buttermilk Gelato. This was basically a mini peach upside down cake. Really sweet, but delicious. The gelato wasn’t AS creamy as others I’ve had, but perhaps that was due to the buttermilk. Still incredibly delicious. Chef brought this dish to everyone, thanking them for coming and making sure everything was to their liking.

Guests left at their own pace, finishing up dessert or any drinks they had left.What a place. You can’t just look the menu up and decide it sounds good and book a table. We were the first to get this month’s food and it’s already sold out for the month. The meal was incredible. The experience was unforgettable. We’d love to go every season… but we’d need to budget for that.