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The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook: A Consuming Passion
110 sparklingly original recipes from the world-renowned self-taught chef and founder of the three-star Michelin restaurant The Inn at Little Washington
Patrick O’Connell, a self-taught chef who read cookbooks to learn how to cook, began his culinary career with a catering business in an old farmhouse, cooking on a wood stove with an electric frying pan purchased for $1.49 at a garage sale. To O’Connell’s surprise, the pan was able for boil, sauté, and deep fry for parties of up to 300 guests, which sharpened his awareness of how much could be done with very little. In 1978, his catering business evolved into a country restaurant and Inn, operating out of a defunct garage in a small Virginia town affectionately referred to as “Little” Washington. Now a multiple James Beard Award–winning and Michelin star restaurant, The Inn at Little Washington was America’s first five-star Inn.
In The Little Inn at Washington Cookbook, O’Connell assembles elegant, simple, and straightforward recipes that elevate everyday ingredients. With helpful, detailed instructions, O’Connell teaches you how to make over one hundred dishes, from Fresh Tuna Tartare on Tuna Carpaccio with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Miniature Caramelized Onion Tartlets to Rockfish Roasted with White Wine, Tomatoes, and Black Olives on Toasted Couscous and Steamed Lobster with Grapefruit Butter Sauce . He also includes delicious desserts, such as Rosemary Crème Brulé and Double-Pumpkin Roulade , and savory sides, like Creamy Garlic Polenta and My Grandmother’s Baked Beans .
With over three hundred stunning, mouthwatering photographs and thoughtful reflections from O’Connell, The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook is a fresh and glorious resource and a romantic culinary journey through the Virginia countryside.
Patrick O’Connell, a self-taught chef who read cookbooks to learn how to cook, began his culinary career with a catering business in an old farmhouse, cooking on a wood stove with an electric frying pan purchased for $1.49 at a garage sale. To O’Connell’s surprise, the pan was able for boil, sauté, and deep fry for parties of up to 300 guests, which sharpened his awareness of how much could be done with very little. In 1978, his catering business evolved into a country restaurant and Inn, operating out of a defunct garage in a small Virginia town affectionately referred to as “Little” Washington. Now a multiple James Beard Award–winning and Michelin star restaurant, The Inn at Little Washington was America’s first five-star Inn.
In The Little Inn at Washington Cookbook, O’Connell assembles elegant, simple, and straightforward recipes that elevate everyday ingredients. With helpful, detailed instructions, O’Connell teaches you how to make over one hundred dishes, from Fresh Tuna Tartare on Tuna Carpaccio with Wasabi Mayonnaise and Miniature Caramelized Onion Tartlets to Rockfish Roasted with White Wine, Tomatoes, and Black Olives on Toasted Couscous and Steamed Lobster with Grapefruit Butter Sauce . He also includes delicious desserts, such as Rosemary Crème Brulé and Double-Pumpkin Roulade , and savory sides, like Creamy Garlic Polenta and My Grandmother’s Baked Beans .
With over three hundred stunning, mouthwatering photographs and thoughtful reflections from O’Connell, The Inn at Little Washington Cookbook is a fresh and glorious resource and a romantic culinary journey through the Virginia countryside.
208 pages, Hardcover
First published November 19, 1996
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
August 8, 2008
The first line of this book is "Probably the best and worst thing in my life was getting a job in a restaurant at the impressionable age of 15".This is a great book about a great place about an hour or so from D.C.It talks about the evolution of a small place into one of the best places in the country.There are lots of recipes that are mostly pretty simple.He uses a lot of local stuff,so Virginia ham,honey,berries,etc come into play.Great photos.I have a sick sense of humour ,so I thought a veal recipe with a picture of some calves grazing in the hills was funny.I'm not sure if they thought about some pictures like that ,or if they did it for sick fucks like me.The copy I have is autographed to my parents,but this book is too good to get back on their book shelf.
January 2, 2014
dining at the inn at little washington has long been a "bucket list" item for me, and i loved this glimpse inside its kitchens. the pictures are a little dated - ideas about plating food have changed since this book was published in the 90s - but it seems that o'connell was ahead of his time in his focus on locally sourced ingredients. until i have a special enough occasion to dine at the inn, i'm excited to try some of the recipes on my own.
on another note, i thought it was hilarious (if a bit twisted) that there were picture of pigs on the recipe pages for ham and pictures of cows on the recipe pages for veal.
on another note, i thought it was hilarious (if a bit twisted) that there were picture of pigs on the recipe pages for ham and pictures of cows on the recipe pages for veal.
April 24, 2015
Can one really read a cookbook? I flipped through the entire book - great photos of the inn and some of the recipes. I didn't like that only some of the recipes had pictures. There was plenty of room for pictures of all of the recipes and the beautiful inn and its grounds. The recipes didn't seem extraordinarily complex but definitely some of them and some of the ingredients would be hard to achieve or obtain for an average or sub-par chef like myself. Some of the dishes looked amazing. And were very creative. The chef/writer has a great voice and style of writing.
May 21, 2024
The story of the Inn has been told time and time again in various media, but it's really only in this book that you grasp truly how insane the restaurant's existence is. Nothing about this restaurant should work, but learning just how far O'Connell has gone in his life, from the age of 15 on, simply to serve food to people, it makes sense that he ended up pulling off something this magical.
We went to the Inn last year (it was the best meal of my life; it will always be the best meal of my life), and it was neat to see how much of that menu had foundations in the recipes of this book. Some critics knock the Inn for not being as gastronomically silly I mean creative as the other 3-Star peers, but when you spend decades perfecting lamb or tuna or foie gras, it'd be silly as a diner to ask him to serve you anything else. Many of these recipes are accessible, but more importantly, they show how to create a base that you can then impart your own creative twists on.
We went to the Inn last year (it was the best meal of my life; it will always be the best meal of my life), and it was neat to see how much of that menu had foundations in the recipes of this book. Some critics knock the Inn for not being as gastronomically silly I mean creative as the other 3-Star peers, but when you spend decades perfecting lamb or tuna or foie gras, it'd be silly as a diner to ask him to serve you anything else. Many of these recipes are accessible, but more importantly, they show how to create a base that you can then impart your own creative twists on.
February 27, 2021
The most magnificent inn I've ever seen, in this country or Europe, where I had the most fantastic meal of my life.
Craig Claiborne
Craig Claiborne
March 1, 2010
This man is a god and this restaurant is paradise! Divine, a destination in life!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews