Patrick O'Connell's Refined American Cuisine: The Inn at Little Washington

Both my husband and I have enjoyed the recipe in this book. The instructions are easy to follow and we are able to produce "restaurant quality" dishes at home. We enjoy it so much that we bought another cookbook by Patrick O'Connell, highly recommend to people who wants to refine their home-cooking!

I had longed for a followup to "A Consuming Passion," and eagerly ordered this as soon as it became available. It was well worth the wait. The anecdotes and recipes make the book a double treasure. Unlike some cookbooks, these recipes are easy to follow. If there is a problem with the book, it is simply deciding with which recipe to begin. It brings back fond memories of when I was blessed to have dined there--an experience I hope to repeat many more times in the future. This book is for everyone from the casual to expeerienced cook, for the cookbook collector, and for all who love and appreciate good food and see food well prepared as an art form.

What's not to love about this book ? The pictures, the recipes are absolutely first class. Having been to The IALW and meeting the owner it is wonderful to look at this beautiful book. Thank you Patrick for writing this and for giving me inspiration to want to make these recipes. This is the only restaurant and inn that I never wanted to leave. The food, the room, the service is HEAVEN! Very happy with this purchase !

I bought both cook books (the first and this latest one) together thinking I would compare them and see how the recipes from the 1st book had changed and which I liked better. This book is titled refined Americsm cuisine but I feel that's a missnomer. I see its recipes as being heavily blended with French approaches and descripted words and not what I would expect from a high quality American restaurant advertiazing their food as "refined American." If you want good quality french blended food this is a good book for you. If you want a cook book of high quality American recipes this book is not for you in my personal opinion.

Easy recipes that make your food taste gourmet. Not one bad recipe in this book and ranges from simple to complex but are never difficult to execute. I use these recipes over and over again and they get the most compliments - these are some of the best dishes I've made. Even simple things like tempura batter are awesome because you can google all you want but at the end of the day you're trying multiple recipes to see which one is the best. Using this book, I know I only need to refer to one source for the best recipe.

Every recipe I've tried from this cookbook has gotten raves, and considering the source, many of these recipes are terrifically easy (no specialized knowledge or equipment required). O'Connell has no fear of cream, butter, and salt, so this isn't everyday fare, but for special occasions, holidays, birthdays, and nights when you really want to impress, this book is indispensable. The Amazon price is excellent too, and the book's worth every penny. Definitely destined to become one of my favorite cookbooks (it's coffee-table pretty, but my copy is already smeared with butter and dusted with flour).

See that beautiful dish on the cover? Take it step by step and you can do it. It's a keeper. As are all the recipes I've tried so far. Patrick O'Connell is a generous and talented chef who writes recipes so carefully you can actually recreate things made at The Inn at Little Washington with results that stand up to the original... and that's saying something since this TILW is one of the best in the world.

I am afraid I don't have enough years left to come close to being able to do justices to all the recipes but there are worse things to do with your time.As to the author, a great gentleman and a first class ++++ operation

I have, for many years, been trying to find something that reflects the best of American cusine. It has been difficult.American cookery books generally are good on presentation, but lack substance. This is different and is more like a book written by a European author. Yes, there is much about the author and his ideas, but that is to be expected. It is also interesting.I've not eaten at Mr O'Connells resturant, it is expensive, even by London Standards.The recipies are interesting and well explained: we have tried a couple with good results.