"Second chance for first impression. I had originally intended to leave the review of our first experience in tact, and add/amend to it with the second trip for the actual tasting menu experience. However, after all the effort Nancy and chef Carl put forth to make things right, I decided a full rewrite would be in order. For our first trip, my wife and I had made reservations at Stone Soup Cottage for our anniversary. We were greeted by chef Carl himself, and he verified our names/reservations and that we were there to celebrate our anniversary. He apologized profusely because, apparently due to some confusion, someone else was given our table and there was no space left that evening. He offered to not only buy us dinner that evening somewhere else, but also put us on the top of the wait list in order to get us in at a future date (which would also be on the house). Rather than cause a scene that would have ruined the evening for the other patrons, we accepted his offer and left to find another restaurant for that evening. A couple weeks later, my wife sent a follow up email, to which she received a call from Nancy inviting her to stop by to discuss things over a glass of wine. My wife returned home with two bottles of wine given to her by Nancy (a most generous gift), and advised that a table for Thursday night was offered to us as well (which we unfortunately had to decline due to conflicts with work schedules). The next evening, we received a call from Nancy advising a table had opened up for the next evening (Friday), and offered it to us, which we gladly accepted. We arrived Friday evening and were greeted by Nancy, who showed us to our table. We started with a pomegranate/orange martini, and settled in for what we were hoping to be a fantastic meal. The chef brought out an amuse bouche to kick things off: a morel mushroom, poached with asparagus, wrapped in prosciutto with a beurre blanc sauce. A tasty little bite, or in my case two bites, as my wife dislikes mushrooms, so she gave hers to me. After that, the tasting menu began: First course: Chilled lemon basil soup finished with blue crab (wine: 2009 Chenin Blanc). Many times when we 've had anything with a lemon base, it tends to get overpowered by that tart/sour lemon flavor. In this case, the lemon was perfectly balanced with the fresh basil and blue crab. The soup paired quite well with the wine, and brought out some citrus tones that you might not notice drinking it on its own. Second course: Warmed eggplant and smoked tomato tartlet, served with micro-greens and shaved gouda. (also served with the 2009 Chenin blanc). The aroma of hickory from the smoked tomato was the first thing we noticed. The flaky pastry crust contrasted well with the eggplant/tomato/gouda. Delicious. Third course: Pan seared Digby Bay scallops, served with a champagne sabayon. (wine: 2009 Paul Mas Picpoul de Pinet). Two perfectly seared scallops, which were the freshest that either of us had ever had (and that includes any we 're been served at restaurants on the coast). Chef Carl explained that his supplier flew these in fresh that same day. The scallops had a diced cucumber on top to go alone with the champagne sabayon. The cucumber made for a nice texture contrast to the melt-in-your-mouth softness of the scallops. Fourth course: Potatoes mousseline with shaved black truffles. (wine: 2007 Gundlach Bundschu mountain cuvee). As my wife is not a fan of mushrooms, she asked the chef if he would be insulted if she requested he not put truffles on her plate. He laughed and said nothing insults him, and would gladly oblige. I offered a small truffle shaving to my wife, just to sample; and she was pleasantly surprised at the lack of 'shroomy-ness '. Fifth course: Tournedos of beef with bearnaise, served with petite summer vegetables. (wine: 2009 Seghesio zinfandel). The beef was perfectly cooked, super tender (almost didn 't need the knife), and very flavorful. We both found the demi glace a little salty, but not so much so that it detracted from the overall dish. After the plates were cleared, Nancy came over to our table with two small plates of cheese. She advised this wasn 't on the menu, but wanted us to try them (a local goat cheese, a manchego, and a brie). All three were delicious. Apparently during her visit/discussion the prior night, my wife and Nancy talked a bit about their mutual affection for cheese. So this extra course was yet another unexpected and generous offering. Sixth course: Lemon curd with chantilly creme (and a lady finger). A perfect way to wrap up the evening, and bringing the meal full circle to end on a lemony note. To finish out, we received a cup of pressed pot coffee to top things off. Nancy brought out a copy of the menu for us to take home with us. Ever since our visit to Commander 's Palace in New Orleans, we 've made it a habit of collecting tasting menus we 've tried and framing them to decorate our kitchen (some chef 's even signing them for us). Nancy took the menu back and had chef Carl sign our copy as well, so it will make a nice addition to our collection. As we sat and enjoyed our dessert/coffee, we looked around and noticed all the other patrons had left and we were the last to remain. As we prepared to leave, we got to talk with chef Carl and Nancy about how much we enjoyed the evening, and how nice it was to just leave what happened on our initial visit in the past. Chef Carl pulled a bottle of wine off the rack and handed it to us, advising us to enjoy it with his compliments. The steps taken by chef Carl and Nancy to put things right went so much beyond what we ever would have expected that words can 't do justice to describe our gratitude. Stone Soup Cottage is an experience not to be missed, and we will definitely return. Not all cliches are accurate. Sometimes you do get a second chance to make a first impression."
