Experience Dessert at The Stone House in Downtown Redmond

Not only do I enjoy cooking and baking in the comfort of my own home, I love going out to new restaurants and trying new desserts and dishes. It is important, as a member in the food industry, to see what your community is eating, consuming, and rejecting.

I have heard great reviews about in downtown Redmond. Not only is it a cute, small, and quaint "mom-and-pop" type restaurant, the food is fresh, local, and very Pacific Northwest. The menu ranges from classic Braised Osso Bucco to the seafood dishes like Pacific Steelhead. Of course, the wine list is local and decently priced.

On a breezey Friday evening, I was the last patron to grab a table at The Stone House. After reading the tempting dessert menu, I ordered the Banana Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream, caramel sauce, and toasted coconut. Note: I am a bread pudding FANATIC! I have had great, flavorful bread puddings and poor, "soggy-bland" bread puddings. THIS bread pudding is FANTASTIC and DEVINE. The bread was soft, moist, rich, and filled with bananas. The vanilla ice-cream was a nice contrast to the warm bread and the toasted coconut gave it an extra crunch.

I can't wait go back and try the doughnuts. The soft-spoken server said to come back in the summer when berries are in season because they make a wonderful sauce to compliment the doughnuts. Thanks for the tip!

Moral of the story: Read up on local and well-reviewed restaurants in your town and try small plates.