We are writing as a follow-up to Franck Mathevet's e-mail about a dinner we are hosting with Franck on August 24-25 at our restaurant, Still River Café, in Eastford, Connecticut.

The reason we are writing is that it occurred to us that most of you have probably never heard of us or our restaurant and have no idea where Eastford is. 

By way of introduction, we have been visiting St. Barths for years and created the popular website, www.sbhonline.com, a number of years ago.  In 2003, we also wrote the book Paradise Found: The people, restaurants and recipes of St. Barthelemy, which quickly sold out and is now out of print.  You may have seen a copy of the book on the counter in front of the rotisserie at The Wall House.  The book was the foundation of our friendship with Franck and Denis.  It is also what gave us the crazy idea to quit our careers as lawyers and open our own restaurant.

StillRiver Café is a 50-seat restaurant we built in a 150-year old barn on our 27-acre farm in northeastern Connecticut.  We grow all of the produce used in the restaurant organically on our farm, and we buy what we do not produce or raise ourselves from farmers in New England to the greatest extent possible.  Although we have only been open a few short months (and still have much to learn!), we have been fortunate to receive some very positive reviews.  In a review entitled "Raise High The Roof Beams," The Hartford Courant hailed Still River Café as "Connecticut's newest 'important' restaurant," "provocatively special," "a jewel box operation," "a sophisticated place for grown-up palates," and yet "wonderfully unpretentious."  Billy Costa, the host of the popular "T.V. Diner" show on Boston's New England Cable News Network, awarded Still River Café the highest possible rating-the Platinum Plate-and selected Still River Café as the restaurant most worth a drive in all of New England.  The 2007/08 Connecticut Zagat Guide, which selected the Still River Cafe  as one of "the year's most notable arrivals", describes the restaurant as a "dining destination par excellence."  "Quiet Windham County is actually buzzing because foodies are making a beeline to a beautifully restored 150-year old barn in Eastford to dine at the Still River Cafe, where a couple of ex-corporate lawyers grow most of the organic ingredients used in their acclaimed cuisine." are pictures, sample menus and a wine list along with links to reviews and photos on our restaurant website, www.stillrivercafe.com.