Dining Bliss: Stonersville Hotel & Viva Bistro French Onion Soup

Last night was date night with the Hubby and we went out to eat at a locally owned, small business restaurant & tavern called Stonersville Hotel. We like to support small business restaurants whenever we can. But like most one-location eateries, this place is a bit pricey. So we usually only order drinks, appetizers, soups, or sandwiches. We haven't ever tried any of their regular dinner entrees.

The restaurant's French Onion Soup is definitely delish--and this is coming from a gal who never used to go anywhere near onions! In fact, I still don't eat any onions unless they're cooked or chopped finely in Spanish or Mexican cusine. 

I have to give credit to my Hubby--he was the one who got me into French Onion Soup--which is his all-time favorite soup. He ordered it in front of me many, many times, and encouraged me to order it too. He made me long for the cheese and buoyant croutons. Then he would give me bites of the cheese only. Next I tried a spoonful of the broth, which had such a soothing, comforting flavor--not the strong onion flavor I was expecting. Finally, I tried a full bite--onions and all--and I loved it!

Stonersville Hotel and Viva Bistro are 2 restaurants that have delicious French Onion Soup. Stonersville Hotel charges $6.00 per bowl, and Viva charges $4.99 for the same size bowl. Viva also has a cup of French Onion for $3.79. 

I also tried this soup at The Knight's Pub at Stokesay Castle, where a bowl also costs $6.00. But at The Knight's Pub they use their own "rich beef stock" instead of the traditional recipe. This makes the color of the broth much darker and in my opinion, ruins the whole soup. It tasted completely different except for the cheese and was very disappointing. The menu does say the soup is made with beef stock, but they still call the soup French Onion Soup and there's no notes about the flavor being totally different. 

Viva's French Onion Soup