The Inn at Little Washington

[Rosie x]

Has anyone been here? What should I expect?

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Rosie

[Doc Pete x]

I was there about a year ago. O'Connell was not in attendance. It may have been impossible for it to have lived up to my expectations because everyone and anyone had told me it was one of the world's best and many said it was the best in America. It is a very good restaurant but it is nowhere near in the league of a restaurant like Jean Georges or any of the other New York bests. If Jean Georges is a four star restaurant Inn at Little Washington serves three star food in a four star setting. I found the service uninformed. Limited menu choices except for dessert where there are a dozen or more. On some courses there were not even any great choices. The meat entrees were best. Incredible wine list. Worth going but not as good as everyone says.

[Rosie x]

Doc Pete, Have you been to The French Laundry? I'd  be interested in your opinion of that restaurant. Also, at The Inn at Little Washington did you have a fixed price dinner? Thanks.

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Rosie

[Doc Pete x]

Yes, I had a prix fixe at Inn at Little Washington. Nearly 贄 for four courses.

Yes, I have been to French Laundry, which is much better than Inn at Little Washington, in a different quality category totally, but also not as amazing as everyone says.

These places just are not impressive compared to Jean Georges, Cello or Danube, to list the three best I've had in New York IMHO.

[Rosie x]

We found The French Laundry to be fascinating and some of his dishes--like the oysters and pearls and the rabbit-- were fabulous. But I also probably expected to be completely blown away and I wasn't. I also found that he used too much butter. The service was outstanding and we had a tour of the kitchen afterwards.

Did you stay at the Inn at Little Washington? We were planning on staying one night and someplace else another night. Did you eat anyplace else there?

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Rosie

[Doc Pete x]

I have stayed at the Inn and think it's a better hotel than it is a restaurant. My only caution would be that on weekends it is a real scene. It markets itself as low key but it attracts gawkers and celebs on weekends. If you can go midweek that is much better and food prices are lower.

[Fat Guy x]

Rosie & Pete, I'm going to start an "Oysters and Pearls" thread in General.

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Steven A. Shaw

www.fat-guy.com

[Rosie x]

Quote: from Doc Pete on 8:41 am on July 26, 2001

I have stayed at the Inn and think it's a better hotel than it is a restaurant. My only caution would be that on weekends it is a real scene. It markets itself as low key but it attracts gawkers and celebs on weekends. If you can go midweek that is much better and food prices are lower.

We are going during the week. We have always found Relais & Chateaux properties to be very special and worth every single penny that we have to roll up!!!

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Rosie

[Rosie]

We spent 24 hours at The Inn at Little Washington, Washington, Virginia and were completely enchanted with this luxurious hotel and outstanding restaurant.

Upon on arrival we were offered tea in the garden among beautiful flowers, vines and a pond. Petit homemade pastries were presented to us on a silver tray. A brownie, pecan tart, huckleberry tart, raspberry tart, oatmeal cookie, berry cake, lemon curd tart, rosemary shortcake and scone were delicately placed on our Wedgwood china plates. After a walk around this historic town laid out by George Washington we had champagne in our room and got ready for dinner.

When we came downstairs for dinner Lowell was given a boutonniere. We were escorted to our table at 7:30 and rolled up to our room at 11 PM. We opted for the tasting menu with wine and could not have chosen tastier dishes or wine. Our menu was imprinted with our name and the date. Each dish came on a different plate, some were decorated with flowers, some were overlarge squares and some were rectangular with smaller inserts. All of the silverware was replaced for each course.

We were offered an assortment of hors d'oeuvres when seated and had  smoked salmon, country ham in a profiterole, rabbit encased in pastry and a fried rice ball. After ordering we were served a cold soup made from local plums. Three types of breads and French butter were placed on our plates.

We had a choice of a three course dinner, vegetarian dishes or a tasting menu with or without wine. Lowell and I had the tasting dinner with wine which consisted of the following:

Chilled Maine lobster resting on avocado with lemon caviar vinaigrette. A dab of crème fraiche was topped with caviar. Guy Bocard, Bourgogne Blanc, 1999

Chilled, grilled black mission figs with Virginia country ham and lime cream. Pureed cantaloupe was used as a colorful and tasty base on the plate. Anton Bauer, Gruner Veltliner, Conauldland, Austria 2000.

A crabcake sandwich with shrimp mousse served between fried green tomatoes with a flash of tomato vinaigrette, fresh potato chips and corn relish. Solitude, Chardonnay, Sonoma 1998.

A marriage of hot and cold foie gras. Two rectangular plates sitting in a larger plate were used to serve this course. One plate had cold goose liver topped with sauterne jelly and the other had the most wonderful foie gras with a tart cherry sauce. Domaine Cauhape, Jurancon, Ballet d' October, 1998.

Sassafras Granite-neither of us liked the smell or taste of this ice.

Fall of the fork "lucky duck" sailing on a raft of wilted watercress in an aromatic broth perfumed with Asian spices. This dish was served in a very deep soup bowl and had fresh orange sections floating in the broth. Domaine Des Galet, Chateauneur-du Pape, Vielles Vignes, 1998

Cherry Intensifier: sour cherry sorbet, cherry clafoutis, and Black Forest cake. Barboursville Vineyards, Phileo, Monticello, Virginia, 1999.

With coffee which was good but not as strong as I would have liked, we were given a tiny box with The Inn at Little Washington logo on it to keep that was filled with dried fruits and nuts.

After dinner we were given a tour of the tremendous air conditioned kitchen and met Patrick O' Connell. His kitchen was remodeled a few years ago to his specifications and it was gorgeous. I had to stop myself from oohing and ahhing! I have never seen such a beautiful kitchen with a mixture of steel, copper, grills, ovens and workspaces.

Patrick told us that he has 28 chefs working for him and that there was a crew in the kitchen 24 hours a day. We observed chefs quietly working while classical music played in the background. A huge glass window that went from ceiling to floor allowed a view of the outside. A large oil painting of Patrick with one of his dogs hung on the wall.

Upon arriving back to our room port and biscotti were waiting at our bed. We slept very well.

The next morning we had a continental breakfast which included homemade rolls, cakes and breads, an assortment of jellies, homemade granola, fresh squeezed orange juice, coffee and seasonal fruit. Upon leaving the inn we were handed a beautifully wrapped bag of local plums to enjoy on our trip home.

We thoroughly enjoyed our stay here. The service was extraordinary, the setting relaxing and the food memorable. I certainly would recommend this place as a getaway. The surrounding countryside was lush with vegetation and in the fall the scenery must be spectacular. We enjoyed exploring the winding country roads, Skyline Drive and Luray Caverns.

[Damian]

Sigh

I love that place.  I've only been once and will never forget that meal.  We were served a roasted red pepper soup with a dollop of creme fraiche.  That soup has imprinted itself into my sense memory and I can practically recall its flavor in detail at will.    

[Rail Paul]

It sounds like each of you had a delightful time. The IALW is on our list of places to visit, perhaps in our Skyline / Blue Ridge parkway trip. Of course, we'd probbaly have to walk the 500 miles to work off those calories...

[Wilfrid]

I would love to try this place when I am in Washington in June.  If I go for dinner, it's tempting to stay overnight.  However, checking their web-site, I see that the rooms are fairly expensive.*  How practical would it be to stay in downtown DC, but travel out to the Inn for dinner, then back again?  And it would be by cab, because I will drinking rather than driving.  It looks like its about 70km out of town, but what does that mean in real terms?

Thanks for any assistance.

*British understatement.

[cabrales]

How practical would it be to stay in downtown DC, but travel out to the Inn for dinner, then back again?  

I would be interested in the responses to Wilfrid's questions as well, as I have never visited that restaurant. If a room is unavailable in the hotel portion, what other hotel options are there close by?  

[robert brown]

Wilfrid, as you no doubt know, Americans drive on the wrong side of the road. Nonetheless I bet that staying overnight and renting a car will be considerably more expensive than a room in DC and getting a cab back. Perhaps getting a car and driver in DC and having him wait while you eat is a way to do it, as you seem to imply.

Cabrales, I was there perhaps seven years ago. The operative model struck me as Georges Blanc in that it was the closest to replicating in America a great French Relais Gourmand with rooms. The food was ambitious, but not on the level of a three-star country inn in France. But very good nonetheless. I remember the chef's partner  being in a bad mood more than I remember the food. He seated us with a scowl.

[jordyn]

I have no idea what sort of deal you could cut with a taxi driver, but based on the distance travelled, you would expect to pay around $100 in each direction between Washington and Washington.

If your goal was to get the best possible deal, I'd imagine the smartest way would be to rent a car in Washington, stay in Front Royal, VA, and take taxis between Front Royal and Washington.  Not only would rental car+shorter taxi rides be cheaper than the long taxi rides, but hotel rooms in Front Royal have got to be cheaper than those in the District.

[Malawry]

Washington, VA has a number of small inns and bed and breakfast type places, some within walking distance of the Inn. There are also other small towns in Rappahannock County with lodging, which may afford you the opportunity to explore an area some are regarding as the east coast's response to Napa Valley. http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2....nd=true will take you to a Washington Post Escapes column on Sperryville and Rappahannock County. At the bottom of the article are some links to regional tourism Web sites.

Getting a cab to and from DC is definitely not viable. I'd plan to spend the night out that way. If I was independently wealthy I'd stay at the Inn since it sounds like it's so lush, plus it would allow you to extend the experience into the morning at breakfast. I have not yet gone, and I doubt I will wait until I can afford the room to dine in the restaurant.

[Damian]

Malawry's got it right.  Plenty of bed and breakfast options in and around Washington VA.  Cab rides back and forth to DC are not viable.

[Wilfrid]

Thanks for the advice everyone.  Since I plan to do some things in DC, I think I'll save the Inn and surrounding area for a later trip.

[Rosie]

We stayed one night at a local B&B that was also a winery. If I find the name I'll post it. But you can do a search on the internet for local places. I think we paid $150 for the night and I would highly recommend the place if I can remember where I was! The next night we stayed at the Inn and it was MUCH more expensive----but worth every penny.

[Rosie]

More info. We stayed one night at Sharp Rock Farm B&B in Sperryville. They have a website at:

http://www.sharprockbnb.com/sharprockbnb/

[Christopher]

My sisters farm abuts IALW, perhaps I could get her to take on egullet boarders for a night.

Nothing more humbling than giving my 8 year old niece a tour of the GT kitchen and having her shrug that it wasn't as nice as the Inn's which she had seen on a school field trip.  

[=Mark]

My Bro & I had a dinner at the Inn several years ago, we drove in from DC and drove back afterwards.  For what taxis charge in the DC area a round trip to Washington, Va. would cost more than a room at the inn.

Incidentally while contemplating the dessert course of our dinner we asked if we could do a cheese course insted.  They said it would be no problem and asked if we wanted it out in the garden, which was beautiful!  Cheese, fruits and glasses of Port next to the fountain...

[Malawry]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/artic...-2002May14.html

Poor Rose! The last paragraph made me jealous though.  

[cabrales]

The Inn at Little Washington is planning three days of celebration on January 28 through 30, 2003 (weekdays) on the occasion of its 25th birthday. No additional information appears available at this time.

When I asked whether the Inn could take reservations for rooms (hypothetically), I was told that no room reservations can be made at this time for those nights. (Ordinarily, cancellation policies entail a $25 charge for cancellation prior to 14 days and one night's stay for cancellation within 14 days) The Executive Assistant to the chef indicated that the rooms for those nights have not been sold; they are merely being held.

[rich]

The last time I stayed there (one night) for my wife's birthday. The bill came to $1,200, but the dinner was very good.