The Inn At Little Washington - Five Stars Combine With Five Diamonds for Dining Heaven On Earth

To celebrate the King and Queens grand and glorious second wedding anniversary, they set out on a three hour drive to one of the best restaurants in the world! 'The Inn At Little Washington' was the destination on a beautiful day filled with blue skies, puffy white clouds and eager anticipation.  Traveling through the countryside they enjoyed some of the most beautiful scenery in the royal lands.

I have had 'The Inn At Little Washington' written on my desk blotter for over sixteen years as a dream destination.  Since we cannot go away during the popular wedding month of June, due to Ben's Classical Guitar business, we decided on a day trip to someplace special to celebrate our magical union. 

Coming off a long busy gig weekend for Ben that began on Thursday night with 'Technicolor Motor Home' playing the 8x10 club, Friday evenings solo acoustic gig, a wedding on Saturday, and Sunday's triple header; Technicolor Motor Home at the Charles Village Festival, playing classical guitar for a wedding at the Cloisters, and then Ben playing solo acoustic at a private party...I think the King of all things guitar needed a mini-vacation.

Making our reservations weeks in advance and checking out all the website photos and information we grew quite excited as the day approached for our dream dinner. Monday was the actual day of our anniversary so happily we were off to our celebration dinner at the famed five star and five diamond, 'The Inn At Little Washington.'

As we traveled over the Piedmont plateau with the gorgeous Blue Ridge mountains as our backdrop each view became more and more like a bucolic landscape painting.  Gorgeous hills and valleys undulating with green, yellow and wheat coloring.  Our dinner destination is quite near to the enchanting Skyline Drive and the Shenandoah Mountain Ridge. This area is heaven to me...

I connect with this land and I immediately feel a spiritual high...the closeness of the Blue Ridge Mountains...the rolling valleys, green forests, Shenandoah Valley and River.  We passed numerous ponds and grazing animals amidst beautiful green hills.  I know I should have taken photos, but I think I was too much in awe.  (The photo above is one I took from Skyline Drive in 2003) Gazing out the car window natural beauty surrounded us at every turn.  Next time I will make a point of stopping to take photos here and there, I promise. "Shenandoah" is one of my favorite words.  It is native American and means "daughter of the stars." Just love it!  I think this area was perfectly named!  It is appropriate that the King and Queen are going to a five star Inn and restaurant in this place of supreme beauty.

We arrived two hours early to the small town of Washington Virginia and walked the streets enjoying the small shops, and the people we met inside.  Everyone was very friendly, and we found we had much in common.  Such a small world.

After an hour my Hashimoto's hypothyroidism disease and hot flashes told me it was time for my body to relax. Luckily we walked into the Inn just at tea time on the veranda. 

O-o-o-la-la. 

We sat by the garden and fish pond enjoying delectable treats while sipping the most scrumptious lemonade. A parade of servers came out of the doors carrying iron tea pots and trays of unique cookies. These were served with a trio of blueberry jam, lemon curd, and creme fraiche. I have to say this was the most delicious blueberry sauce I have ever tasted. So the delight begins....
  

After resting on the lovely veranda we walked the Inn's grounds and found some gardens and peaceful alcoves. There is attention to detail both inside and outside 'The Inn At Little Washington,' and they want every guest to have a good time while enjoying this trip to a place very different from home.

When we walked back into the Inn we rested in the sumptuous living room and perused through Chef Patrick O'Connell cookbooks. Ben made arrangements to purchase the first cookbook and have it signed for our anniversary. Unfortunately we found out that Chef would not be in till later that evening and we ended up purchasing a pre-signed edition, which is okay too.

We were seated shortly thereafter at our table by a window, which over looked the koi pond garden veranda. There were only four tables in this area, which gave it a very private feeling. 

When the appetizer came out I was so excited to try it I forgot to take pictures.  You can see it partially in this detail of our table. Four white ceramic spoons had different tiny mounds of perfection placed upon them. The first one I tasted was an unknown something that melted on my palate and and just caused me to say... mmmm... oh mmmm... mmm.  Another was the worlds smallest baked potato complete with sour cream and bacon, the next was a pork tenderloin creation, and the last one was a cute little egg called 'green eggs and ham'. We just had to decide between us who got which spoon to try! 

Ben had his usual ice tea and I had a fresh and flavorsome strawberry drink. As we dined classical Spanish guitar played on the sound system for ambiance. Our soup course came in a tall clear shot glass with a small ring handle.  This contained a cold mint pea soup plated with a cheese cream puff.  Unusual combination to have a pea soup with the smell of mint, but wonderful to the taste buds!

From our personalized menu's; my choice for the first course was 'Chilled Maine Lobster with Braised Celery Hearts and Citrus Vinaigrette.' I don't usually get lobster since we live in a blue crab loving area, and I find blue crab is usually sweeter than lobster. 
This lobster was so tender and sweet tasting I would always choose lobster if it tasted this good! The veggies were perfectly cooked too.
 

Ben chose  'A Melange of Spicy Big Eyed Tuna with Avocado, Mango, Crispy Shallots and Sake-Yuzu Sorbet.  His first time with raw tuna, I thought he was very brave. Ben loved it and found the tuna to be surprisingly delicious! He enjoyed the entire combination.

Second course for me was 'A Marriage of Hot and Cold Foie Gras with Sauternes Jelly with Pickled Cherries from their Orchard' I especially loved the Hot Duck liver. Yes, it's true I love liver and this was the best and tenderest I have ever been served.

Ben's second course was this gorgeous 'Macaroni and Cheese with Virginia country Ham and Shaved Black Truffle.' The presentation is amazing!!! I sampled a bit of this dish and that Truffle topping over the noodles was excellent! Ben says this dish was an incredible twist on an old favorite. He found it to be quite yummy and comforting!

My Main Course selection was 'Beef Two Ways: A Pecan Encrusted Barbecued Short Rib Paired with a Miniature Filet Mignon wrapped in Swiss Chard.' When you see photos of plates with small designed portions you think, "How can anyone be full at the end of a dinner with such small portions. Not true. After all I had already eaten, 
I decided to eat just half of this melt in your mouth beefy goodness and have it packaged to take home so I could enjoy my upcoming dessert course. I rarely eat beef and usually order salmon when dining out. My intuition told me that in this culinary experience I should go for the Filet Mignon. Even the next day this dish was still delectable.

Ben's Main Course selection was: 'Miniature Filets of Black Cod Saute with Lemon Vodka Sauce and Lilliputian Shrimp Dumplings' I am getting hungry just looking at this photo! Ben says the taste was light and delicate, mixed with great textures, which made this dish a perfect entree. I want some now.

If I were going to the Inn this week my choices would be much different, because I have since changed my diet to a more vegan and raw food style for health reasons. Luckily "The Inn At Little Washington' also has those food selections on the menu too. Along with creating seasonal dishes from items grown in their own gardens and orchards, 'The Inn" also uses local meats and produce from area farms insuring that everything is totally fresh!


Our Dessert Selections were: 

For me: 'A Hot Rhubarb Compote served with Lemon Infused Cake and Rhubarb Ice Cream.' Everything was very good and light, but I fell in love with Ben's dessert choice shown below.

Ben's 'Cherry Tart' was melt in your mouth magnificent. Oh my! The crispy pastry was incredible! This really is the best dessert I have ever tasted. So you guessed right that I kept stealing bites of Ben's dessert! In remembering this dessert Ben says, "Wow!" This divine taste of heaven made him forget he was getting full. Yum.

At the finale of our dinner our server came to the table and announced, "Here are some gifts for you" and set out before us a plate with a small box shaped like the Inn.  Inside were small treats for the ride home.  She then placed a white bag with our cookbook in it over the plate and placed the mini Inn on top.  A nearby couple was leaving and carried the plate, their bagged cookbook and the cute little Inn shaped box as they walked past our table.  I wondered then if the plate was also a "gift" and was going to ask our server upon her return. It was an awesome gift if it was true.  When our server arrived back to the table she said,  "Come now, the kitchen is ready for you if you still would like to see it." We then quickly got our things together and Ben grabbed the pile of gifts from the table.  She showed us to the living room and said someone would meet us here.

A handsome uniformed tall gentlemen greeted us and suggested we leave our things in the living room, so our hands were not full as we went into the kitchen. In a dramatic flourish he then opened two mirrored french doors, and there shining at the end of the hallway was the inner sanctum...the most beautiful kitchen in the world! How exciting! The sound of monks chanting filled the air.  Wow! 

This was truly a working cathedral built to honor great food and those culinary artists behind the scenes making their creations. Our guide told us the monk music helps to calm the chefs in what could be a stressful environment. I asked if I was allowed to take a few photos and he said yes.  Look at that copper and brass range hood designed to look like King Arthur's tent! The Queen approves! The kitchen itself was inspired by the dairy room in Windsor Castle.

Our host offered to take our photo in this wonderful room exploding with creative vision. I chose not to take any photos of the fireplace area where you pay quite a bit extra beyond the price of dinner to sit at the two chef tables in the kitchen. I did not want to invade the privacy of their guests, so this is a screen shot from the 'The Inn At Little Washingtons' website of that gorgeous area. 
 

I asked about the silver goblets on a nearby buffet and wondered if anyone actually drank from those regal cups. Yes, they are for the guests at the chefs tables. The Queen can imagine herself seated there enjoying some royal treatment and libations!

Pretty spectacular atmosphere. It really is the world's most beautiful restaurant kitchen. Notice the cabinet full of culinary awards given to Chef Patrick O'Connell and 'The Inn At Little Washington,' in the background of the photo below.

When we left the kitchen and came back to the living room we chatted with this gentleman about the Inn and other things for a few minutes. He was so friendly and gracious and truly paid attention to the conversation without rushing us at all.  He wished us a happy Anniversary before he left. We walked over to our things on a nearby table and noticed the "plate" in question had mysteriously disappeared. I guess we got our answer quietly. We were not trying to take anything, and certainly would have asked at the front desk when we picked up our dinner bags on the way out if this was really a parting gift. I wonder how many other guests make that mistake? 

We walked around the rooms downstairs before we strolled outside, and I took a few photos. I should have taken pictures of the restroom area as that was jewel-box of fine decorating as well. There are photos on the wall in the restroom vestibule of the Chef with notable people and one was of the Queen of food Julia Child. The photo above is of "The Monkey Room" which has a small bar.

The famous cheese cow "Faira."

As this is not too distant a drive from Washington DC, I am sure they get a steady steam of politicos and celebrities having dinner at the Inn. When we left there was a big black tour bus and stretch limo waiting in the parking lot for some other lucky diners that night.

Even though we were only at 'The Inn At Little Washington' for half a day we felt like we had taken a short vacation.  A feeling of peace mixed with awe from the entire experience filled us. The drive home was conversation about our memorable Anniversary day. (Update: Six years later this restaurant remains the pinnacle of food and service! We will return and have a plant based menu more fitting to my new healthy lifestyle.) 

Meals at the Inn come with a varying prefix price depending on the day of the week.  Expensive? Yes. For someone who loves the art of food, it really is worth the price and the drive, to experience one of the best restaurants in the world! 

Here are some of the Inn's prestigious awards: 'The Inn At Little Washington' was the first establishment to ever receive five stars for both its accommodations and its cuisine, in the Mobil Travel Guide, and enjoyed the same first with the AAA and it's five diamond listing. The Zagat Survey for Washington, D.C., has rated it as number one in all categories for the past 14 years. Travel and Leisure Magazine has ranked the Inn as the number one hotel in the world for food, the number two in the world for service, and the number eight in world and number 2 in North America overall.  The Restaurant has been awarded Wine Spectator’s “Grand Award” for the last 12 years. The Inn received “Reader’s Top Table” award in Gourmet’s Restaurant Issue. It has also received five James Beard Foundation awards including those for Best Service, Best Wine List, Restaurant of the Year, Best Chef in the Mid–Atlantic and Chef of the Year.  The International Herald Tribune rated it as one of the Top Ten Best Restaurants in the World. The late Craig Claiborne of The New York Times called it "the most magnificent inn I've ever seen, in this country or Europe, where I had the most fantastic meal of my life". The Inn is a member of the Relais and Châteaux hotel group.

The Inn provides luxurious accommodations for spending the night or more. They have rooms, cottages, and two story suites with balconies and garden views. Everything in the Inn has been decorated by Joyce Evans a set designer from England. Many of the furnishings at the Inn were purchased and shipped from England. There are also private spaces for customized opulent events hosting 36-90 people.

We could not at this time afford a night at the Inn, which would have been spectacular...(plus it would mean not having to make the long drive home after dinner...priceless). Yes, certainly it would have been more fun to be relaxing than driving. So if the Inn or even an engaged couple having their wedding at the Inn would like some Ben Sherman Classical music in trade for a nights stay at the Inn, that would be awesome!  Just sayin'...

Our next considerations for a culinary night out are two Maryland restaurants: 'Volt' and 'Linwoods.' (Update: Both restaurants mentioned were a huge let down.) 

Once you dined at the magical and royal 'Inn At Little Washington'...this will surely be "a hard act to follow."