The Inn at Little Washington- Washington, Virginia

The Inn at Little Washington- Washington, Virginia

The East Coast is often picked on by the West in the United States. Our beaches aren’t warm and sunny all year round. Our snow is more like hard ice pellets unlike the soft powder of the West. They say we are grumpy, pushy, formal, workaholics while the West is beautiful, laid back, and kind. We do have one up our West Coast pals…The Inn at Little Washington. Say what you will about my cold and hard-working end of the United States, but try as you might, you will never beat this food and service.  Sure, you have the French Laundry. I’ve had the honor of eating there and it was without a doubt enjoyable…but we still have something better. I’m not one crazy woman out there being bitter than I wasn’t born in Napa. There are quite a few people I know, and apparently a few more online that will tell you the same thing. My first trip to the Inn, I could tell you what I ate there months later. The French Laundry, not so much. One reviewer claimed the Inn was “easier to get excited about”. That is an accurate statement for me as well. It’s not a stuffy, nose-in-the-air, can’t get a reservation hype. It’s genuine people, loving what they do, and making you feel like they care. Pulling up to the Inn, your door is opened and you are greeted by the courteous valet. Upon entering the doors, you are once again warmly and happily greeted in the foyer. A few drinks before dinner? There are so many places to relax and enjoy one of their tremendous cocktails (The Diplomat, Tree Trunk, and Cherry Bomb are fabulous!)…the bar, the sitting room, the garden patio…they will put you anywhere that makes you happy. Going straight to the table? You will be served a “Warm Welcome”, a signature light and bubbly drink at the Inn at Little Washington. The service is OUTSTANDING. You will never find better service…anywhere. Not even in your mother’s own house. Sorry, Mom, but these people made a business out of catering to every whim.

A very good friend of ours was enjoying a meal there with his family. He wanted to try one of the Inn’s extensive collection of cigars. After dessert, he excused himself to the patio to enjoy the cigar. It just happened to be raining outside. A staff member stepped outside not only to cut and light his cigar, but to hold an umbrella over him while he smoked. Oh yeah…that’s service! I was dining there with my fiancée and one of his old friends just last year. The boys were catching up and enjoying cigars and bourbon on the patio. I was the designated driver, so the staff brought me out complementary hot chocolate (the real kind made with actual melted chocolate and milk), and a blanket to keep my legs warm in the chilly fall weather. It was nothing I would ever ask for, but they anticipated a need and took initiative. All that and I haven’t even begun reviewing the food!

You will remember this meal…the tastes, the mixture of flavors, the aromas, and the delighted look on the server’s face as he places it in front of you. All the senses are stimulated in a progressive and upbeat manner. The food is so good that others try to duplicate it. I’ve seen other restaurants attempt to serve eerily similar looking dishes, but the flavor is never as complex and pleasing as what you will be served at the Inn. Their Truffle Dusted Popcorn was featured as a recipe in the Washington Post. Restaurants don’t usually do this, but it’s just popcorn, right? Other restaurants have put it on their menu. Heck, we even try to make it at home. It’s never as good as the Inn’s. They have an edge in the culinary department. There is an intuition there, similar to anticipating the needs of a guest, herein the ability to understand how the palate transcribes pleasurable tastes to the brain.

The Gastronaut’s Menu is the way to go. People are flabbergasted at a $208 price tag. Pricey, yes…but if you compare it with the prices people are willing to pay for chain steakhouses and what you actually get in return, it’s a steal. The people of America waste their money on cigarettes, Starbucks, cable channels, and underwear. What do you get out of it? Make yourself feel like a King for one evening and appreciate the high level of service and even higher quality of food that you just don’t get anywhere else.

This wouldn’t be a full review of the Inn if I didn’t talk about the cheese. Cameron, the Maître Fromager, or “resident cheese whiz” is absolutely amazing. He is clever, funny, ridiculously knowledgeable, and is a true gem for this establishment. Faira, the cow on wheels, will accompany Cameron throughout the restaurant to present and deliver your cheese course at the end of your meal. If you’ve never spoken with a cheese master, Cameron would be the one to start with. It’s a passion and delight for him to speak with you about the cheese. Where it comes from, what the cow ate, how the cow was kept, where it slept at night…and so forth. Part of the experience is to have this new character come to your table to discuss what you will soon be indulging in. Savor it!

Below was our menu from one of our trips. No doubt when you go it will be different, but it just may be the best dinner you’ve ever had.

Truffle Dusted Popcorn

A Shot of Chilled Local Plum Soup

A Tin of Sin: American Osetra Caviar with Peektoe Crab and Cucumber Rillette

A Quartet of Rappahannock River Barcat Oyster Slurpees

Chicken Fried Frog Legs with Garlic-Parsley Puree and Gremolata

Miniature Filet of Cod Saute with Lemon Vodka Sauce and Lilliputian Pork Dumplings

Fricassee of Maine Lobster with Potato Gnocchi, Green Grapes and Curried Pecans

Pan Seared Duck Breast with Roasted Cipollini Onions and Duck Jus Perfumed with Thyme

Pineapple-Lemongrass Sorbet with Pink Peppercorn Granita

A Miniature Blueberry Crisp with Limoncello Pudding Cake and Summer Berry Frozen Yogurt