The Inn at Little Washington is a luxury inn and two-Michelin-star restaurant located in the village of Washington, Virginia, where Chef Patrick O'Connell has welcomed guests since 1978.
The restaurant has earned international recognition for its refined tasting menus, theatrical presentation, extensive wine program and meticulously designed dining rooms that blend elegance with whimsical décor.
There are a series of richly decorated rooms featuring vibrant wallpapers, chandeliers, antiques, fresh flowers, fine linens and distinctive artwork that create stunning dining spaces.
Service is on a whole different level, with multiple tasting menus, carefully selected wine pairings, tableside presentations and the restaurant's signature bread and cheese carts. And the menu was personalized for me on the outside.
To start, they had a menu of WATER. A water menu. I went with just regular still.
Among the tasting options is Our Enduring Classics, a menu that revisits many of the dishes that have defined The Inn's culinary identity over the years.
The Enduring Classics menu reflects Chef Patrick O'Connell's approach to combining classical French techniques with Mid-Atlantic ingredients and imaginative presentation.
The Inn at Little Washington has long emphasized relationships with local farmers and producers. In fact, Chef Patrick O'Connell has said those partnerships grew out of necessity when he opened the restaurant in rural Virginia and traditional food distributors wouldn't deliver there. Over time, those relationships became central to the restaurant's philosophy, and the Inn now grows some of its own produce while sourcing from regional farms and artisan producers.
The amuse-bouche featured warm air-popped popcorn lightly seasoned with white truffle oil and topped with freshly shaved, 24-month aged Parmigiano-Reggiano, allowing the buttery popcorn and thin ribbons of cheese to melt together into a simple but flavorful opening bite.
Even look at the cute little branded box.
The bread cart is one of The Inn at Little Washington's signature traditions and arrived early in the meal as a roaming tableside service. Rather than placing a standard bread basket on the table, a server wheeled an ornate cart through the dining room and invited me to select from several freshly baked breads, which are served warm with house butter.
They had small French baguettes, rustic country and brown bread, sourdough and other specialty seeded breads.
The butter is as much a part of the presentation as the bread. Servers carve portions from a large mound of house butter at the cart before serving it alongside the bread, and warm refills are offered throughout the meal.
The meal began with an amuse-bouche of a caviar tartlet with salmon, where the delicate smokiness of the fish paired with the buttery, oceanic flavor and gentle burst of the caviar pearls.
Next up was a sophisticated amuse-bouche with a golden potato chip cannoli packed with pimento cheese and vibrant, finely clipped fresh chives. On river stones arranged with delicate seaweed accents is a light, airy rice cracker topped with finely diced tuna tartare, gelée cubes and a micro-basil leaf.
Then their signature parmesan and chive gougères.These hollow, delicate French choux pastries feature a beautifully crisp, salty exterior embedded with fresh chives and savory cheese.
Our Garden Ratatouille with Roasted Garlic Custard Baked in an Egg Shell.
A Tin of Sin featuring Petrossian Tsar Imperial Ossetra Caviar served with a Chesapeake crab and cucumber rillette.
The next signature course presents Carpaccio of Herb-Crusted Elysian Fields Baby Lamb Loin topped with the restaurant's playful Caesar Salad Ice Cream, combining thin slices of lamb with a frozen interpretation of the classic salad.
Another enduring favorite is A Chartreuse of Savoy Cabbage and Maine Lobster, served with a luxurious caviar beurre blanc that surrounds layers of tender lobster wrapped in Savoy cabbage.
The main entrée features Prosciutto-Wrapped Veal Tenderloin accompanied by triple crème ravioli and roasted tomato cream, bringing together rich veal, delicate pasta, and an airy sauce.
A separate dessert menu follows the tasting menu, allowing guests to conclude the evening with one of the restaurant's pastry creations.
Before dessert, I was served George Washington's Paw Paw Posset, highlighting the native pawpaw fruit in a creamy custard-style preparation inspired by regional history.
My dessert was a chocolate and butterscotch bar with candied pine nut and hazelnut ice cream. Unreal.
A thin layer of shattered dark chocolate was a final sweet treat.
A quick pass through the kitchen upon my exit.
And a quick stroll through the property.
Before departing, each guest received a package of take-home treats, extending the experience beyond the dining room with a selection of house-made baked goods and confections to enjoy later.
It was the cutest little box shaped like the building and featured silky chocolate truffles, jewel-toned fruit geleés and chocolate-dipped orange peel.
It'll be hard to top this one.
Grade: A
