My father-in-law gave my husband a very generous gift certificate for dinner at The Inn at Little Washington in celebration of his 29th birthday. The Inn's chef, Patrick O'Connell, opened the place back in 1978 in an abandoned gas station and, since then, has become known as the "Pope of American cuisine." Wildly popular among DC's elite both because of its luxurious accommodations and Chef O'Connell's culinary stylings, the Inn is located just outside of cell phone range (very conveniently) in Virginia's beautiful countryside. Here's the scoop.
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We started off the evening with mint juleps and martinis out back on the patio. While the drinks were very skillfully prepared, we were joined by several uninvited guests, including bees, gnats, and various other country pests. There was quite a bit of shrubbery next to a pond that undoubtedly served as a breeding place for mosquitoes and the like. Admittedly, the bugs didn't seem to bother me much after our first round of drinks, but I definitely noticed all of the mosquito bites the next day. |
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I was very glad to come back indoors after our drinks in the wild. And after ordering our wine and food, we were presented with a lovely array of canapes. From left to right: fried polenta with marinara sauce and parmesan foam; mini baked potato with chives, bacon, and sour cream; soy marinated pork belly; and a beet mousse with horseradish creme fraiche. I have to say that I have a soft spot for anything served in bite-sized portions and displayed on spoons, and these canapes didn't disappoint. |
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The canapes were followed by the chef's autumn soup, which was called "a shot of liquid autumn." The soup was made with apple, rutabaga, and maple syrup, and served with a Gruyere biscuit. The entire ensemble was surprisingly delicious, though a bit on the sweet side, and the gruyere biscuits were highly addictive. |
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I ordered the Mediterranean rouget with saffron risotto and lobster foam as my first course. Although beautifully plated, the rouget suffered from over seasoning and soft gelatinous skin. I'm a big believer that if you are going to serve fish in this manner, you must crisp the skin (esp. if that's what you promise on the menu)! The scallops that I ordered for my second course (forgot to take a picture) suffered from the same level of saltiness -- not a good night for the seafood guy, I guess. |
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My husband's first course was definitely the star of the evening: carpaccio of herb crusted baby lamb with caesar salad dressing ice cream, pesto, and croutons. Besides being whimsical and creative, it was actually a nice combination of flavors. The caesar dressing provided just the right amount of acid/tanginess in combination with the lamb and the earthiness of the pesto balanced out the creamy dressing very nicely. |
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My husband also ordered the foie gras prepared two ways: pan-seared with a balsamic reduction; and a cold thick mousse. The cold foie came out with sauternes jelly and house made quince preserves. Mmmmm. |
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For my main course, I had the mustard crusted Elysian Fields rack of lamb with minted vegetable tagine, taggiasca olives, and preserved lemons. It was served with dumplings and a tangy mint yogurt sauce. I have to say that, at first, I thought that the chef was so high on himself that he called the dish Elysian as an allusion to Roman mythology, but after a quick google search I realized that Elysian refers to a particularly high quality Pure Bred lamb raised in Ohio and Pennsylvania. Oops... At any rate, the lamb was fabulous. It was cooked to just the right level of medium rare and was succulent and tender. The vegetable tagine, however, was a toned down version of the Moroccan tagines that I've grown to love. |
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My husband had the medallions of organic veal loin with stuffed zucchini blossoms and eggplant ravioli. As you can see in the photo, the veal was a bit overdone and the foam was just overkill. This dish didn't hold a candle to my lamb. |
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CHEESE!! We had the pleasure of meeting Faira the Cow, a large plastic rolling cart that actually looks like a cow and is used to transport each night's selection of cheeses throughout the restaurant. The ringing of her bell can be heard throughout the dining area as she makes her rounds from table to table. I was pleased to see that the restaurant didn't hold back on its cheese selection and even offered Epoisses, one of my favorite French cheeses (it is VERY pungent though, so I would not recommend it for the faint of heart). |
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We also ordered the chocolate menage a trois: black forest chocolate mousse; bitter chocolate souffle; and chocolate creme brulee. Menage a trois indeed. The chocolate souffle was light and airy, and the mousse was filled with juicy bits of sour cherries. Overall impression? It's definitely worth trying out with the help of someone else's dime, but not quite worth the $500 hit. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for fancy restaurants. It's just that I feel like they sometimes lose the warmth of places that don't take themselves so seriously. The atmosphere at the Inn was generally very stuffy and I felt like I had to whisper in the dining room so as to avoid an ugly confrontation with the rich old aristocrat and her 50-year-old handbag sitting next to me. I am firmly of the view that eating should be a loud and happy occasion and that if I want to laugh at something that's said during the conversation, I shouldn't feel like I have to hold back. Secondly, the food sort of lacked soul. Even the well-executed dishes were catered toward an overly conservative palate (the food lacked spice and depth of flavor), which was often times compensated for by too much salt. I think the problem at places like the Inn is that, most of the time, the chef for whom the place is known rarely prepares the food on a daily basis. I bet Patrick O'Connell only oversees the cooking when very important guests are dining with him. Like in law, you don't hire a firm, you hire a specific partner (or at least you should). Otherwise, you get stuck with the B team (a bunch of lousy associates) and just as high of a bill. I think that the fancy restaurant business is very similar in that respect. Anyway, I'm still very grateful to have had the opportunity to check the place out. I am just not sure that I'll be rushing back anytime soon. The bill was outrageously high for a dinner that I would say is second to Komi, which is at least located in the city. |