The Inn at Little Washington

I have to say, our experience was truly underwhelming. This is a 3-Michelin-star restaurant, which we expected to exceed our visit to the 1-Michelin-star restaurant Unforgettable (Turin, Italy) and Jean-Georges in Philadelphia (which is not Michelin-starred). Unfortunately, it fell far short of expectations. We drove 4.5 hours to dine here for a special occasion, (and paid 3 times more than the other two) but we left extremely disappointed. The portions were small, and the amuse-bouche was underwhelming. At both of those restaurants, they served a delightful selection of multiple small bites, each unique and memorable. Furthermore, the overall experience here felt overly commercial and impersonal, detracting from what should have been a refined and intimate dining experience. Most of the staff, including those at check-in and serving, seemed barely engaged and rarely smiled. Their demeanor was robotic and impersonal—unlike the other two restaurants, where the impeccable service enhanced the entire evening and left us feeling truly amazed and delighted. Sadly, this fell far short of the standard expected from a 3-Michelin-star restaurant, and we won’t be returning.

Unsolicited observations from a Florida couple on their 27th wedding anniversary. Friends gifted us a stay at the Inn at Little Washington. We found that every aspect of the visit was a 10/10 - restaurant, accommodations and physical plant. Most impressive was the large number of highly skilled / experienced professionals trained in the philosophy of "Esprit de Corps". This was exemplified by two trivial observations - delicious tomato soup that was delivered below temperature and a minor delay in retrieving room service dishes resulting in us placing them in the hallway - when this was pointed out to the staff - they photographed the dishes left in the hallway - posted and delivered the image to the entire staff - the ultimate in service recovery. We will make this a favored vacation destination. Sarasota, Florida

The food preparation itself was classic Patrick - exquisite! However, the lack of options for selecting the courses and the DIMINUTIVE SIZE of the courses was beyond ridiculous; this is based on having been to the Inn on several occasions. For the price charged versus the quantity of food provided, there was NO VALUE FOR THE MONEY SPENT! BITE SIZED PIECES WERE SMALLER THAN A QUARTER (we were both extremely hungry the next morning, having eaten very little the night before). We were apoplectic about being served a small box of popcorn half way through the meal???? Perhaps it was to make up for the lack of food???? To say we were disappointed to have chosen the Inn to celebrate an anniversay is an understatement. It is not The Inn I remember from days past, and it makes me sad.

We went to The Inn at Little Washington for a one-night getaway from the Washington, D.C. area. Having lived in the area for many decades, we decided it was time to give this fabled restaurant/inn a try. With its 3 Michelin stars and numerous other accolades, there was a lot of hype. To say we were not disappointed would be an understatement. Both my husband and I have traveled all over the world, and have had many dining and hotel experiences with which to compare this. To begin with, we were greeted by name by the concierge and other staff. They immediately made us feel like family. After a brief tour of the main part of the Inn, we were shown upstairs to our room for the night, which was the Jacques Pépin room (many of the rooms are named after famous chefs with whom Chef O'Connell has a personal connection). The room was very comfortable and roomy. To call it a "room" would be underselling it - it really and truly felt more like a suite. Because we arrived early enough in the afternoon, we were able to partake of the lovely tea service in the solarium, which featured an interesting assortment of teas, as well as a yummy collection of sweet and savory snacks. We were then taken on a tour of the campus -- yes, it's called a campus, as it encompasses so much more than just the original Inn building. Cameron was our tour guide. We found out later that Cameron was the fromager during dinner, and has been doing his thing with the cheese cart (a whimsical cow named Faira) for 17 years. Dinner was like being in a fairy tale. Five courses with several amuses bouches in between. We opted not to do the wine-pairings, instead ordering single half-servings of a couple of different wines with a few of the individual courses. Everything was prepared to perfection and displayed to perfection. It was truly a sensory experience, not only for the palate, but also the eyes and the nose. It's difficult to single out any one of the courses to elaborate on - they were all just so delicious. After dinner, we were treated to a tour of the kitchen, featuring the largest oven/stove I've ever seen! Think of it like an enormous kitchen island with multiple cooking surfaces on all 4 sides, but that doesn't really do it justice! And it was made by some company in France, and came in one piece! In the morning, we were again treated to culinary delights at our breakfast table. In addition to the continental breakfast, which was included with the room, we split an omelette, accompanied by a tomato tartlet and a waffle stuffed with potatoes. We then went across the street to Patty O's Bakery to get some delicious bread to bring home. Chef O'Connell has truly thought of everything. In addition to serving up world-class food, the décor in both the inn and the restaurant are out of this world. It's amazing to see so much creativity at work here. We are so glad we took the time to indulge in this fantasy!

His Thoughts: The Bad: 1. Of the 20 or so Michelin star restaurants I've been to this is the only one where I've left hungry. The bill came to $1650 for two people; its amusing to think about. I am 180lb 6 ft and we got the extra formage and caviar course. Everything was dampened on that note. 2. All the food was 'good' but nothing sticks out in my mind as a signature dish. The wasabi ice cream was the most unique accompaniment. I am glad I went, but feel no desire to go back. We drove 5+ hours from the Pittsburgh region. The Good: Everything else. The wholistic experience was a lot of fun and something my partner and I have been planing to do for a few years. Read one of the 1000s of other reviews gushing praise. Her Thoughts: My partner and I had planned a visit to the Inn at little Washington for over a year. I don’t know exactly how we found it, but once we did we fixed on it, it’s distance from Pittsburgh elevating the three Michelin star experience to something akin to a small video game quest. Reservations were moderately default to coordinate for our schedules and advance reservations something of a personal failing for the two of us, so for many months the inn proposition lay fallow. However, when I found myself with to an unexpected business trip to Bethesda, we recalled the idea, and wouldn’t you know it but there was a single 8:30 reservation available. We added on one wine paring, enough to try, not so much we couldn’t have cocktails. The cost to book was $1300 in non-refundable dollars, nothing to scoff at. Where you stay is a thing. The inn itself is another cool 1300 or so per night. We opted instead for an in-home airBNB round the block from the inn: a fraction of the price, with extremely friendly hosts we disappointed vis a vis our fastidiousness in sneaking in and out of their home without proper introduction. The inn at little Washington is elegantly, if slightly fussily appointed. Heavy silk white and green draping, velvet couches, antiques and elaborate tile cover all surfaces. There are wooden sitting rooms, a sunroom dining area (we were seated here), and a lounge area with a fireplace mantel so covered in liquor bottles it is picture worthy in itself. Exceptional single variety flower bouquets in myriad colors adorn the front mantelpiece and are stationed almost haphazardly throughout the property- certainly my favorite element of the decor if not the experience entirely. Service is fastidious if slightly overscripted and just slightly south of anticipatory. Upon entry you are handed a personalized menu, which is promptly revoked but kept for you away from errant crumbs until it is reissued at the end of the meal as a souvenir along with an inn shaped box of chocolates. There are options: plant-based menu or no, lamb or duck, optional caviar appetizer upgrade, optional cheese cart (rather than desert) upgrade. You can mix and match, which is nice: we ordered one each of both upgrades and I switched one entre for the vegetarian artichoke crabcake. Then began our hunt began for a good cocktail. One minor oddity is that they seem to have only a single copy of the wine, spirit, and cocktail menu, so the staff are frequently (but cordially) shuttling it back and forth between patrons, a not-insignificant impediment to efficiency. All the cocktails on the menu sound delicious and are cleverly named. The “El Jefe” my partner did not care for. It was something akin to a mezcal Negroni, but with a citrus and black salt chaser that could easily be mismanaged to make the whole situation unpalatable. The kitchen admirably offered to take this cocktail off our tab. We went on to try the Silk Road sour, a Chinese five spice, Smokey elevation of an ameretto sour. This pleased me but still didn’t hit the mark for my companion in the same way their their vodka cocktail did we can’t recall the name of. Although neither name nor preparation sounded the most appealing on the menu (pineapple and coconut, nothing earth shattering here folks) this was done exactly, exactly right, light and effervescent and elevating the ingredients to some higher plane of synthesis. Meanwhile, the food. The food is… well, undeniably good. The amuse bouche were each phenomenally crafted, but perhaps, ever so slightly outshine some of the latter plated dishes. The bread selection and cultured butter, served in the French style, with Maldon salt on the side, was perfect and worth revisiting, in particular for their “traditional dinner rolls” which were simultaneously rich and airy, like an entire dough made from the center of a croissant. Every course served was good. Standouts included the tuna and wasabi ice cream carpaccio and the star of the evening, the $62 caviar and cucumber gellee served in tin, the peach Melba, and I understand from my partner, the duck filet with cherry and fois gras. The optional cheese course was a full delight- the cheese cart well appointed and pleasantly kitschy in the shape of an actually cow replete with mooing noises. The selections were diverse and lovely- the manchego and Roquefort particularly memorable. However, I would be lying if I did not say I found more variability in the level of “good” than I had been prepared for at a three Michelin star restaurant. The shrimp and shishito appetizer and vegan crabcake were solidly enjoyable but less inspiring. I’m sad to report that I was solidly underwhelmed by the wine parings, which were all fair but none of them great. The possible exception to this was a sake pouring of which I was initially dismissive but which was the secret missing ingredient in the aforementioned tuna belly and wasabi appetizer. Overall, we had a splendid time, I’ll always remember it as a wonderful moment and meal. My partner and I pondered, on slightly damp block walk home from dinner, was this experience exemplary of the difference between a 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurant? The food, the service, the wine, were all extremely and solidly enjoyable, but were they transcendent? Perhaps not. But still, to be considered are things like consistency over time, and our own experiences, expectations and biases. We’d read the articles suggesting the Michelin scale itself is commercialized and not what it used to be, chefs self- revoking their stars to create with less pressure, more freedom of expression and whatnot. I’m sure it all feeds in. However, I recalled eating at Lazy Bear in the first year it opened, before it had achieved its stars. The buzz, and my expectations, were indeed high: but notably not higher, then my absolute wonder at the meal itself, which course over course changed everything I knew about what eating could be. I was younger then, certainly had had less exposure to the pinnacle of modern gastronomy and yet… and yet. I have to believe that there was a magic that night that consisted of more than a lack of jadedness. And although I’ll need more 3-Michelin- star notches in my belt to know, the Inn at Little Washington, lovely in every way, has given me the impression that “that magic” is not what the third star confers , but what I am really looking for in every meal and moment.