Knowing how precious our time together is, Evan made dinner reservations for us to celebrate Valentine's Day at the Inn at Little Washington. We've never celebrated Valentine's Day, mostly considering it a silly Hallmark holiday, but now that we have a little one it's taken on a whole new meaning. It's a great excuse to have an evening to ourselves.
The Inn at Little Washington has always been on our radar but even more so now since it was awarded its third Michelin star this past fall. Our meal was as expensive as a weekend away so that's what we've been calling it - an extravagant weekend away condensed into a two+ hour dining experience. Truly, the cost was so obscene I won't share the total price tag on here. It's not a place for an everyday experience unless you're Jeff Bezos! For us regular folks, it's for special occasions only.
I wish that they would take a cue from Pineapple & Pearls and square away the check before you arrive. There's something crass about getting an exorbitant bill and having to tally up the gratuity at the end of the evening, especially one like this. It takes away a little bit of the magic.
Our evening was filled with delectable fare, whimsy, and opulence. From the anachronistic attire of the doormen (I particularly recall their silly, floppy hats) to the French courtesan get-up of the poet (I'll get into this later), it was an unforgettable event. It was definitely stuffier than P&P, but hey, we paid our bill so we deserved to be there just like anyone else.
(By the way, I hate to keep bringing up P&P but since both the Inn and P&P are Michelin-starred restaurants, and we've visited both fairly recently, it's hard not to draw comparisons. The experiences had some similar components, like high-quality, well-prepared and meticulously-presented food, but for the most part, they were drastically different. The Inn is in a rural area/quaint town while P&P is in bustling Washington D.C. Also, the Inn pays homage to the past while P&P has a more contemporary and sometimes futuristic feel.)
We were seated in bistro-like chairs in a light and airy section that faced out onto french doors leading into the garden with a koi pond. It was especially nice that we arrived before it got dark so we could see the fine detail of the planters and other garden decor. We had our backs to the main areas of the restaurant so we were afforded privacy, though by the time we left we were flanked by other couples. Romantic ballads played in the background; we were serenaded by Johnny Mathis, Patsy Cline, Nat King Cole, and Frank Sinatra, to name a few.
Similar to, but not exactly the same as P&P, each course was described to us but there was less detail about the product origins. As a result, I don't remember much about the food except that I LOVED ALL OF IT. I would eat everything I ate again and more of it. Evan felt the same way. I couldn't exactly say that about P&P's menu. I loved most of it, but there were one or two items I could've done without or wouldn't have again.
Amuse-Bouche (not listed on the menu):
It came with pork belly in a hoisin sauce and a lobster tartlet on the left, for me, and pork belly and the smallest loaded baked potato with caviar for Evan. He has a slight allergy to shellfish so some replacements were made for him.
Chicken consomme in a duck egg:
Even though it seems obvious, our server did remind us that the grass nest was not edible!
Bread and Vermont butter with a dollop of honey (not listed on menu):
Tin of Sin:
Evan's replacement: Beet fettuccini
Shellfish custard:
Evan's replacement: Leeks with black truffle (?)
Loch Etive Salmon:
A Marriage of Virginia Bison:
Grilled King Lamb Chop:
Lilliputian Ice Cream Cones:
The raspberry-flavored crunchies on top reminded me of Pop Rocks (shout-out to 80's kids). And the ice cream cones themselves made me nostalgic for Drumsticks because the bottoms had raspberry filling. Of course, I liked the Drumsticks with chocolate coating. Yum!
Bleeding Hearts:
Once we broke into our expertly mirror glazed bleeding hearts, pomegranate juice seeped out. My heart actually squirted and then bled out. Evan's "blood" pooled out. Such a great visual. Everything on the plate was edible.
A last treat of cracked chocolate with rice puffs and a take-away "bag":
All in all, it was an amazing experience and I think we'd like to do it again but maybe when we win the lottery. Ha! But really, we'd like to eat in the kitchen next time so that we can watch the magic unfold before us.
I found the service, while perfectly polite, a little intrusive. It's funny how even with a prix fixe menu, there's still a lot (maybe too much) interaction with the staff. This wasn't really all that different from P&P but somehow that felt more natural because of the stories/descriptions we got about the food. At the Inn I felt a little smothered.
Evan had read that the staff rates each customer's experience throughout the evening and tries to make adjustments accordingly. He's convinced that they had spies or actors eavesdropping on our conversation because at one point he said he'd like more bread and butter and then suddenly, we were offered more. We also joked about wanting to go to a restaurant with dogs and then, no, no dogs appeared with trays of food balanced on their heads like I had imagined, but when we were leaving the restaurant the Chef's dog, Luray, was suddenly there. He is so cute and sweet and was dressed in a Valentine's Day-themed vest and a three-starred collar. Something I find even weirder because we didn't mention it in our conversation at the restaurant is that while I was talking to Luray's handler, she called him "Sweet Pea". That's what I call AJ!!! That's one heck of a coincidence, isn't it?
Here's Luray in his fine attire:
