“What do you have on tap?”
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Read an article today from WSJ about water lists. This excerpt was about the Inn:
The dining room at the Inn at Little Washington in Virginia is one of the latest in the U.S. to offer fine water. Its menu, launched this spring, includes Berg water from Newfoundland, Canada. Sourced from a 15,000-year-old iceberg, the light-bodied, low-mineral water costs $95 a bottle. The menu says it tastes of “ancient packed snow and air.”
Water sommelier Cameron Smith said many guests have never had a choice in the water they drink beyond the standard still, sparkling or tap. “It would be like a sommelier offering only red, white or sparkling wine—far too limited.”
I don’t get it and would not buy from a water menu. The article also talked about pairing certain foods with certain waters based on Total Dissolved Solids (TDS).
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I thought there were some values on the magnum list.
How old is the guy who wrote that? 
As long as they have Chateldon, that’s all I need. Best water in the world. Although I do like Hildon sparkling also.
There are absolutely different qualities of water, just like wine, but $95 iceberg water is like Ghost Horse wine.
Agreed that water sommeliering is inherently pretentious but will confess total willingness to pay an insane markup if they have Badoit
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A fun thread! Thanks everyone for weighing in.
Below: List of wines, what we went with, dinner report, some thoughts on the Inn and area
Consolidated list of what folks recommended:
- Daterra (Spain)
- Schäfer-F Felsneck
- a Dönnhoff GG
- white Musar
- Martin Woods
- Eyrie South Block
- Vincent Paris Geynale
- Split of 15 Monte Bello 235 (red)
- 17 Walter Scott X-Novo 205
- Tyrrells semilion Vat 1 - 160
- 2010 Puffeney Arbois Vin Jaune 240
- 1983 Albert Morot Teurons
- Château de Beaucastel, Roussanne, Vieilles Vignes (2002)
- 2011 Mt Eden Chard 185
- 2012 Arterberry Maresh Maresh
- Huet
- Chidaine
- Donnhoff
- Foillard
- Foradori Sgarzon 2012
- Olga Raffault Chinon Picasses
- Perrot Minot Chambolle Cras 2010
- Clonakilla - Shiraz Vognier
- Herve Souhaut
- 2005 Jadot Chapelle Chambertin
- 2016 Foradori Teroldego Sgarzon
- Follin-Arbelet RSV
What we went with
We considered BYO’ing, but everything I brought to Virginia was allocated for the next several days of festivities (post upcoming).
Considered some unicorn-y bottles (at least by the definition of super hard to find, probably not bad, and fairly unique), one example not mentioned in the thread is the 2001 Domaine du Clos des Fées, La Petite Sibérie, as others folks called out. Ultimately, with our dinning companions not being wine nerds, we decided this option might result in some magic lost from the bottle on our guests and some conversational rabbit holes (aka me blabbing about wine) that could detract from the evening.
Decided to pursue some relative qpr-ish areas. After discussions, Oregon and German white were the finalists and with one person not caring for Riesling (I swear she is otherwise a good person), Oregon won out.
Chatted through back vintage Walter Scotts and Camerons. Ultimately, went with 2015 Ceritas Chardonnay Trout Gulch. It was in the 100s, so much less than corkage and the wine pairings. Showed beautifully with almost all courses. I switched to a glass of sherry with the meat course.
Dinner Report
Exceptional food. Great atmosphere. Clunky execution. Friendly service.
This is my 4th time dining at the Inn over, I think,15 years.
Some interesting changes from prior visits: they now show you the wines for the pairing. It used to be a surprise. There is an extensive water list (which folks have commented on above). There are a Classics menu and a Of the Moment menu.
The food was the best it’s ever been. My prior meals were a mixture of fine (relative to Michelin standards) to very good (One or two awesome things and the rest good). I went with the classic menu, but subbed the meat main for the seasonal. Each dish was perfectly executed, balanced, unique, and thoughtful. The food here is at its best when it’s slightly playful (a congruence with the decor). Single best beurre blanc sauce of my life.
It’s still an astounding venue. The atmosphere is wonderful. The Inn has a very specific aesthetic of continental meets colonial with grated whimsy all over. It is utterly distinct. Many love it, many hate it. I am impressed by it. Some representative touches:
Our service was clunky. Our gal lost her grip on the intro spiel. A dish full of dairy was served to the one person at the table with a dairy allergy (which was noted ahead of time and verbally confirmed at start of the meal). Pacing was off tempo for food and wine refill timing. It was a busy night, but at this level and these prices that doesn’t matter and you need to perform.
Everyone’s a doll. Despite what can totally be viewed a s pretentious place, style, and price point, you never interact with anyone uppity on the team there. This was the same. Each person, in whatever capacity, was courteous, kind, and professional.
The ongoing service squeaks were annoying and distracting, but overall we had a great time in a venue that does feel a little magical.
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Ouch. If you can’t get proper service at a 3* with nose bleed prices, what’s the point?
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Some thoughts on the Inn and area
Our dinning companions stayed at the Inn and we stayed locally. Like the restaurant, rooms here ain’t cheap, but they are beautiful. Depends on what you value.
I grew up in this area. It’s very rural and truly beautiful - incorporating the blue ridge mountains and skyline drive into rivers and streams and rolling hills and fields. People come from all over, especially in the fall for the foliage and for the general nature.
Its history is long and complex and kinda fascinating.
Parceled off by the English, this was self-sufficient agricultural county (a spirit that still exists today), mostly feedstock and livestock. As time went on, it transitioned to milling and lumbering, but that industry, and everything else around, was decimated during the civil war.
The creation of the Shenandoah National Park (where the government would offer to buy people’s land and if they didn’t want to sell condemn their buildings and kick them off said land) was obviously very controversial and created a certain “us vs them” sentiment. One of the resettlement areas for those “displaced” was near Washington (the town the inn is in). During the depression the CCC did lots of work here and tourism began. This created not the first, but a starker divide between those in the county that benefited from the development of the county and those that did not.
World keeps spinning. A big influence of hippies and artists land there. Anti-development and pro environmental regulation, but not necessarily a friend to farmers and mountain folk. As D.C. and Northern Virgina expand, more and more folks from that world came out as well.
So here we are today, It’s a fairly tribal place with competing identities and agendas. You have “weekenders” folks that have second homes from D.C., Full-time beltway transfers (highly educated and wealthy), long term local families that got with the times and established business to benefit from changing demographics, old hippies and artists, a poor agricultural working class (think people who identify with the term “redneck” as a superlative instead of a pejorative), and of course bits in the middle. There is very much a clicky feel.
There is a housing squeeze due to land requirements (one of the few things most the groups above agree with for varying reasons). Pros, it keeps things pretty. Cons, it’s real expensive.
The education system is a struggle. Most kids growing up in the area finish public high school, but college less. Not a lot of jobs.
The result is many young folks leave the area because they can’t live and work there.
Things on the above have improved over the years and it feels like education and employment are finding a higher level. Housing remains an issue. New businesses are popping up, many founded by “out of towners” and young folks who left, did something, and are coming back.
The Inn occupies an interesting center there. It’s kinda fairy tale land. Until after covid, there was Nothing like it around. It does employ folks (though many come from surrounding areas) and brings dollars into other businesses nearby. It also has a lot of muscle to do as it would pleases. For some, it’s a great feature and draws people out. For others, it takes up space and prices folks out of little Washington and contributes to the other issues.
One specific example, the new Paddy O’s cafe mentioned above. Is more affordable than the Inn, but stands on the site of the old country cooking cafe. The later did not bring in tourist dollars, but you could eat there for there for less than $20. It was the local diner and a blue jean, rather than blue suit place. Is it the Inn’s fault it went out of business? I don’t think so. But, that type of thing creates a certain sentiment.
Anyways, that’s probably more yapping than not, but saw the wider ranging posts above so figured I’d chime in. Overall, I’m hopeful for area to both maintain its Terroir while allowing more people, in and outside, to appreciate the very special part of America.
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@gavin.f What night were you there? My wife and I were there last Thursday and had the exact same experience as you. The food is really quite exceptional. I had the seasonal menu and my wife had the classics menu. Only one dish was ho-hum, but the rest were incredibly delicious. We did the wine pairings, which while quite tasty and well thought out, were very over-priced. The retail prices for all the bottles was significantly less than the per glass pairing price. To be expected, but still annoying.
The service was definitely clunky. Timing was off, some waiters spoke so softly I couldn’t hear them, there were constant “pile-ups” of waiters in the aisles, poor flow of people. They need an experienced captain to groom the newer servers. I’ve eaten at a few higher end restaurants in “rural” VA over the last 2 years and they all have service issues. They just can’t get and keep good staff. The Inn servers definitely tried hard but they were new and don’t seem to have the necessary mentorship.
I can’t say this enough, the decor is way over done. The lamps hanging over the tables with dangling fringe is a huge distraction. It was barely above my wife’s and my eye level and got in the way of the servers trying to talk to us. We constantly had to scrunch down to talk or lean back to see the servers. Also, the tables are too close together as we were constantly jostled in our seats.
The Inn is definitely 3* food, but not a 3* restaurant. We stayed at a nearby inn so can’t speak to the rooms at the Inn.
After Little Washington, we went to Staunton for the weekend. We had a great time there. Saw Two Gentleman of Verona at The American Shakespeare Theater, which, though seating was uncomfortable, was an excellent performance. Lastly, we finished the weekend with a meal at Maude & the Bear. That was another excellent meal and I highly recommend it. Much less embellished than the Inn, but the food was every bit as good with a tiny, fairly well planned though young wine list.
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I’d think the 2005 Ch Lascombes for a mere $400 could turn out to be a terrific value, actually. But the remaining prices are eye-watering.
The week before. Sorry you had a similar experience with the execution. Glad the tuck stood up!
Well, lost a star.
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Consistent with multiple folks here reporting service issues but outstanding food.
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Thanks for the tip about Maude & the Bear! I have spent time in the Valley this past year twice, when returning to UVA for visits. Charlottesville, Staunton, Sperryville, Washington and Flint Hill. Never heard of Maude & the Bear and will definitely be checking it out. I think you might enjoy Three Blacksmiths in Sperryville, also!
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I’ve read about Three Blacksmiths. Just looked into making a weekend reservation for two… next summer looks promising!
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there was a 4 top avail in dec, as of this afternoon, I won’t be back then - alas.
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IIRC they have a waitlist that will email you openings, though they tend to be last minute so not great for planning purposes.
Dinner reservations only are tough to secure. Staring there guarantees a reservation for dinner.