Cedar Knoll Inn, Historic Inn on the Mount Vernon Parkway - Reopen with a New Management Team

[Bart]

Cedar Knoll is a little place on the George Washington/Mt Vernon Parkway just a mile or so from Mt. Vernon with a wonderful view of the river.  It's famous for being awful regarding everything but the view.
 
The place closed in November to absolutely no fanfare (the Cityzen closure it wasn't!)
 
Anyhow, there was an article in this week's Mt. Vernon Gazette about their plans to reopen in the spring.  It's light on details about the new place other than they are remodeling the inside.  Hopefully they'll upgrade the food because this place is a goldmine waiting to happen.

"Cedar Knoll Inn To Reopen In Mount Vernon" by Jerry FIll on mountvernongazette.com

A couple excerpts:

However, according to Gant Redmon, attorney /advisor for the owners, it will reopen sometime this spring after a new restaurant lease is signed and renovations are completed.

~~~

According to Redmon the owners are not allowed to enlarge the building, add rooms or add "wings."

Also, the second floor can only be used for office space, and not to serve food to guests. Redmon said the community may not be aware that historically at one time it was used as a "Tea Room" which, at the time, presented a dilemma for the county planners.

~~~

"Our current plan is that once a new restaurant operator is selected and renovation plans are agreed to, we will work closely with county officials to turn this into a beautiful facility that will serve quality food for individual diners as well as continue to offer it as a facility to host weddings, community, and business meetings,......

[thistle]

It will be interesting to see how this works out. Despite living around the corner, I've never tried it (the reviews are pretty dire), but I always thought that if I won the lottery, I'd love to buy it & transform it into a bbq/Biergarten w/ terraced gardens & that wonderful river view. I hope the new restaurant lives up to the landscape. In the meantime, the food at the Mt. Vernon Inn is not half bad.

[Kibbee Nayee]

This place has had identity issues for 20-some years. I remember when it was mostly a Cajun-Creole menu, then a tapas menu, and randomly southern....its a shame to waste one of the best views in our region with mediocre food.

[DonRocks]

However, according to Gant Redmon, attorney /advisor for the owners, it will reopen sometime this spring after a new restaurant lease is signed and renovations are completed.

I can't swear that Cedar Knoll Inn is still closed, but the number listed for them is disconnected.

[The Doctor]

I coincidentally just drove by tonight. It's still closed.

[Bart]

My wife mentioned that it looked like there was some activity going on there recently (I.E. work being done, not people eating food) so I looked it up on the www.  Turns out, the domain name has expired and is up for grabs, but I also found this article on oldtownpost.com:
 
The article was from July, so it's not exactly breaking news, but here's the gist of it:

Southside 815 Group Acquiring Cedar Knoll

A Southside 815 group, consisting of Greg Dushaw, Ben Benson, John Kurtz, Kevin Keefer, and Theresa Keefer, is in the process of acquiring the former Cedar Knoll restaurant. Cedar Knoll closed its doors in November of 2014.

One of the hurdles the new owners may have to overcome is that the zoning for the property is one of a "nonconforming use" in a residential zoned area. Unless something can be worked out with Fairfax County, the new owners would not be allowed to enlarge the building or add rooms. Also, the second floor of the restaurant was not allowed for dining patrons.

PS - Southside 815 is a little place on the GW Parkway at the far southern end of Old Town.  I've never eaten there (always go to Faccia Luna next door instead) but it's always crowded and I've always heard good things.

[thistle]

I think I read somewhere more recently that negotiations w/ Southside 815 had fallen through. I was upset, because the idea that someone might turn it into a halfway decent restaurant was something to anticipate.

[thistle]

http://oldtownpost.com/2015/08/26/southside-815-cedar-knoll-deal-falls-through-fireman-mike-old-town-post/

[Bart]

That's too bad.  Reading between lines it seems like the owners of the land/building aren't interested in elevating this place from a tourist trap serving mediocre food to an actual restaurant serving good food with a local following.

[Kibbee Nayee]

It's a picture-perfect location, and it would be ideal for a nice place to overlook the Potomac and enjoy a good dining experience. I've been to this place in its various incarnations, and the view is spectacular....the food, on the other hand, has never been good.

[Bart]

In my biased and warped mind, I can see this turning into a sort of "Ashby Inn on the Potomac".  An old place in a beautiful location serving great food.  Unfortunately two out of three ain't good.

[monkeyrotica]

That's too bad.  Reading between lines it seems like the owners of the land/building aren't interested in elevating this place from a tourist trap serving mediocre food to an actual restaurant serving good food with a local following.

I'd imagine zoning had a lot to do with this decision as well. The building itself is pretty shabby, the kitchen isn't all that big, and they aren't allowed to serve food on the second floor. Having to navigate all those hurdles isn't cheap. Anyway, the food at Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant is pretty good and River Bend Bistro isn't far away either.

[thistle]

Reopening the end of December?

"Historic Cedar Knoll to Reopen with Seasoned Culinary Team" by Mary Ann Barton on patch.com

[Lary]

Reopening the end of December?

"Historic Cedar Knoll to Reopen with Seasoned Culinary Team" by Mary Ann Barton on patch.com

andrew's a great guy, looking forward to this

[Kibbee Nayee]

I'm liking the potential for some fine dining with a great view, in that vast culinary emptiness south of (Old Town) Alexandria....

---

Mount Vernon Inn (Bart)

[ktmoomau]

Seems to be open, anyone been?

[monkeyrotica]

Friends on Facebook went and enjoyed themselves. Menu is focused on local oysters with a few roast chicken, beef rib, and pork dishes.

Cedar Knoll Inn Dinner Menu.pdf

[monkeyrotica]

Went to the new and improved Cedar Knoll with sufficiently low expectations and was impressed. Anyone familiar withe the previous incarnation, like a lot of places with great views of the water, the food is an afterthought, or worse. The new owners kept the same basic layout, spruced up a few booths, and focused the menu on local ingredients.

Crowd was a casual mix of local couples and families. There's a small bar by the front door so you can get a drink while you're waiting on your table, but the place is small enough and the opening soft enough that there wasn't a crowd. The menu was pretty tight: eight or so apps and a half dozen main courses. The owner said he's still tweaking the menu to see what customers want and they plan on rolling out a brunch later on. Beer and wine choices are similarly thin; I forgot to ask about a corkage fee.

I used to be a big fan of oysters rockafeller, but since coming down with gout, I've had to avoid spinach, which seems to be omnipresent. Cedar Knoll's version skips the spinach in favor of a wilted piece of kale topped with a thin slice of Virginia ham topped with a plump, perfectly fried cornmeal coated Bluepoint with a dollop of champagne froth. This was really tasty; we also opted for a half dozen of the Rappahanock oysters with mignonette; these were firm and clean tasting, but not as plump and briney as I like.

For mains, we opted for the crab cake and beef rib, both were excellent. Whoever's doing the frying knows what they're doing. Crabcake was bound with egg yolk instead of mayo and was mixed with lemon, tarragon, and dill which gave it a clean, bright flavor without masking the crab. Beef rib was the usual long braise, fork tender affair, with a particularly rich sauce that reminded me of a not sweet barbecue sauce reduction. They kinda went nuts with the arugula (wife's not a fan) but that's par for the course. All in all an excellent meal (two apps, two mains, two drinks, dessert, and tea for $130 and we both left full). If you're visiting Mount Vernon or want a break from the usual fare in Old Town, Cedar Knoll is a nice, quiet alternative and an excellent upscale addition to the neighborhood.

[SRJ]

I admire the fact that these young guys are starting small, trying to determine what works best on the menu from their catering experience, and trying to remain low key to avoid the Washington crowd at the start while they try to make a commitment to the local neighborhood first. I've had almost everything on the menu. I enjoyed the upscaled lobster "profiterolls" and fried oysters. Some guy down the river with a boat talked this place into buying the oysters he harvests. The roasted chicken is also very good. I like the idea of the "two way duck" with syrup, bacon, and potato pancakes but the portion size is very small and the duck was a little dry when I had it. But the ingredients sound so good together on the menu that I'll probably try it again and hope that it improves. The desserts are wonderful. Definitely get the unbaked cheesecake and the oatmeal cookie sandwich. The lemon ginger cake is also good. I'd skip the chocolate cake, it was a little bland and basic compared to the other three. The coffee is a little odd here. It seems they labor over preparing your own prepared-from-scratch cup, which often takes longer than it takes to get your dessert. I usually want my coffee with my dessert. It also makes it hard to have a simple refill of your coffee. I think next time I'll just ask if they have some basic coffee that they can serve right away.  The decor is a little more French or 19th century than colonial, but it still has an historic feel with the shellacked wood. I don't think the ceiling beams in the room with the view outside the cabin are load bearing but even fake wood beams add to the charm of the place. The leather booths are a bit awkwardly configured but long and spacious. I like this place and the dedication that these guys have to experiment while remaining loyal to the craft. But if you are from Washington, please stay away. Let's keep out all those annoyingly trendy Rose's Luxury and Garrison type folks.

[DonRocks]

I admire the fact that these young guys are starting small, trying to determine what works best on the menu from their catering experience, and trying to remain low key to avoid the Washington crowd at the start while they try to make a commitment to the local neighborhood first. I've had almost everything on the menu. I enjoyed the upscaled lobster "profiterolls" and fried oysters. Some guy down the river with a boat talked this place into buying the oysters he harvests. The roasted chicken is also very good. I like the idea of the "two way duck" with syrup, bacon, and potato pancakes but the portion size is very small and the duck was a little dry when I had it. But the ingredients sound so good together on the menu that I'll probably try it again and hope that it improves. The desserts are wonderful. Definitely get the unbaked cheesecake and the oatmeal cookie sandwich. The lemon ginger cake is also good. I'd skip the chocolate cake, it was a little bland and basic compared to the other three. The coffee is a little odd here. It seems they labor over preparing your own prepared-from-scratch cup, which often takes longer than it takes to get your dessert. I usually want my coffee with my dessert. It also makes it hard to have a simple refill of your coffee. I think next time I'll just ask if they have some basic coffee that they can serve right away.  The decor is a little more French or 19th century than colonial, but it still has an historic feel with the shellacked wood. I don't think the ceiling beams in the room with the view outside the cabin are load bearing but even fake wood beams add to the charm of the place. The leather booths are a bit awkwardly configured but long and spacious. I like this place and the dedication that these guys have to experiment while remaining loyal to the craft. But if you are from Washington, please stay away. Let's keep out all those annoyingly trendy Rose's Luxury and Garrison type folks.

This was a good post up until the last part - I don't think you need to worry about hipsters from DC standing in line at Cedar Knoll Inn.

[thistle]

Arghhh! Come on everyone, let's crush the Cedar Knoll Inn! JK, I'm not sure that I'm even going to try it, & I'm right around the corner, it would be SO nice to have a place to go to close by, where you could get good food...In the absence of a wandering heart & wallet, I'm grateful that I can cook good food for myself (now in my Instant Pot), & pretend that I'm eating out...I love a good crab cake...

[ktmoomau]

Arghhh! Come on everyone, let's crush the Cedar Knoll Inn! JK, I'm not sure that I'm even going to try it, & I'm right around the corner, it would be SO nice to have a place to go to close by, where you could get good food...In the absence of a wandering heart & wallet, I'm grateful that I can cook good food for myself (now in my Instant Pot), & pretend that I'm eating out...I love a good crab cake...

I know you were joking, but I would totally crush this place with you some night.

[thistle]

We definitely should! (or hit the Mount Vernon Inn some night for happy hour)... I have had such a strange day today, first my credit card was hacked, so I'm on the cash economy until I get a replacement. I know it's pretty common, but I feel so violated. I had to wait around all day for a UPS pickup for some well meant, but unsuccessful Xmas presents from my MIL- a bundt pan (I think I already have 4 & don't bake much anymore) & a Breville electric pizza oven (I rarely eat pizza & don't need another single use appliance), & while I was waiting for the UPS guy, my neighbor's kid (who I didn't recognize at first) showed up at my door, barefoot & in sweats, having locked himself out of the house & needing to phone someone to let him in.

This is all totally off topic on the Cedar Knoll Inn, but the idea of a good crab cake gives me hope for the future.

[ktmoomau]

Two things- their once a month Thursday night with music and etc is fun.  And second, they last night catered a party for my non-profit and the food was phenomenal- it was really, really good for catered party food- there were chicken pot pie bites, pork on wonton, a nice cheese plate that was really pretty, ham biscuits with jam, stuffed mushrooms, and cupcakes (I didn't eat these because I was stuffing pot pie bites in my mouth).  I definitely am going to keep them on my short list for events.