Inn at Little Washington or Goodstone Inn

[ctay122]

Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I've been here, but glad to be back.

Has anyone dined at the Inn at Little Washington or the Goodstone Inn lately? Hubby and I last ate at the Inn at LW 2 1/2 years ago for our anniversary. Hubby was felling bad which subsequently ruined dinner (I still had a good time and one of the best meals I've ever had). I am trying to decide where to go for my birthday the beginning of Dec. We usually go to Marcel's when we have an occasion like our son's birthdays or ours, but I am in the need of a change. Though I am disappointed that the Washingon/Middleton B&B accomodations are so high for a Thursday night stay (I think the prices have gone up since we last stayed at the Middleton Inn, $425/night for the Gamekeeper's Cottage? Ridiculous!).

I've never been to the Goodstone Inn, though it was recommended by a friend, I am wanting to know if there are any opinions out there as to if the Inn at LW is still a good pick or if the Goodstone is something to consider. Thanks for the help!

[Joe H]

Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I've been here, but glad to be back.

Has anyone dined at the Inn at Little Washington or the Goodstone Inn lately? Hubby and I last ate at the Inn at LW 2 1/2 years ago for our anniversary. Hubby was felling bad which subsequently ruined dinner (I still had a good time and one of the best meals I've ever had). I am trying to decide where to go for my birthday the beginning of Dec. We usually go to Marcel's when we have an occasion like our son's birthdays or ours, but I am in the need of a change. Though I am disappointed that the Washingon/Middleton B&B accomodations are so high for a Thursday night stay (I think the prices have gone up since we last stayed at the Middleton Inn, $425/night for the Gamekeeper's Cottage? Ridiculous!).

I've never been to the Goodstone Inn, though it was recommended by a friend, I am wanting to know if there are any opinions out there as to if the Inn at LW is still a good pick or if the Goodstone is something to consider. Thanks for the help!

Intresting. We have not been to the Goodstone Inn but we have been to the IALW three times and have not had the same experience. I note the following as a possible alternative. What I wrote on here (on the Philadelphia thread) will speak for itself. I absolutely love Middleburg and if you visit the Goodstone Inn we may be just behind you. But, in the meantime, I found a place in Chester county, PA, two and a half hours from Reston that I would put one on one with anywhere in America. This is my post:

It was the eighth or ninth one lane bridge that we drove over when I began to think that all of the hyperbole of how difficult this place was to find wasn't hyperbole. One lane wide roads that passed for two with stone walls and split rail wooden fences lining each, this was a trip through two and three hundred year old structures in countryside sporting wealth and established tradition far from central city Philadelphia. When we finally found our crossroads I didn't think there would be enough room for a horse drawn carriage in either direction let alone for one of the great country restaurants in all of America to sit on a corner.

And it does.

And about as difficult to find, as obscure, as off the beaten path as anywhere I have ever been. I noted above that most of the light is from candlelight in the dining room. I exaggerated: there are nine lightbulbs in track lighting framing the room along with perhaps sixty or seventy candles. Nine tables total with pairs of diners at most. A historic building that dates back two or even three centuries. It's not that there are no white table cloths; rather that the wooden tables that diners sit at are handcarved and framed by a real craftsman as is everything else in this truly individual and singular room of historic character.

We went for our fifteenth anniversary. One hundred and fifty five miles miles in each direction from Reston to the obscure Chester county countryside-it was worth every foot of the drive.

Without a mention of the food, without a mention of the national Beard talent of the chef and his obsessive sourcing of ingredients (we're talking heads on 11-15 count fresh shrimp a half hundred miles from water...) this is a Great restaurant. Intense stock reductions along with deeply flavored broths and sauces we were ecstatic to find the quality of an immensely talented chef in a number of the dishes on our plates. With several thousand corks and a singular bottle of Petrus in the window, restrooms in the adjacent post office which shares a roof as well as a Rubenesque tuxedo neighborhood cat we loved this place .Given the character of the setting of the room as well as what we tasted we hope to return at least once a year as long as we are able.

There must be a setting as well as a table in the D. C. area that compares to the Birchrunville Store Cafe. Unfortunately we haven't found it.

_______________

Additional notes: this is BYOB. It has a Zagat rating of 28 for food which is the highest in metro Philadelphia (same as Vetri). Our dinner, with tax and tip (no corkage and, again, our wine) was $175-we had three first courses, a salad, two entrees and three desserts). But the price is totally irrelevant: I am directly comparing the experience to the Inn at Little Washington. As idyllic as the setting of Washington, VA is, Birchrunville, PA is even more so. Middleburg, however, is really special: one of the great escapes on Earth that we are indeed fortunate to live so close to. Still, the Birchrunville crossroads is unlike any other I've found on this side of the Atlantic. I should also note that the Birchrunville Store Cafe is well known in the Philadelphia market: so much so that for a Friday or Saturday night you must reserve at least two months in advance. It is worth the wait and the drive.

[ctay122]

Intresting. We have not been to the Goodstone Inn but we have been to the IALW three times and have not had the same experience. I note the following as a possible alternative. What I wrote on here (on the Philadelphia thread) will speak for itself. I absolutely love Middleburg and if you visit the Goodstone Inn we may be just behind you. But, in the meantime, I found a place in Chester county, PA, two and a half hours from Reston that I would put one on one with anywhere in America. This is my post:

It was the eighth or ninth one lane bridge that we drove over when I began to think that all of the hyperbole of how difficult this place was to find wasn't hyperbole. One lane wide roads that passed for two with stone walls and split rail wooden fences lining each, this was a trip through two and three hundred year old structures in countryside sporting wealth and established tradition far from central city Philadelphia. When we finally found our crossroads I didn't think there would be enough room for a horse drawn carriage in either direction let alone for one of the great country restaurants in all of America to sit on a corner.

And it does.

And about as difficult to find, as obscure, as off the beaten path as anywhere I have ever been. I noted above that most of the light is from candlelight in the dining room. I exaggerated: there are nine lightbulbs in track lighting framing the room along with perhaps sixty or seventy candles. Nine tables total with pairs of diners at most. A historic building that dates back two or even three centuries. It's not that there are no white table cloths; rather that the wooden tables that diners sit at are handcarved and framed by a real craftsman as is everything else in this truly individual and singular room of historic character.

We went for our fifteenth anniversary. One hundred and fifty five miles miles in each direction from Reston to the obscure Chester county countryside-it was worth every foot of the drive.

Without a mention of the food, without a mention of the national Beard talent of the chef and his obsessive sourcing of ingredients (we're talking heads on 11-15 count fresh shrimp a half hundred miles from water...) this is a Great restaurant. Intense stock reductions along with deeply flavored broths and sauces we were ecstatic to find the quality of an immensely talented chef in a number of the dishes on our plates. With several thousand corks and a singular bottle of Petrus in the window, restrooms in the adjacent post office which shares a roof as well as a Rubenesque tuxedo neighborhood cat we loved this place .Given the character of the setting of the room as well as what we tasted we hope to return at least once a year as long as we are able.

There must be a setting as well as a table in the D. C. area that compares to the Birchrunville Store Cafe. Unfortunately we haven't found it.

_______________

Additional notes: this is BYOB. It has a Zagat rating of 28 for food which is the highest in metro Philadelphia (same as Vetri). Our dinner, with tax and tip (no corkage and, again, our wine) was $175-we had three first courses, a salad, two entrees and three desserts). But the price is totally irrelevant: I am directly comparing the experience to the Inn at Little Washington. As idyllic as the setting of Washington, VA is, Birchrunville, PA is even more so. Middleburg, however, is really special: one of the great escapes on Earth that we are indeed fortunate to live so close to. Still, the Birchrunville crossroads is unlike any other I've found on this side of the Atlantic. I should also note that the Birchrunville Store Cafe is well known in the Philadelphia market: so much so that for a Friday or Saturday night you must reserve at least two months in advance. It is worth the wait and the drive.

Joe,

Did you do this drive all in the same day? I would be absolutely miserable, after a big dinner I am ready for a nap. Thank you for reposting this. I will check out the menu and perhaps some lodging close by and keep it in mind for a special occasion. I'm still trying to figure out why lodging in Middleburg is so outrageous. The place Michael and I stayed at 2 years ago is now going for $425 for a Thursday night. Ridiculous!

[Joe H]

Joe,

Did you do this drive all in the same day? I would be absolutely miserable, after a big dinner I am ready for a nap. Thank you for reposting this. I will check out the menu and perhaps some lodging close by and keep it in mind for a special occasion. I'm still trying to figure out why lodging in Middleburg is so outrageous. The place Michael and I stayed at 2 years ago is now going for $425 for a Thursday night. Ridiculous!

We stayed at a new Courtyard in Downington about six or seven miles (and eight to ten turns) away. $175 or so a night. Returning I'll look for a nearby bed and breakfast or inn that is within a mile or two. This is their website: http://www.birchrunvillestorecafe.com/ When you go remember there is NO corkage charge. On our night there we noted at least three or four first growth, a Solaia, Quiceda Creek and a half dozen other bottles all north of $100 retail. They supply decanters and Schott Zweissel fishbowl sized glasses without a charge. Again BYOB-bring your best.

Overlying all of this is the candlelight: this place is small, intimate and incredibly romantic with food easily on par with most of D. C.'s best. Still, the setting: the crossroads in the middle of nowhere with barely enough room for two cars to pass each other on a narow lane which quietly looked for all the world like the pastoral English countryside. No gas stations, no fast food or markets just split rail and stone walls dating to an earlier century with an occasional horse or horse drawn carriage.

An enchanted Great country inn from the Twilight Zone that also has corkage...and a great indulgent chef.

[Keithstg]

Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I've been here, but glad to be back.

Has anyone dined at the Inn at Little Washington or the Goodstone Inn lately? Hubby and I last ate at the Inn at LW 2 1/2 years ago for our anniversary. Hubby was felling bad which subsequently ruined dinner (I still had a good time and one of the best meals I've ever had). I am trying to decide where to go for my birthday the beginning of Dec. We usually go to Marcel's when we have an occasion like our son's birthdays or ours, but I am in the need of a change. Though I am disappointed that the Washingon/Middleton B&B accomodations are so high for a Thursday night stay (I think the prices have gone up since we last stayed at the Middleton Inn, $425/night for the Gamekeeper's Cottage? Ridiculous!).

I've never been to the Goodstone Inn, though it was recommended by a friend, I am wanting to know if there are any opinions out there as to if the Inn at LW is still a good pick or if the Goodstone is something to consider. Thanks for the help!

I haven't eaten dinner at the Goodstone Inn since Tarver King left, but a group of friends and I rent the manor house at Goodstone for a couple long weekends a year. The Goodstone is the best hotel / inn / b&b in the Middleburg area - by a mile. What you could do is stay at the Goodstone, and have dinner at the Ashby Inn, where Chef King is currently working (and seems to be doing great - see recent comments by DanCole42). I'd secure a ride to / from though.

EDIT: I should add that accomodation prices at Goodstone will range from slightly below to far above the Middleton Inn's rate, depending on room preference.

[astrid]

I second Ashby Inn, which is a great deal (30% off) if you reserved with Savored. We went last weekend and it was definitely one of the best meals of this year. Nearby, there's a lot of wineries and cute little towns, and good hiking a mile away in Sky Meadow State Park ( fall colors was around 60% when we went).

[ctay122]

I haven't eaten dinner at the Goodstone Inn since Tarver King left, but a group of friends and I rent the manor house at Goodstone for a couple long weekends a year. The Goodstone is the best hotel / inn / b&b in the Middleburg area - by a mile. What you could do is stay at the Goodstone, and have dinner at the Ashby Inn, where Chef King is currently working (and seems to be doing great - see recent comments by DanCole42). I'd secure a ride to / from though.

EDIT: I should add that accomodation prices at Goodstone will range from slightly below to far above the Middleton Inn's rate, depending on room preference.

One of my good friends out in the Shenandoah area where we have our vacation home suggested The Inn at Vaucluse Spring in Stephen's City. It is actually a Bed and Breakfast, but they have a special dinner on Fri and Sat nights. The Fri dinner is 3 courses ($39. 50) and the Sat dinner is 5 courses ($64.50) plus tax and 18% gratuity. The Sat night dinner also includes a social hour with sangria or mulled wine at which the Chef announces the evening's dinner. When you reserve they will ask if there's any dietary restrictions, allergies and/or dislikes. The dinner changes every week according to whatever is fresh and in season. My friend says the food rivals The Inn at Little Washington, so I am intrigued and we reserved dinner for Dec 3rd. The chef is Adam Policinski and looking at all the reviews on line, he has gotten nothing but great accolades and has a pretty good following. Will post more after we dine there. If anyone is interested, here is a link to the website: http://www.vauclusespring.com/

P.S. Check out the recent Saturday dinner