adjen Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 What other restaurant/inn destination within a 3ish hour drive should I explore for an upcoming birthday? (And if anyone from Ashby Inn is reading, don't worry, I'll be making a res there for a pre-birthday celebration . . .) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 14, 2013 Share Posted March 14, 2013 Volt, L'Auberge Provençale, Antrim 1844, or Inn at Little Washington if money is no object. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Volt, L'Auberge Provençale, Antrim 1844, or Inn at Little Washington if money is no object. My biggest concern about Inn at Little Washington is how unlikely it would be to make it onto the proper side of my Keller Line. 7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkS Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Take train to NYC, eat at Boulud Sud and stay overnight. Dining experience in NYC trumps the DC scene. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ericandblueboy Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 You can get to Philly within 3 hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LauraB Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 You can get to Philly within 3 hours. We love the Ashby Inn and we had an absolutely fantastic meal at Amada in Philadelphia 2 weeks ago. Four of us did the tasting menu and it was just superb. It's a great dining town. We also had wonderful meals at Zahav and Cochon, but Amada was the star. (Driving time from our home in Rockville was 2 hours to Center City -- your drive time may be longer if my husband's not driving your car ). 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 The inn at Vacluse Springs where Kelly White (who and her husband Jeff, own Glen Manor) was formerly the chef. Six months ago she recommended the Ashby Inn to me which we have now been to three times. She also recommended her former inn/restaurant along with the chef at the Standard Grocery in Staunton. He has since moved from there to the Glass Haus Kitchen in Charlottesville which is considered the most ambitious restaurant Charlottesville has yet seen. Tom gave it two and a half stars a couple of weeks ago. The chef is on the "short list" for a James Beard nomination for the Mid Atlantic. I thank Kelly for her recommendations and her and Jeff's wine. The 2010 Hodder Hill is a benchmark for the state of Virginia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 My biggest concern about Inn at Little Washington is how unlikely it would be to make it onto the proper side of my Keller Line. How much time did you spend on this thing? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B.A.R. Posted March 18, 2013 Share Posted March 18, 2013 Antrim 1844 is a beautiful restaurant. It's been 10 years since I have dined there, so I cannot vouch for the food, but the setting is special. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanCole42 Posted March 19, 2013 Share Posted March 19, 2013 How much time did you spend on this thing? Longer than it took me to realize that Laundry wasn't worth the money (i.e. a couple of minutes). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collije Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Props for bringing up my hometown Philly Amada is quite nice (it's upscale take on Spanish tapas) as is Zahav (Mesibah tasting menu, whole roasted leg of lamb w/ pomegranate & chickpeas I heart). If in the mood for Italian, Le Virtu and Vetri (they moved to pricey tasting menu only though) are great, but there's plenty of great Italian in this city. For French I love Bibou. If you're willing to do a weekend overnight and stay downtown, happy to provide you a Philly walking / noshing foodie tour I've come up with (I do this for friends a few times each year) that incorporates local Philly sammies, gelato, brunch options if applicable, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rieux Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 Please post the Philly tour! I'd find it useful. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe H Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 If you're serious about three hours (not 90 minutes but 150-180) my wife and I went to the Birchrunville Store Cafe for our anniversary two years ago. From Reston. http://www.birchrunvillestorecafe.com/ Hyperbole: the highest Zagat food rating in the Philadelphia area (28). Same food rating as Vetri. Reservations are MUCH more difficult than Komi for a Friday or Saturday-at least two months in advance. I am not exaggerating-this place is legendary in the Philly area: a storybook setting in a 19th century crossroads where you will dine by candlelight (ONLY candlelight) and feel that a carriage should be waiting to take you back to your castle. It's also BYOB which means you can bring your own serious bottle and they'll provide good stemware with no corkage charge. A la carte, expect 10-20 for first courses, 25-35 for entrees, 10 or so for dessert. With tip and PA tax (and bringing your own bottle) a real total is $150-175 all in. It will "feel" like a $350-400 dinner. I should note here that it is also cash. I LOVE the Birchrunville Store Cafe. Given the BYOB it's a bargain (as is the Ashby Inn) Enough that we will return for our anniversary again this year. (Of course my birthday was at the Ashby Inn...) On our first trip I saw more serious wine in the 60 or so seat dining room than any restaurant I've ever been in: Lafite, Solaia, I even saw a bottle of Cayuse. A lot of others were celebrating an occasion and brought their own serious bottle. Generally this is halfway between Lancaster and Philly in the far western Philly countryside. It is difficult to find. Narrow two lane roads from the 18th century seemingly only recently paved-but this adds to the romantic, fantasy ambience. It's worth the trip. And the two month wait to get in. And, in truth, it is remarkably similar to the Ashby Inn. It should be the first response to this thread. This blog has photos of the various courses but does not show the ambience of the room: http://www.foodographer.net/2010/11/02/birchrunville-store-cafe-in-pa/ Addendum: we met a fat, local cat who went belly up for us in the small parking area across the street. Well fed, he purred for strangers-even us. We look forward to another belly up performance this summer. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
collije Posted March 21, 2013 Share Posted March 21, 2013 I've still never been to Birchrunville Store Cafe. This reminds me to add to my personal bucket list @Rieux: My list is currently in email format (with Google Map attachments) for easy access. It'd be easier to email ya (vs. reformatting), shoot me a PM with email contact & I'll hook ya up. (EDIT: Check your PM) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adjen Posted March 29, 2013 Author Share Posted March 29, 2013 Thanks for all of these suggestions. I'll report back when we finally manage to get away. Birthday is still a ways off . . . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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