632924 Tue Jun 30 14:39:32 -0700 2009 29 14 Washington DC & Baltimore Area 0 4819151 They still have 5 mobil and 5 Triple AAA ratings. They are still a Relais & Chateaux property. This SHOULD make the restaurant great. And it should make the Inn itself and its guestrooms great. But in the last year - say since Jan 2008 - I seem to be reading more and more comments on tripadvisor, etc. that say The Inn at Little Washington is overpriced, no longer deserves the accolades, the food just isn't the equal of that at Citronelle or City Zen or even Fortis, etc. , and now they are coasting mainly on past hype. It's also been said that -- except for the dining room -- the property is in need of renovations in the bedrooms and bathrooms themselves. We wanted to stay there for the weekend - and have dinner both nights. We don't mind paying the price - IF it is worth it, not just for the food, BUT if the accommodations themselves are truly luxurious and meticulously maintained. Please help with this. I know it isn't totally food related - yet, we would prefer not to make the drive if it is just a good meal but we end up being disappointed with The Inn itself. Sometimes a place can be great initially - and end up being run-down and in need of new carpets, new curtains, new bathrooms, etc, yet you don't find out until you get there. It'll be a honeymoon and we really want everything to be special. Or we will pick another place to honeymoon, like Blackberry Farm in Knoxsville, TN. or The Point in NY - Please help ! Chowhound readers are usually sophisticated, high-end travelers. If you have actually stayed at Inn at Little Washington (as well as had dinner) since Jan 2008 or later - and are willing to provide detailed feedback on your actual stay there (which room, etc - and what you liked and did not ) , I'd hugely appreciate it :) Tue Jun 30 14:39:32 -0700 2009 1089841 true 1 4819200 true — here is a link to my post on a trip two weeks ago. http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/631291 we did NOT stay the night at the inn; however, i think that is pretty characteristic of most diners. there are numerous B&Bs in that area that according to other chatters on this board are romantic and fantastic in their own right — perhaps it would be worth it to stay in one of those and visit the inn for dinner. Tue Jun 30 14:56:13 -0700 2009 4819151 181498 littlew1ng 2 4820591 littlw1ng : Thank you for replying. It sounds like the food at the Inn was quite good. Too bad that your server was cold and not as helpful after she realized you were not ordering more. That is not nice and should not be acceptable at those prices. She should have been better trained. I appreciated your suggestion as to perhaps staying elsewhere and just dining at the Inn. I will look into it. True Wed Jul 01 06:13:18 -0700 2009 4819200 1089841 true 1 4819718 I have been to the Inn several times since 1990. Our most recent visits were in April of 2006 and 2007. I have to say that on those two most recent visits, the food did not wow me the way it had previously. Now, that could be because my culinary experiences have vastly increased since my earlier visits and thus, it takes a lot more to impress me. And, it’s not to say that the food wasn’t excellent, just not over the top incredible, as the prices would suggest. However, I have to say that my experiences at Komi and CityZen in the last year were better than my last two meals at the Inn. In all those visits, I have only stayed overnight at the Inn one time; that was in April 2007 and only because we had been given an extremely generous gift certificate that allowed us to stay overnight and have dinner as well. We stayed in the Mayor’s House which is in its own building across the street from the Inn itself. I can say that we found it to be impeccable, absolutely no complaints, and we have stayed in high-end hotels all over the world. And it should have been, considering that it cost at the time $1000 per night! I have no experience with any of the other rooms at the Inn. Some advice: when you book your dinner reservation at the Inn, be sure to specify that you want an individual table and do not want to be seated on a banquette. Our last dinner there we were on a banquette and I felt like I was rubbing elbows with the woman at the next table. My husband and I felt we needed to whisper in order to keep our conversation private. It was not comfortable, and at those prices, that’s not acceptable. Also, make sure you get a tour of the kitchen – they frequently offer it, but sometimes forget. Finally, if staying at the Inn is too pricey, there is a wonderful alternative in town called the Foster Harris House. A room there costs about a third of what a room at the Inn costs. We have stayed there several times and it has always been wonderful, both the accommodations and the breakfast. In fact, we both agreed that the breakfast at the Foster Harris House was actually better than the breakfast we had at the Inn the one time we stayed there in 2007. Not that the Inn’s breakfast was bad, not at all! Just that the FHH breakfast was truly exceptional and more personal. Oh, and they had a great young dog, a yellow Lab, who will let you play with her in the backyard, if you’re so inclined. Tue Jun 30 18:04:08 -0700 2009 4819151 121247 Lauman 2 4820621 Lauman, Thank you for replying. Your information about requesting an individual table rather than a banquette is quite useful. I've read quite a few comments from people unhappy with the seating that is so close together so that is a big help. A restaurant that charges the sort of prices that have been mentioned should not cram their tables so close together. That desire to put is as many tables as possible to help their revenues without thinking of diner comfort instead says something about them and their thinking. Glad to know that The Mayor's House was kept in impeccable shape, as it should be at that price! High prices don't always guarantee things are kept in tip-top shape, so this was good news. Thank you as well for suggesting Foster Harris house as an alternate. If the accomodations are wonderful there at a third the price and with better breakfasts, it certainly makes sense to possibly stay there instead. Will look into it, especially with both you and littlw1ing making a similar suggestion. True. Wed Jul 01 06:23:01 -0700 2009 4819718 1089841 true 1 4820683 fyi, foster harris house: http://www.fosterharris.com/room.php Wed Jul 01 06:49:37 -0700 2009 4819151 105717 alkapal 2 4822149 Thank you, alkapal :) Wed Jul 01 13:41:01 -0700 2009 4820683 1089841 true 1 4820718 True, Id have to say if you can stay there one night you might want to, I thought the breakfasts there were wonderful! The best bacon and oatmeal souffle I've ever had. I do think it's true that the Inn could use some more up to date renovations. Where ever you stay have a great time and might i suggest you have a menu signed by the Chef as honeymoon memory. If you go to photoeats dot com you can see some of the dishes we ate there. Wed Jul 01 07:03:10 -0700 2009 4819151 170349 nemis 2 4821205 I agree about the breakfast - The best part of staying at the Inn (other than the lack of a drive home!) My last time there was I think Late 2007 - A bit earlier than the OP's cutoff. The food wasn't *Quite* as good as the first time I went there, 15 years ago - But it was still excellent - It could have been just the choices off the menu. We loved staying at the Inn - It was nice to take a stroll through town (walk slow and don't blink!) and the Staff seemed to dote over us even more since we were staying there (I believe the Men were given white carnations or such for our lapels, which signified that we were overnight guests) Our room was right at the top of the stairs - No really big deal, but we could hear folks walking by (it's an old structure) - My only real complaint was the size of the room - I don't mind small rooms mostly but I am 6'4" and the furniture overshadowed the room - I was constantly bumping my shin, etc - But then again I am also a Klutz! We want to go back and sit at the Chef's Table - And maybe stay somewhere else like the suggestions above. Wed Jul 01 09:15:23 -0700 2009 4820718 286249 tommyskitchen 3 4822191 Tommyskitchen, Thank you for the detials in your response. It sounds like they have some nice touches to their service. For half the price, I'd have no qualms about hearing people walk by at night or having a small room. For $700 a night - $1,200 a night, I expect good insulation and solid core doors and plenty of space to stretch out. Perhaps just having dinner at the Inn is the best idea. You've given me some good pros and cons to think about. Wed Jul 01 13:55:16 -0700 2009 4821205 1089841 true 2 4822171 Thank you, Nemis. Good food for breakfast is a great way to start the day ! However, if the rooms need to be renovated - it just isn't worth the price right now. Perhaps if they decide to make the changes necessary/spend the money to keep the Inn accomodations up-to-date, then it would be a great place to stay. Newly redone bathrooms, carpet, drapes, paint, a/c/, mattresses, duvets, pillows, all of it would then justify a 4 figure nightly bill including tax. I know they redid the kitchen a few years ago, so now it may be time to make the investment to redo the rest of the property. Wed Jul 01 13:49:32 -0700 2009 4820718 1089841 true 1 4822324 a limerick for true's dilemma: true, go and attend washington’s inn to get there it’s just a short spin the dining is fine even more with the wine so go there, to not do so’s a sin! i envy your chance to eat there ‘cause the money it costs is quite dear but spend if you must create mem’ries or bust ‘cause when you are old you won’t care. the food had better be savvy the service and attire quite natty so eat with aplomb finish with the bombe please do tell us all -- and be chatty! Wed Jul 01 14:27:18 -0700 2009 4819151 105717 alkapal 2 4823832 Alkapal, That was so clever ! :) Will let you all know how the trip goes afterwards. Life's adventures into luxury ! Thu Jul 02 06:08:10 -0700 2009 4822324 1089841 true 1 4822928 My wife and I have been there on 4 overnight visits over the past 15 years. Twice we stayed at a nearby B and B, twice at the Inn. The 2 times we stayed nearby our tables were very close to other diners, which made having a private conversation next to impossible. The 2 times we stayed at the Inn our tables were much nicer and we did not have privacy issues. That may have been a coincidence, but my guess is they probably save the nicer tables for the overnight guests. It might be something to consider when everything has to be "perfect". Our last visit was about 3 years ago where we stayed overnight at the Inn. We had the extended tasting menu (I don't know if this is offered any more), and they prepared a separate vegetarian tasting menu for my wife (I was in contact with the Inn a couple of weeks beforehand to make these advance arrangements). We each had our own wine pairings with our dishes. I do remember our room being small (and pricey), but what I remember most about that trip was the wonderful dinner, at a great table, with the "perfect" companion. Wed Jul 01 18:18:00 -0700 2009 4819151 18729 RolandParkGuy 2 4823838 RolandParkGuy, The whole tables being too close together thing doesn't sit well with me at those prices. To find out that unless you are staying at the Inn, they consider you "less than" sits even worse. Glad you had such an excellent meal there 3 years ago, with such a perfect companion :) Thu Jul 02 06:10:51 -0700 2009 4822928 1089841 true 1 4823839 I think Tru's concern for the costs of things and how that relates to the experience of either eating or staying at the Inn is not going to meet his expectations- they just can't. No offense but you don't sound like the right person for the Inn. I have eaten there and stayed there. Money does not bother me - no do I worry about meeting standards - however the meal for 4 plus a middle of road bottle of wine and a few drinks was $1100 not including the tip- was not up to my excpectations which were not a exacting as Tru's our service and dinner did not meet that equationa Thu Jul 02 06:11:36 -0700 2009 4819151 12675 cocoagirl 2 4826866 cocoagirl, with all due respect, standards should be met at the 4 figure price range for nightly accomodations. Since we have been the right people for the Hay-Adams in Washington DC, Twin Farms in Vermont and the Cloisters at Sea Island in Georgia, we are the ideal target market (customers) for a place such as the Inn - if they are maintaining their quality as they should. Fri Jul 03 06:23:59 -0700 2009 4823839 1089841 true 3 4827831 p.s. cocoagirl, sorry to hear that your service and dinner at the Inn were not up to your expectations. See, that's the issue of the post. When a place has once had a fabulous reputation, sometimes it continues to earn it, and sometimes it isn't as great as it once was. For example, the Kahala in Honolul Hawaii just went through a total renovation, as did the San Ysidro Ranch in Montecito. Now they are gorgeous and once again desreving of their accolades and stellar reputations. . However, if you stayed there 3 years ago, you would have been sorely disappointed, and still paying top dollar. Now they are wotht the top dollars again. I'm just trying to ascertain from visitors to the Inn at Little Washington since 2008 whether everything is immaculate and well-maintained, or has gotten a bit shabby and might be in need of a redo. Since the prices are the same either way for staying there, that information is good to know. Hope everyone has an excellent foodie 4th of July weekend! Fri Jul 03 14:05:54 -0700 2009 4826866 1089841 true 4 4827883 As a restaurant owner, there is another issue that seems to be overlooked here in this discussion. I have never been to the Inn so my comments are not specific to the restaurant in question, but a general observation. Restaurants with passionalte owners have an experience they are trying to deliver. Customers coming into a restaurant have expectations that they and they alone set. Sometimes these expectations are way apart from the experience that the restaurant is trying to deliver. From what I know of Chef O'Connel and the Inn, part of their experience is related to a whimsical touch that does not fit with the formality of some other very highly rated restaurants {i.e. the mooing cow cart for the cheese and the over the top decor. But from what I am reading of your concerns, true, and that is all I have to go by, these formality issues seem to be paramount. A restaurant cannot change the space it has and economics, historically arrived at, drive the number of tables etc. Based on this, I think that there is a big disconnect possible. If that is upsetting, maybe you should be looking at somewhere else. Because if you go to the Inn and it does not deliver, an important ocasion for you will be ruined. If you go somewhee else where you seem to be more certain that their delivery will meet your expectations, and the Inn would ahve actually be trancendant, then you are just missing out on something that you didn't experience. All of us have a far a larger universe of restaurants we ahve not experienced than of the ones we have. All I know is that a some of folk I know and whose food palates I respect love the Inn and say its worth every penny and some say it is a waste. But that is true of Komi, Eve, CItyZen, Citronelle & Mini Bar etc. in DC as well as Momofuku KO, Per Se, the FL, etc elsewhere. No one restaurant is a perfect fit for everyone! Fri Jul 03 14:28:26 -0700 2009 4827831 59959 deangold 5 4830274 Dean, I hope that The Inn delivers the excellence that it is capable of for everyone who visits it now. There isn't a lot of margin for error these days. Sat Jul 04 20:49:09 -0700 2009 4827883 12689 Joe H 6 4830658 Deangold: You brought up some good points. Perspective and experience are everything! Perhaps this discussion of the Inn comes from having had the bar set so high at so many superb restaurants, and using them as a basis for comparison. (As far as economics driving space though, I beg to differ. Other Relais & Chateaux restaurants such as Daniel in NYC have tables 3' apart. It's really the mindset of the owners, who consider customer comfort and part of the overall ambiance/experience as much as they consider their own bottom line.) We are looking forward to possibly dining at both the Inn and the nearby Eve's and Foti's on the other evenings. We have gotten off topic of the original question though. Which was if you have stayed at the Inn in the last 18 months, what was your experience with the accomodations ? Sun Jul 05 07:28:15 -0700 2009 4830274 1089841 true 7 4831314 At the best restaurant I have ever been to, La Rosetta in Rome, the tables are so close that you ahve to have the table pulled away to let you in and out. If you order the grand antipasti di mare, they put a little filler table between your table and the next, making your table and the next one and the same. A meal at La Rosetta with good wine runs around €150 to 200. I am sure there are those who would be appaled. ;) Sun Jul 05 14:42:42 -0700 2009 4830658 59959 deangold 8 4838154 We dined at La Rosetta as well in 2007 (incredible!). Normally I would have been disturbed at how close together the tables were. However, since the people at the tables on either side of us were speaking another language, it didn't bother me at all! I couldnt understand what they were saying, and I assumed they couldn't understand us either. However, when the people at the next table are speaking your language, that's a whole different thing. Tue Jul 07 19:28:33 -0700 2009 4831314 121247 Lauman 6 4830661 Joe H: Hope that you had a good 4th of July. Yes, exactly. That is what brought up the original question. Thank you. Again, for new readers, if you have stayed at the Inn within the last 18 months, what was your experience with the accomodations? Sun Jul 05 07:30:31 -0700 2009 4830274 1089841 true 1 4831914 A general question/comment. If it is true that the place has gone downhill (not uncommon in any case, since owners who are only human become tired and lose the creative spark over time), could a specific event be at the root of it? I of course refer to the split between O'Connell and Lynch. I know nothing about the dynamic between the two and how it wove into creating and running the place, but since O'Connell is now alone, perhaps it is just too much for him? If Lynch was more in charge of the accommodation part, this could surely be a factor in the decline, if there has been one, in the hotel part as distinguished from the restaurant which is certainly O'Connell's domain. But again, I don't know. Does anyone have any "inside" info? I ate there courtesy of the Washington Post after I won that little contest involving signature dishes, but that was in 2000, so I certainly can't comment about current quality. Sun Jul 05 19:08:31 -0700 2009 4819151 10668 johnb 2 4832002 John, I've had four trips to The Inn starting in 1980 and the last in 2003 which resulted in a long post on here. Every single one of them was a disappointment. I can talk about our last trip when we were seated in "Siberia" and I had to push my seat forward to allow the cow cheese cart to move past, another trip where "Seven Deadly Sins" came straight from an "icebox" where it had sat for the weekend before our weekday visit, sophomoric service from a new server and, most importantly, food that just didn't "wow" me. After four trips and four disappointing anniversary/birthday celebratory disappointments we gave up. Our anniversary is this week. In past years we've gone to The Inn, Komi, Maestro, the Lab, Citronelle, L. A., the French Laundry, Chicago and flown overseas a few times. One of our best "dinners" was at the In-n-Out Burger just off the Vegas strip. Another year eppouisses and two bottles of wine-each-on a boat in Marina Del Rey. (OK, two for me and a half bottle for Carol!) This year we're going to Table 21 at Volt in Frederick. My expectation is that this will exceed anything that The Inn could serve us-at more than twice the price. I also expect this, at a minimum, to be the equal of anything available in the Middle Atlantic states right now, whether Komi, Goldoni's Chef's Table, CityZen or Citronelle's Chef's Table. I just don't view The Inn in the same way that I once hoped it would be. For myself after four strike outs and two thousand dollars or so it doesn't matter if it is has improved in the last year. Sun Jul 05 19:50:55 -0700 2009 4831914 12689 Joe H 3 4839076 Joe: Four strike-outs at The Inn becomes a wholly unacceptable trend, especially given those various different reasons. Hope you have a wonderful anniversary this week, and enjoy the food wherever you choose to dine - please let us know afterwards how it was! Wed Jul 08 07:08:41 -0700 2009 4832002 1089841 true 3 4840017 can't wait to read your volt review! Wed Jul 08 11:14:28 -0700 2009 4832002 181498 littlew1ng 4 4840228 Thanks, true and littlew1ng. Wed Jul 08 11:59:32 -0700 2009 4840017 12689 Joe H 2 4839066 John: good point, and maybe that could be a reason. It'd be nice to find out! Saw pictures of the food (with accompanying recipes) in this month's Verandah magazine, and it looked very appetizing/beautiful presentation.. Wed Jul 08 07:06:05 -0700 2009 4831914 1089841 true