The Inn at Little Washington
Encyclopedia
The Inn at Little Washington is a luxury country inn and restaurant
located in Washington, Virginia
. Patrick O'Connell
and Reinhardt Lynch founded the Inn in a former garage in 1978. It has been a member of the Relais & Châteaux
hotel group since 1987.
and The New York Times
. It was the first establishment to ever receive five stars
for both its accommodations and its cuisine
in the Mobil
Travel Guide, a distinction that it still maintains. It repeated this feat by becoming the first restaurant/inn to receive five diamonds from the AAA
for both its food and accommodations. It has also received five James Beard Foundation
awards including those for Best Service, Best Wine List, Restaurant of the Year, Best Chef in the Mid–Atlantic and Chef of the Year. The International Herald Tribune
rated it as one of the Top Ten Best Restaurants in the World. Additionally, the Zagat Survey
for Washington, D.C.
, has rated it as number one in all categories for the past 14 years. Travel & Leisure Magazine
has ranked the Inn as the number one hotel in the world for food, the number in the world for service, and the number eight in world and number 2 in North America
overall. The Restaurant has been awarded Wine Spectator
’s “Grand Award” for the last 12 years. Other distinctions include Cigar Aficionado
’s “Grand Cru” award for the restaurant’s wine
list, and the “Reader’s Top Table” award in Gourmet
’s Restaurant Issue. The restaurant has also made Gayot's list of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. every year since 2004. In 2008 the Inn received a rating of 18/20, one of the highest scores to be awarded.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
once claimed, "For my money this little hotel provides the best overall dining experience I can remember in a long while, perhaps my best ever."
The customer service of the Inn was detailed in an article in Fast Company
by Micah Solomon. The article stated that the Inn's staff "discreetly tries to detect and record the emotional state of each person in a dinner party on a scale of 1 to 10. Their goal is to get you up to at least a "9" before the long drive home. This simple rating system allows the staff at The Inn to make very subtle adjustments to service throughout the night—so that even someone who arrives for dinner in a serious funk will likely wind up walking on country air before the night is through."
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
located in Washington, Virginia
Washington, Virginia
Washington is a town in Rappahannock County, Virginia. It is noted for being the oldest of the 28 towns and villages by the name of Washington in the United States of America. The site of this town was surveyed by George Washington himself in July of 1749. Its population was just 183 people at the...
. Patrick O'Connell
Patrick O'Connell (chef)
Patrick O’Connell is the chef and proprietor of The Inn at Little Washington, a country inn and restaurant in the town of Washington in Virginia's Rappahannock County. O’Connell was not classically trained as a chef. His training began at fifteen when he worked after school at a neighborhood...
and Reinhardt Lynch founded the Inn in a former garage in 1978. It has been a member of the Relais & Châteaux
Relais & Chateaux
Relais & Châteaux is a global fellowship of individually owned and operated luxury hotels and restaurants. Although the total number or members changes as members are added and others drop away, the group currently has some 500 members in 60 countries on five continents. Strongly represented in...
hotel group since 1987.
Awards and honors
The Inn has been featured in several national and international newspapers including The Washington PostThe Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
. It was the first establishment to ever receive five stars
Star (classification)
Stars are often used as symbols for classification purposes. They are used by reviewers for ranking things such as movies, TV shows, restaurants, and hotels. For example, one to five stars is commonly employed to categorize hotels.-Restaurant ratings:...
for both its accommodations and its cuisine
Cuisine
Cuisine is a characteristic style of cooking practices and traditions, often associated with a specific culture. Cuisines are often named after the geographic areas or regions that they originate from...
in the Mobil
Mobil
Mobil, previously known as the Socony-Vacuum Oil Company, was a major American oil company which merged with Exxon in 1999 to form ExxonMobil. Today Mobil continues as a major brand name within the combined company, as well as still being a gas station sometimes paired with their own store or On...
Travel Guide, a distinction that it still maintains. It repeated this feat by becoming the first restaurant/inn to receive five diamonds from the AAA
American Automobile Association
AAA , formerly known as the American Automobile Association, is a federation of 51 independently operated motor clubs throughout North America. AAA is a not-for-profit member service organization with more than 51 million members. AAA provides services to its members such as travel, automotive,...
for both its food and accommodations. It has also received five James Beard Foundation
James Beard Foundation
The James Beard Foundation is a New York-based national professional non-profit organization named in honor of James Beard that serves to promote the culinary arts by honoring chefs, wine professionals, journalists, and cookbook authors at annual award ceremonies and providing scholarships and...
awards including those for Best Service, Best Wine List, Restaurant of the Year, Best Chef in the Mid–Atlantic and Chef of the Year. The International Herald Tribune
International Herald Tribune
The International Herald Tribune is a widely read English language international newspaper. It combines the resources of its own correspondents with those of The New York Times and is printed at 38 sites throughout the world, for sale in more than 160 countries and territories...
rated it as one of the Top Ten Best Restaurants in the World. Additionally, the Zagat Survey
Zagat Survey
Zagat Survey was established by Tim and Nina Zagat in 1979 as a way to collect and correlate the ratings of restaurants by diners. For their first guide, covering New York City, the Zagats surveyed their friends. As of 2005, the Zagat Survey included 70 cities, with reviews based on the input of...
for Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, has rated it as number one in all categories for the past 14 years. Travel & Leisure Magazine
Travel + Leisure
Travel + Leisure is a travel magazine based in New York City, New York. Published 12 times a year, it has 4.8 million readers, according to its corporate media kit. It is put out by American Express Publishing Corporation, which is a wholly owned subsidiary of American Express Company led by...
has ranked the Inn as the number one hotel in the world for food, the number in the world for service, and the number eight in world and number 2 in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
overall. The Restaurant has been awarded Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator
Wine Spectator is a lifestyle magazine that focuses on wine and wine culture. It publishes 15 issues per year with content that includes news, articles, profiles, and general entertainment pieces...
’s “Grand Award” for the last 12 years. Other distinctions include Cigar Aficionado
Cigar Aficionado
Cigar Aficionado is an American magazine that is dedicated to the world of cigars. Published since September 1992, the magazine is known for its articles about different brands of cigars worldwide, and for the celebrities that have appeared on its cover. It is also noted for its opposition to the...
’s “Grand Cru” award for the restaurant’s wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
list, and the “Reader’s Top Table” award in Gourmet
Gourmet (magazine)
Gourmet magazine was a monthly publication of Condé Nast and the first U.S. magazine devoted to food and wine. Founded by Earle R. MacAusland and first published in 1941, Gourmet also covered "good living" on a wider scale....
’s Restaurant Issue. The restaurant has also made Gayot's list of the Top 40 Restaurants in the U.S. every year since 2004. In 2008 the Inn received a rating of 18/20, one of the highest scores to be awarded.
Andrew Lloyd Webber
Andrew Lloyd Webber, Baron Lloyd-Webber is an English composer of musical theatre.Lloyd Webber has achieved great popular success in musical theatre. Several of his musicals have run for more than a decade both in the West End and on Broadway. He has composed 13 musicals, a song cycle, a set of...
once claimed, "For my money this little hotel provides the best overall dining experience I can remember in a long while, perhaps my best ever."
The customer service of the Inn was detailed in an article in Fast Company
Fast Company (magazine)
Fast Company is a full-color business magazine that releases 10 issues per year and reports on topics including innovation, digital media, technology, change management, leadership, design, and social responsibility...
by Micah Solomon. The article stated that the Inn's staff "discreetly tries to detect and record the emotional state of each person in a dinner party on a scale of 1 to 10. Their goal is to get you up to at least a "9" before the long drive home. This simple rating system allows the staff at The Inn to make very subtle adjustments to service throughout the night—so that even someone who arrives for dinner in a serious funk will likely wind up walking on country air before the night is through."