"It repeated this feat by becoming the first restaurant/inn to receive five diamonds from the AAA for both its food and accommodations in 1989. The inn and restaurant maintains that distinction through 2014.[4][5] The restaurant 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.[6] 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.[7] Travel & Leisure Magazine has ranked the Inn as the number one hotel in the world for food,[8] the number in the world for service, and the number eight in world and number 2 in North America overall."
So, needless to say, I just had the most amazing experience. I went to dinner alone and everyone that knew seemed disappointed that I was going by myself. I told them that is exactly what I wanted to do- I didn't feel like making small talk or having to engage. I wanted to sit and focus on the food, the service and how it made me feel, and that is exactly what I did. I won't tell all of the details, but there are a LOT of details that Chef Patrick O'Connell has though of and taken care of. They knew who I was and greeted me by name in the parking lot and again at the front desk. (I'm guessing NOBODY goes there alone.) They seated me in a corner booth that was a squishy seat with lots of soft pillows so I was able to reach the table. :) They also sat me with one of Patrick's books- a very large book- and I looked through it in between each course. It taught me a lot about the Inn, the Chef and the surroundings, and I never, for a second, felt awkward that I was sitting alone.
The food was so good and the servers were so fabulous and I'm out of good describing words. You just have to go yourself. @LesDamesdescoffier #LDEI
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