This post by DCist contributor Gayle S. Putrich

No need to worry. Everything you have heard about dining at the Inn at Little Washington is still true. Yes, it is a long drive from our beloved District of Columbia. Yes, it is very expensive. And yes, it is worth the hour and a half (or more) in the car and every single damn penny.

A friend and I spent what felt like a week getting there one Friday night. There was major trauma on the road. Traffic. An accident. A missed turn. You name it. We were an hour late for our 6 p.m. reservation. We called three times en route because we were terrified that they would send us home without dinner as punishment for our tardiness; if we ever even got there. Or worse, we worried, that we would have to gnaw off our own arms in the bar while waiting another hour for a table. But the folks at the Inn were indescribably gracious with each call and actually just seemed pleased we finally made it when we arrived. Happily, the service only got better from there.

Cocktails came quickly and we were never rushed as we spent close to 45 minutes poring over the menu. We sampled bread and nibbled a handful of amuse-bouches. Of the supplied amuse, Chinese spoons with mouthfuls of tuna sashimi and peppered mascarpone were tasty, but we both favored the demitasse of creamy parsnip soup.

Sommelier Sabato Sagaria made our night with his wine selections and easy-going manner while he bolstered our egos with his gentle approval of the few wine selections we managed to make on our own. He also found a pinot noir that we fell in love with (so much so that we came home with a carefully removed label tucked into an Inn at Little Washington greeting card to remember it by).