There's a word my dad uses to describe meals so perfect that they leave you completely satisfied, or content: santosh. It's a feeling that I have previously reserved for my mom's cooking, but never managed to experience at a restaurant. That was until I went to the Inn at Little Washington.
There's a sequence in Good Will Hunting where Robin Williams tells Matt Damon about how he's just a kid. How he can read all he wants about the Sistine Chapel, quote Shakespeare and talk about Michelangelo. But Williams tells Damon: "you've never actually stood there and looked up at that beautiful ceiling; seen that." That's sort of how I feel about our meal at the Inn. Before I went there, I developed criteria for evaluating meals based on ambience, variety, quality... I hadn't been to the Sistine Chapel.
Some meals are experiences. The service was absolutely perfect. The staff anticipated our needs before we had them. They catered to our restrictions with pride and no sense of judgment.
I'm just going to post pictures of this meal and let you be the judge.
The meal started with an asparagus soup shot and was paired with a biscuit that was perfection.
The next course consisted of a seared tofu tartar with mango and avocado.
For our next course, we had a life-changing Virginia cheddar macaroni and a gnocchi that was divine. Every bite was inspired.
The main course was an egg-plant tortelli that was poetry.
The meal finished with a bread-pudding that was deconstructed and a butter pecan ice cream sandwich that I felt utterly complete after consuming.
Bottom line: Santosh. I truly believe that everyone should have this meal at least once in their life. If you don't trust me, trust the experts.
http://www.theinnatlittlewashington.com/
