- Chef Patrick O’Connell opened the Inn at Little Washington restaurant in 1978.
- The Inn is now a five-star hotel, and the restaurant has held onto three Michelin stars since 2018.
- I went behind the scenes of O’Connell’s kitchen and dined at his restaurant. It was an unforgettable experience.
Blessings from an altar boy amid the sound of chanting monks is not how I expected to begin my first-ever three-star Michelin restaurant experience.
But it was a fitting introduction to the Inn at Little Washington and chef Patrick O’Connell, who was once nicknamed the “Pope of American cuisine” by the legendary winemaker Robert Mondavi.
For decades, O’Connell has hosted the most powerful people in American politics at his five-star hotel in Washington, Virginia, a tiny town (population of 84) about an hour-and-a-half drive from Washington, DC.
O’Connell took me behind the scenes of his world-famous kitchen before I dined on the $388 prix-fixe menu. There was truffle popcorn, a Dolly Parton soundtrack, and one of the best dishes I’ve ever tasted.
