On Wednesday, Michelin announced that a trio of big-name restaurants had been downgraded from three stars to two. Along with Chicago’s Alinea and New York’s Masa, The Inn at Little Washington was part of the culinary bloodbath. As portrayed in the film The Inn at Little Washington: A Delicious Documentary, chef Patrick O’Connell’s restaurant first received three Michelin stars in 2019.
According to Axios, Virginia’s state tourism office opted earlier this year not to pay the $360,000 necessary to be a part of the new Michelin guide that includes many other Southern states. In fact, the inclusion of The Inn in the DC guide has always been something of an anomaly, given its location an hour and a half southwest of the big city. That explains why none of the other NoVA restaurants are included in the Michelin guides — in essence, you have to be part of a paid-for territory.
That said, two stars is still very, very good. As described by Michelin, two stars “are awarded when the personality and talent of the chef are evident in their expertly crafted dishes; their food is refined and inspired.” Personality is certainly part of O’Connell’s oeuvre.
Is it unusual to lose a star over the course of a restaurant’s life? Not at all. In fact, it’s also possible for restaurants to regain that errant star. Either way, we’re proud to call The Inn at Little Washington a regional original.
Feature image courtesy Inn at Little Washington
