Chef and innkeeper Patrick O’Connell’s The Inn at Little Washington has retained its prestigious three Michelin stars.
The Washington restaurant is the only establishment in the DC area with three stars, and it is one of the most celebrated restaurants in the world. O’Connell has been at the helm for 46 years, striving for perfection in every detail of the inn and restaurant’s operations and crafting a theatrical and elegant experience for every diner.
In interviews with Northern Virginia Magazine last year, O’Connell and some of his friends and colleagues shared their thoughts on The Inn’s position as a culinary leader.
“To finally be recognized by the Michelin Guide as one of 13 three-Michelin-starred restaurants in the United States is a great source of pride for our entire team.” O’Connell said last year. “Every recognition fuels our passion, inspires us further, and raises our guests’ expectations.” (As of the 2024 Michelin Guide, 14 U.S. restaurants now have three stars.)
Over the many years, the innovative restaurant has built an extraordinary fan base.
“It’s a very elegant place to eat. You get great food,” Jacques Pépin, a heralded chef and author and O’Connell’s friend for over 30 years, said last year. “But on the other hand, it’s not snobbish, it’s not cold; it is very warm and a great place to go over and over again.”
The Inn continues to set an exceptional benchmark for culinary excellence. It attracts well-heeled gourmands and global travelers to the tiny Virginia town 60 miles west of Washington, DC.
Famed chef Thomas Keller, whose restaurants have collectively earned seven Michelin stars, notes O’Connell’s restaurant and inn have become an international destination and are recognized not just for the food, service, and lodgings, but also for the quality of the overall ethos.
“Patrick is a visionary of extraordinary magnitude; he transformed The Inn at Little Washington, and his dedication turned it into what it is today,” Keller said. “He is also one of the few chefs who has stayed true to one restaurant and one kitchen, and I truly admire him for that.”
Meticulous attention to detail has been a key ingredient in O’Connell’s success over the nearly half-century at The Inn.
“He has an eye for perfection,” said Eric Ripert, chef at New York’s three-Michelin-star restaurant Le Bernardin and O’Connell’s friend since the mid-1990s. “He is relentless, passionate, and unstoppable. What’s amazing about him is he creates a dream for people — that dream makes him so happy — and actually he’s the one who’s living the dream.”
Feature image courtesy The Inn at Little Washington
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