Ashby Inn - revisited

The Ashby Inn and I have had a roller coaster relationship since I first blogged about them in 2008, but a visit there this weekend makes them worthy of an update.

The new regime has been there for a short while now, but Chef Tarver King and manager Neal Wavra have upped the game of what was already one of the better food experiences one can have in northern Virginia.

Preferring this location for a lingering brunch, I was invited this last weekend out there with my friends Andrew and Mike for a day in the country. Andrew has been prepping me about the changes of the menu under new management. Meals are either hit or miss… but when they are a hit, they blow it out of this hemisphere. And when the meal misses, you can’t fault Chef Tarver for stepping out onto the ledge and trying something so unique, that the combination of flavors and ingredients is still a worthy of respect.

Chicken and Waffles with smoked bacon caramel,
peanuts and sage

While what I will describe below as my experience was wonderful, you will be hard pressed to try these tastes again because the menu is dynamic weekly based on local availability of goods and the whim of the chef with one exception: my main course of Chicken and waffles, which has apparently been so touted with threat of revolt, patrons demand this dish’s return weekly.

The brunch meal is price fixed with three courses. My first course was the corned rockfish (once again, I question exactly how one corns something), scrambled eggs, fried shallots, tarragon and crème fraiche. I could have done without the latter given my intolerance for lactose, but I can’t imagine this dish without just one of these ingredients. Tarragon is a spice to use sparingly, but the kick it added was well worth it. The fried shallots were like mini onion rings adding not just flavor but texture to this complex flavored dish.

My companions let me share their eggs benedict served with pork belly, pickled cabbage, soy and hollandaise and Andrew’s deconstructed BLT: a beefsteak tomato salad with smoked ham, ricotta, red wine vinaigrette and a crouton.

As I previously mentioned, my main dish was the chicken and waffles with smoked bacon caramel, peanuts and sage. Wow… that’s a lot to take in, I know. Again, even one ingredient subtracted would have offset the gentle balance of this immaculate dish. Bacon caramel! Can you even fathom such a delicacy? I couldn’t before Sunday but all I can taste 3 days later is the lasting legacy of its flavor on my tongue. As the strongest flavor, I have tried to deconstruct bacon caramel and what I imagine occurred was the bacon grease was caramelized with sugar bringing out a sweet nutty flavor and then adding the bacon pieces back. The waffle was moist and sweet and the chicken, shredded atop, was juicy.

Steak and Eggs

My companions had the steak and eggs and a beef brisket served with green beans, sesame butter, citrus greens and yolk. The steak and eggs were a hit, with a wonderful cut of beef from a neighboring farm. The beef brisket, however, failed to impress us, particularly in the lack of citrus flavor that came out given the description, which reminds me to mention that the description on the menu can be vastly different than what your mind pictures after reading it and before its on the table in front of you.

Brisket

To finish, we crossed off the camembert dessert and had them deliver one of each remaining three desserts. Our desserts, though, comprised a blackberry sherbert over rice pudding with mint meringue chips and elderflower syrup that gave a spicy bite at the end. The texture of the mint meringue chips was a bit off-putting, but you can’t knock the flavor combo of this dish. Mike had the grilled creme fraiche pound cake with blueberry syrup and salted butter ice cream. This dessert was a stick of butter topped with a stick of butter and drizzled with butter. Who could possibly not love that? Mine, however, was my favorite of the three. Macerated peaches, butter cake, peach anglaise and gewürztraminer sorbet. With the peach farms lining the streets en route to Paris, Virginia, who could resist the peach dish on the menu? I only wish the sorbet survived the heat of the day eventually soaking into my butter cake.

Peaches

Pound Cake aka Butter with Butter

Rice Pudding

Neal, the manager, gave us personal attention, not because he recognized our party, but because of his interest in ensuring his patrons have an experience, not just a meal.  With instructions to choose a sparkling wine and later a rose on a hot day, he brought out bottles and gave descriptions as if he personally went to their French homes yesterday choosing these selections for us knowing our reservation was upcoming and wanting us to sample these particular wines. On a side note, my best wishes for Neal’s new family as his wife, Star, gives birth shortly.

Despite the new management, the serene environment has not changed. The only atmospheric I will mention is the new china, each chosen to display their food not as sustenance, but as art.

And art it is, which is why despite the volume the Ashby Inn could theoretically accommodate, it refuses reservations to ensure the kitchen is not overburdened to enable creation of such art. Dozens of parties could be seated outside alone. But there were no more than a few tables occupied on a beautiful, breezy Sunday ensuring our experience received every ounce of attention desired.

Reserve an entire day, the commute there is no joke and you’ll surely want to stop at any number of nearby wineries on the way home if you’ve not already whittled your day away lingering at Ashby Inn.

http://www.ashbyinn.com/