Photo courtesy of The Inn at Little Washington
The Inn at Little Washington
There's been a shake-up in the number of Michelin Guide stars given to the celebrated Inn at Little Washington, along with at least two other three-star restaurants, all demoted to two-star status.
The Inn at Little Washington is located 1.5 hours from Alexandria. The Inn has been completely transformed from its humble beginnings as a gas station into a luxury hotel and restaurant beginning in 1978.
Other restaurants that saw a loss of a star include Alinea in Chicago and Masa in New York City, the first Japanese restaurant to earn three stars, in 2009.
“The Michelin Guide maintains its role of providing fair and qualitative recommendations to consumers, with its team of expert Inspectors, following its global methodology,” the company said in a press statement.
“It fully acknowledges the impact of its decisions on the establishments it honors. The Guide’s recommendations are far from fixed and are reassessed each year following anonymous and independent visits conducted by its Inspectors. These evaluations are based on the Guide’s methodology and five criteria, which ensure absolute consistency and uncompromising standards applied uniformly across the globe for the past 125 years.”
“We have the greatest respect for the Michelin Guide and have been honored to hold its highest distinction for the past seven years," The Inn at Little Washington said in a statement to the Robb Report.
"We and our guests, believe The Inn at Little Washington is better than ever — continually evolving, innovating and nurturing a world class destination. We are proud to be among the handful of establishments south of New York City to receive the rare distinction of two Michelin stars. Our mission has always been to create a restorative, magical experience for every one of our guests—that, above all, remains our guiding star.”
The news comes on the heels of Virginia tourism officials declining earlier this year to pay Michelin a fee of $360,000 in order to be included in its new Southern restaurant guide, Axios reported. The fee covers costs for the guide for three years that includes sending reviewers to visit restaurants.
The decision not to pay was also about "responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars," Juliana Thomas, Virginia Tourism Corporation communications director, told Axios earlier this year. VTC is a state-funded organization.
The Inn at Little Washington is included in the Washington, D.C. guide, even though it's located in the Commonwealth.
