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May 16, 2016

Weekend Adventures – Trails & The Inn at Little Washington

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Hi friends! I’m glad many of you enjoyed Alex’s guest post yesterday on the health benefits of meditation and why you should give it a shot. I wrote a guest post for her last week, entitled 3 Tips to Fall in Love with Exercise. If you missed it, give it a look! 🙂

And now, my weekend recap! I needed a little longer than usual to write this one because it was quite action-packed. On Friday night, Matt and I took advantage of the reprieve from rainy weather and had an al fresco pizza date night at Faccia Luna in Clarendon. 🙂

faccia luna clarendon

Our pizza had pepperoni, lots of veggies, and arugula, and I started with the beet salad and a glass of Prosecco (x2). Nothing better than Prosecco on a really nice night! 🙂

beet salad faccia luna

On Saturday morning, we had a fun treat: a run with my long lost running buddy Mary and her husband Anthony!

minutes per mile

Mary and Anthony were in town for a wedding and stayed at our place on Saturday night – without us, sadly, because we had a fun adventure for later that afternoon – more on that in a minute. We were glad we overlapped briefly in the morning so we could catch up, though!

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It was pretty warm out there on Saturday and we did a hilly route but the beautiful bright green spring foliage and chatter kept us company. 5 miles, done!

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After our run, Matt and I cleaned up, threw some clothes in a bag, stopped by Sweetgreen for big salads… and hit the road!

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Our destination: The fabulous Inn at Little Washington!

inn at little washington

We arrived in time for afternoon tea, which is included in the room rate if you are staying overnight. My parents and Matt’s parents arrived only a few minutes after we did – perfect timing! Last year we spent Mother’s Day weekend at The Inn with both sets of parents and everyone thought it would be fun to go again this spring. It’s such a beautiful place!

inn at little washington

I especially love their llamas. 🙂

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Besides having incredible customer service, the big highlight at The Inn at Little Washington is the food! The Inn is about an hour and a half outside DC in the tiny town of Washington, Virginia – and yet it often appears at the top of the DC area’s best restaurants lists. It’s so good that everyone says it’s worth the drive. I agree. 🙂 Such a treat to get to dine there again – thank you to my family for hosting us!

All dolled up and ready for dinner – I busted out one of my old favorite dresses for the occasion.

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Dinner was, as always, phenomenal. We were all excited to see that they still do their famous freshly shaved truffle popcorn, brought over when you sit down! SO GOOD.

inn at little washington truffle popcorn

Then, to start, we were brought some mini, bite-sized appetizers. Everything was wonderful, but the potato chip looking thing in the back of the bottom photo in the collage was my favorite – I remembered it from last time! Super savory – there’s a pimento cheese filling that’s incredible (and I didn’t even think I liked pimento cheese)!

inn at little washington appetizer

For my dinner, I mixed and matched from the different set menus (there’s a classic, seasonal, and vegetarian menu offered – love that you can mix and match). Plus wine pairings, of course!

inn at little washington wine

Clockwise from top left in the collage below:

  • “Tin of sin” – caviar with peekytoe crab and cucumber rillette
  • “Beet trinity” – beet tartare, golden beet carpaccio, and beet sorbet with ribbons of crispy kale and a black truffle crostini
  • Grilled black kingfish with shallot confiture and red wine reduction (this was especially phenomenal – the sauce was amazing)
  • Parsley-crusted loin of lamb with green lentils

inn at little washington dinner

All the plates are little tastes rather than a full meal, so while you’re definitely full you aren’t stuffed, which is nice. For dessert, I could NOT decide what I wanted (too many good options!) but eventually went for the chocolate mint fantasy – beautiful presentation and delicious, too. 🙂

inn at little washington dessert

 

What a fabulous meal and a fun night! We all slept hard as you can imagine. 🙂

I was randomly wide awake on Sunday morning at 8 and we weren’t meeting for breakfast until 9:30, so I headed out for a little solo fresh air because it was a beautiful morning! I did a nice walk/run for about 30 minutes and enjoyed the weather and the country sights.

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Then it was time for breakfast! An assortment of juices and a yogurt berry parfait with homemade granola is included with the room, and you can order additional items if you like, too.

inn at little washington breakfast

 

Their parfaits are so good – the yogurt is really thick and creamy! I wonder if it is homemade – must ask if we go again!

I also had a mini scrambled eggs and smoked salmon dish – perfect size! The copper scrambled egg pot was tiny and adorable. 🙂

inn at little washington breakfast 2

 

We were sad our time at The Inn went so quickly – such a nice trip!

After saying farewell to our families, Matt and I wanted to get in some fresh air. One of our favorite hikes, called Little Devil Stairs, is only a 15 minute drive from The Inn – it’s a really fun hike along/over falls with rock scrambling and stream crossings. We love it – couldn’t pass up the opportunity to do it again!

2 minutes into the hike I dunked my entire foot in the water. Lol! Fail. Thankfully my Brooks trail running/hiking shoes (the PureGrit) drain well. 🙂

wet foot while hiking

Everything was so GREEN out there!

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We had a great time tromping around outside and were sad when we finished! After the first 2 miles of uphill rock scrambling along the stream, you come back down a fire road for about 3.5 miles. We decided to jog the first 2 miles of it before it got really steep – it was actually really fun because there were things to jump over and it was all slightly downhill so it felt nice and easy.

little devil stairs trail run

Such a fun end to a great weekend! We came home in time to make a Blue Apron meal and to watch Game of Thrones. 🙂

Are you a fan of trail running? I always really enjoy it but don’t do it nearly enough!

What’s the best restaurant you’ve ever been to?

- anne
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16 comments
  • Lauren @ The Bikini Experiment
    May 17, 2016 · 11:10AM:
    There are two favs actually. There is the Grove in Austin which is right down the street. But when I am home in NJ, it is Paparazzi.
    Reply
  • Britt May 17, 2016 · 11:58AM:
    Looks like a great weekend getaway! Since moving out west, I've been looking to go trail running more often - it's definitely different than road running! I have a relay race in Tahoe this summer, so I gotta step my trail-running game up quick!
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 17, 2016 · 12:38PM:
      Racing in Tahoe would be amazing! Have fun!
      Reply
  • Roadrunner May 17, 2016 · 1:38PM:
    Love trail running as long as a smooth trail! And best restaurant? Per Se in NYC and Inn at Little Washington are in a dead heat! Glad you enjoyed the latter.
    Reply
  • masala girl
    May 17, 2016 · 4:55PM:
    okay i actually LOL'd at your picture of you after you got your foot wet- too cute! and the Inn looks so nice! i love all the food options and trails :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 17, 2016 · 5:14PM:
      Haha it was seriously the first stream crossing! Oh well. :)
      Reply
  • mollie k May 17, 2016 · 6:09PM:
    i love your pants that you're wearing on your trail run..do you mind telling me where they're from? thanks!
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 18, 2016 · 10:21AM:
      Thanks! They are these ones from REI (they zip off into shorts which is fun!) --> https://www.rei.com/product/861360/rei-sahara-convertible-pants-womens
      Reply
  • Amy @ Thoroughly Nourished Life
    May 17, 2016 · 8:10PM:
    Sounds like a great weekend! The best restaurant my fiance and I have ever been to is in Washington D.C. actually! We loved The Capital Grill when we were visiting D.C. from Australia last year. We were celebrating our engagement and the staff were so lovely! The food was brilliant too :) I need to start enjoying the beautiful bush trails around my house, but I must admit - I'm scared of lizards and there are always a ton of huge ones when I venture out! Maybe the urban landscape is more my jam ;)
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 18, 2016 · 9:27AM:
      I don't think I've ever been to The Capital Grill - will have to check it out!
      Reply
  • mary @ minutes per mile
    May 18, 2016 · 6:24AM:
    so good seeing you! your meal looks insanely delicious. i'm sure inn at little washington was great but i like hotel mauney better!
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 18, 2016 · 9:26AM:
      Hotel Mauney was happy to have you and we are glad you enjoyed your stay. ;) Come back soon!!
      Reply
  • Katherine May 21, 2016 · 2:52PM:
    The best restaurant I've ever been to was in a tiny town called Courseulles sur mer in Normandy, France. It's called Le Bistrot du Port and the food is purely outstanding French cuisine. The chef comes and greets you when you are seated, your waitress is his wife, and they close the restaurant when all 8 tables are filled. <3 I had the most heavenly potato salad there, studded with escargot!
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 23, 2016 · 10:09AM:
      That sounds heavenly! :)
      Reply
  • Kris S May 22, 2016 · 3:53PM:
    Love it! Yeah I fell in love with trail running when I was in Friday Harbor! love that you need to pay attention to where you put your feet each step so I stayed mentally engaged on a solo run with friends to chat with to help pass the time :)
    Reply
    • Anne
      May 23, 2016 · 10:08AM:
      I totally agree - love trail running (and hiking) mentally because it keeps you so engaged! Wish I could have run with you at Friday Harbor! xo
      Reply
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anne mauney fannetastic food
Hi, I’m Anne! I'm a Washington D.C. based Registered Dietitian, mother, runner, and lover of travel, adventure, and the great outdoors. I've been blogging since 2009, sharing a mix of lifestyle content, recipes, and fitness tips. Come for the recipes – stay for the fun!
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anne mauney

I’m Anne, a Registered Dietitian and mother. I've been blogging since 2009 and love showing others that eating nutritious foods and staying active can actually be fun rather than overwhelming!

When I’m not writing or cooking for fannetastic food, you can find me running, coaching nutrition clients, or on an adventure with my family. Feel free to reach out - I'd love to hear from you!

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