Dinner at The Clifton Inn (Charlottesville, Virginia)

Charlottesville has several interesting inns, B&Bs, and special hotels that exude personality and laid-back luxury. The Clifton Inn in one of them. Once a private home, in 1985 the sprawling property opened as a Bed & Breakfast; the restaurant came later in 1991. Tracing its roots back to the 1700s, The Clifton has several antique-packed historic cottages for overnight stays. The central building includes a kitchen, a formal dining room complete with a grand piano and a fireplace, an expansive veranda that overlooks the countryside (with a great view of the sunset), a private room in the wine cellar, and a small private counter in the kitchen where you may watch Chef Tucker Yoder at work. In years past, I've enjoyed heart-warming family dinners in the wood-panneled wine cellar, and relaxing meals on the crisp, white veranda. On this visit, I sat at the source: the Chef's Counter. Rare in the restaurant world, a warm sense of teamwork emanated throughout the kitchen team. Watching the line, we could feel a steady and grounded ethos of creativity in the kitchen. The dishes themselves were a window into seasonality, and the homegrown or local ingredients seemed to tell a thoughtful story of the bounty of late summer. 

A few barrel-aged cocktails started the night off, and we moved on to some finds on the wine list, including a 2002 Lopez de Heredia Rioja that brought out many subtle flavors in the last half of the tasting menu. 

Here are a some photos of the tasty dishes: 

homemade sourdough bread (with a 4-year starter!) and homemade butter...

fresh peach wrapped in ham

fresh-harvested vegetables, including okra from their garden

poached egg with corn

maitake with home-made ramen

fish with quinoa

Rock Barn pork

duck

cannoli with peaches