WASHINGTON 鈥� Patrick O鈥機onnell waited 40 years for the call, and on Thursday, Sept. 13, it finally happened.
His restaurant, , just received the highest and most-coveted rating in the culinary world: three stars from the Michelin Guide. And ever since that call, O鈥機onnell鈥檚 phone has not stopped ringing.
鈥淚 was getting calls at 4:30 this morning from Europe,鈥� said O鈥機onnell, who opened The Inn in the small town of Washington, Virginia, in 1978.
鈥淚t鈥檚 amazing, really, the reach of the Michelin Guide. The international reach is like nothing else in the world.鈥�
When O鈥機onnell, a D.C. native and self-taught chef, had the idea to open a restaurant, he decided to do so in a former auto repair shop in Virginia鈥檚 Shenandoah countryside. He and his partner rented the space for $200 a month, and later purchased the property to begin building one of the most well-respected dining destinations.
鈥淸At the time], it was not part of American culture to drive outside the city into a beautiful region of the country and expect to find dining comparable to what they get downtown,鈥� O鈥機onnell said.
He was determined to change that. In the restaurant鈥檚 first few years, O鈥機onnell made several trips to Europe, seeking out some of its best and highest-rated restaurants in rural settings.
鈥淲e really established a benchmark and galvanized a direction, and bet on the idea that if it could happen there, ultimately one day, it might be able to happen in our own country,鈥� he said, calling his 40-year journey a 鈥渃omplete circle.鈥�
The Michelin Guide has been reviewing and rating restaurants throughout the world since the early 1900s, but just made its way to D.C. in 2016. In its first two editions, The Inn at Little Washington received two stars 鈥� which denotes 鈥渆xcellent cooking, worth a detour 鈥� along with D.C.-based and .
Its most recent status makes The Inn the first, and only, three-star restaurant in the D.C. Guide. O鈥機onnell said he has always been hungry for that third star, and this past year, he and his team 鈥渨ent into overdrive鈥� to get it.
鈥淲e tried to look critically at everything we were doing, everything we were presenting and upgrade it. And we really made it a goal, our collective mission, to push as hard as we can push,鈥� he said.
鈥淚t鈥檚 also is a wonderful illustration that it has nothing to do, or very little to do, with one person. One person may have the vision, but it鈥檚 the hard work, dedication, and sort of collaboration of an entire army of people.鈥�
O鈥機onnell said The Inn at Little Washington鈥檚 three-star status won鈥檛 change anything about the restaurant. Guests can still expect a cow trolley that doubles as the cheese cart, a dining room that doesn鈥檛 have a dress code 鈥� although O鈥機onnell has one apparel rule: no wet bikinis 鈥� and a cuisine that鈥檚 reflective of The Inn鈥檚 sense of place.
鈥淢ost importantly, we have to be authentic and comfortable in who we are and proud of who we are, and not try to be something we鈥檙e not,鈥� he said.
鈥淔or us, it鈥檚 always been a goal to make the experience here feel like a wonderful dinner party at a great friend鈥檚 house in the countryside who had good taste and a staff of 158.鈥�
