A Countryside Thanksgiving


 

Thanksgiving brings together everything we love about the fall season, from the rich food and arboreal hues, to the cinnamon-flecked chill of the air and the intimate solitude of its atmosphere. In one grand and cacophonous evening, it allows families and friends to come together to share their affection, swap stories, revel in the early sunset and test their gastronomic stamina.
Here on the East Coast, where this seminally American holiday was consecrated, the spirit of Thanksgiving is perhaps at its most consummate. To best appreciate the Thanksgiving spirit, it can be a nice change of pace to step outside the city and spend November’s final Thursday in the surrounding countryside. Whether searching for a quiet holiday escape, or rambling around with the whole family, there are a number of places just outside the city that offer the tranquility of the season in its quintessential form, as well as some traditional and brilliantly unique Thanksgiving dinners. Sitting down in a rustic dining room for a Thanksgiving meal prepared by an award winning chef can sure take the edge off cooking a fifteen pound bird in your home, and you will likely be privileged to some unique Thanksgiving culinary offerings you’d never have imagined.

Dining out for Thanksgiving is becoming increasingly popular (for good reason), and many inns, resorts and restaurants around the area have already filled up. Here is a list of some of The Georgetowner’s favorite Thanksgiving lunch, dinner and weekend getaway opportunities in the surrounding areas that still have some availability. But make your reservations quick, before they fill up!

THE BLACKTHORNE INN
UPPERVILLE, VA.
The Blackthorne Inn and Restaurant will offer a buffet style Thanksgiving meal, from noon to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving day. The menu features roast butternut squash soup with toasted pecans and chives; organic turkey with root vegetable puree and a country ham stuffing; roast prime rib of angus beef with Yorkshire pudding and sautéed Brussels sprouts, with white baby carrots and peppercorn and rosemary jus; roast leg of lamp with baby turnips, celery root potato mash and mint peppercorn sauce; and grilled filet of Farrow Island Scottish salmon with grilled oyster mushrooms, creamed cippolini onions and beurre blanc. Deserts include a fresh fruit trifle with brandied custard and raspberry cream; pumpkin pie with fresh cream; and southern bourbon pecan pie.
Price: $55 per person, $27.50 for children 5 – 12 (4 and under eat free), plus beverage and gratuity.
For more information or to make a reservation visit www.Blackthorne-Inn.com, or call 540-592-3848

CLYDE’S WILLOW CREEK FARM
BROADLANDS, VA.
When Clyde’s Restaurant Group purchased a number of antique heavy timber buildings destined for demolition in the 1980s, Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm was not even a twinkle on the horizon. Today, Willow Creek is one of the Group’s most inviting and comfortable restaurants, warmly decorated with original artwork, sculpture, historic artifacts and an over-the-top collection of 18th-century horsedrawn
carriages—most strung from the ceilings
lined with solid timber struts. Their traditional
Thanksgiving menu will featured, feature a roast
turkey dinner with sausage-sage stuffing, mapleglazed
sweet potatoes; mashed potatoes; green
beans; cranberry sauce; and an assortment of
pies for dessert. Reservations are still available
for parties of 5 or fewer, both for earlier and later
reservations.
Price: $25.95 per person, $15.95 for children.
For more information visit www.Clydes.com/
Willow, or call 571-209-1200.

THE INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON
WASHINGTON, VA.
No list of DC area Thanksgiving celebrations
would be complete without mention of the Inn at
Little Washington, where founder, proprietor and
head chef Patrick O’Connell has been writing
the book on pastoral luxury and seasonal cuisine
for a quarter century. The Thanksgiving feast at
the Inn includes a selection of holiday favorites,
as well as their full standard menu of unforgettable
seasonal offerings.

Their Thanksgiving menu includes organic
spruce-brined locally farm-raised turkeys,
with apple-sausage-pecan stuffing, corn pudding,
creamed peas and sweet potatoes, with a
cranberry-orange salsa. Desert includes warm
chocolate bread pudding and almond ice cream
perfumed with black truffle.
Price: $198 per person, plus beverages and
gratuity.
For more information or to make a reservation
visit www.TheInnAtLittleWashington.com,
or call 540-675-3800.

THE ROBERT MORRIS INN
OXFORD, MD.
This small gem on Maryland’s Eastern Shore
is the perfect waterfront setting for a traditional
Thanksgiving. The culinary team has put
together a traditional and creative menu for this
special occasion as an opportunity for regional
produce to shine. You could even decide to
spend the night at their Inn and take advantage
of their three-night Maryland Thanksgiving
extravaganza.

Their Thanksgiving menu starts with dishes
like spiced butternut squash soup with smoked
bacon and cinnamon whipped cream, and red
and yellow beets with crumbled goat cheese,
toasted walnuts and mixed greens. The main
event is free-range turkey and baked ham with
roasted potato, sage, onion and celery stuffing
and seasonal vegetables, with a cranberry,
orange and ginger relish. There are also alternative
main courses, such as oyster pot pie, salmon
on creamed sweet onions with kale, pancetta
and baby potatoes, and beef tenderloin with a
Burgundy-truffle sauce. Desert includes apple
and blackberry crumble with chantilly cream and
pecan pie with bourbon ice-cream.
Price: $58 per person, plus beverages and
gratuity.
For more information or to make a reservation
visit www.RobertMorrisInn.com, or call 410-
226-5111.

KESWICK HALL
KESWICK, VA.
Keswick Hall is truly a luxury resort that
overwhelms the senses. Their magnificent and
secluded estate in the foothills of the Southwest
Mountains outside of Charlottesville will take
your breath away—never mind the fact that
Condé Nast rated them the number-one small
resort in the country.
At Fossett’s, the resort’s award-winning restaurant,
executive chef Aaron Cross will present
a four-course Thanksgiving tasting menu, featuring
selections such as slow roasted turkey with
cornbread oyster dressing, brown giblet gravy
and cranberry compote; petite beef tenderloin
with veal reduction and buttermilk mashed potatoes;
pan roasted Loch Duart salmon with caramelized
Brussels sprouts and cauliflower with
apple cider jus; mulled pumpkin cheesecake
with caramel ginger sauce; and bourbon chocolate
pecan pie with vanilla custard. Availability
for seating is very limited, so call quickly.
Price: $89 per person, plus beverages and
gratuity.
For more information or to make a reservation
visit www.Keswick.com, or call 434-979-3440.

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