The Fearrington House Restaurant

The Fearrington House Restaurant Restaurant Review:

Chef Colin Bedford's creative fare attracts discerning patrons from all over the country. His exquisitely crafted dishes are equaled by Fearrington House's service, casually elegant décor and bucolic setting. Depending on the season and the chef's inspiration, first course options could include warm chicken and truffle mousse with black trumpet mushrooms or Riesling-bloomed oysters with sunchokes and vanilla crème fraîche. But you'll find more substantial openers, too, such as beef tartare with cured egg yolk and wild mushrooms. According to the season, main dishes range from maple-glazed duck breast with celery root and pomegranate to venison with braised endive and horn of plenty mushrooms. Among the exotic-sounding sweets, look for a lemon tart with paw paw sorbet and caramelized banana, but no one touches the signature dessert. The permanent signature dessert is the hot chocolate soufflé with chocolate sauce, on the menu for 30 years to honor the late Edna Lewis, Fearrington's chef from 1983-84. The artful food is complemented by a notable wine cellar, overseen by the inn's wine director and Advanced Sommelier, Maximilian Kast. The Fearrington House Restaurant boasts one of the area's most polished waitstaffs. Wine dinners, offered several times a year, are always special treats.