Exceptional Wines Inn at Little Washington LDH 1994, Sorrel Greal 2004

[John_Morris]

TLDR: if you go there, find and buy the older bottles!!!

Now that we have IALW sorted out, what the hell is TLDR?

Surely it must have appeared in your book’s reviews?

Which brings to mind… Tom Stoppard once had a character say of a book, “It’s half as long as Das Kapital and only twice as funny.”

[John_Morris]

TLDR: if you go there, find and buy the older bottles!!!

Now that we have IALW sorted out, what the hell is TLDR?

Too long, didn’t read

Which, in your case, must refer to this thread and the fact that you hadn’t read the unpackings of the acronym above.

[Greg_Ossi]

What’s the secret to getting a res at IALW?

There are some for this week on tock; then it looks like they’re sold out into feb unless you’re getting a room.

Yeah I looked. I’m guessing they hold res for rooms and then open them up right before. There were res available for today on the website yesterday and then more opened today for this week.

Try calling them - I have had better success using the phone to get a reservation than the online system.

The food is still fantastic but I would definitely say the service we experienced in our visit this Spring is not up to par with the past - I blame the pandemic as they clearly have some new servers. Timing was a little off as well - I would like to have my cocktail in hand before service begins.

As most know, you can ask for a kitchen tour and they are usually very good about accommodating such requests. You can also get a good glimpse of the the kitchen from the outside thanks to some large windows in the back - worth checking out along with the garden next door.

[John_Morris]

TLICBBTWM = Too long, I can’t be bothered to wait months for a res at IALW.

[Neal.Mollen]

Now that we have IALW sorted out, what the hell is TLDR?

Too long, didn’t read

Which, in your case, must refer to this thread and the fact that you hadn’t read the unpackings of the acronym above.

A blind link does not an unpacking make

[Craig_G]

Now that we have IALW sorted out, what the hell is TLDR?

Surely it must have appeared in your book’s reviews?

Which brings to mind… Tom Stoppard once had a character say of a book, “It’s half as long as Das Kapital and only twice as funny.”

In defense of your book, I must say it has a lot of pictures.

[AndrewH]

I usually peruse the list before we go. We usually do the wine pairings but we took the kids last year and 4x the pairing costs made picking off the list easy for 2 really good bottles.

Staying overnight there, at least once, is worth the expense. Some friends went last year and although the loved it my friend’s wife could not get over the price. I’m sure that cut into her enjoyment. I’m sure the cost was not a stretch.

I think there are two groups of people with immense means: (1) those that don’t really care what something costs because they have so much money it really doesn’t matter; (2) those who care how much something costs because on an absolute scale it feels like “too much” even though they have so much money it really doesn’t matter.

Expensive hotels, restaurants, and wines all have people in each of those groups (as do many other things).

(And though I probably fail the means test I described above, there are many things I could afford in an absolute sense but can’t stomach the idea of paying for.)

[MChang]

I usually peruse the list before we go. We usually do the wine pairings but we took the kids last year and 4x the pairing costs made picking off the list easy for 2 really good bottles.

Staying overnight there, at least once, is worth the expense. Some friends went last year and although the loved it my friend’s wife could not get over the price. I’m sure that cut into her enjoyment. I’m sure the cost was not a stretch.

I think there are two groups of people with immense means: (1) those that don’t really care what something costs because they have so much money it really doesn’t matter; (2) those who care how much something costs because on an absolute scale it feels like “too much” even though they have so much money it really doesn’t matter.

Expensive hotels, restaurants, and wines all have people in each of those groups (as do many other things).

(And though I probably fail the means test I described above, there are many things I could afford in an absolute sense but can’t stomach the idea of paying for.)

I mean, $1000 is expensive but not really out of line with other top hotels.

[AndrewH]

^ Not saying it’s out of line . . . but some people swallow really hard when it’s $1000/night for a room that provides a (much) more luxurious version of something that provides the basic need for 10% the price or less.

[Vinod_S]

Haven’t been since 2015, went 2-3 times in the decade prior while living in DC. Absolutely loved the wine list, and the corkage policy (buy a bottle off list, waive corkage on a bottle). Would always get a special occasion bottle that would make me cry if it was corked at home (aged white burgundy or Barolo) or old bottles of LdH.

Really a great meal, but would give it some time until post-Covid staff settles, and remember the menu being pretty stable/locked in so never felt the need to go more frequently than once every few years.

[Scott_Brunson]

Thanks very much that is helpful. I actually grew up in Northern VA, so I know the restaurant well. But I still couldn’t get there from the acronym. So if couldn’t, I bet lots of others couldn’t either.

TMDA*



*too many damn abbreviations.

TY

[RyanC]

^ Not saying it’s out of line . . . but some people swallow really hard when it’s $1000/night for a room that provides a (much) more luxurious version of something that provides the basic need for 10% the price or less.

Marginally off topic:

I really enjoy nice hotels and resorts. My wife really enjoys nice hotels and resorts. It is astonishing how much luxury hotel and resort prices have exploded over the last ~5 years or so. Seems like it used to be $400-500 could get you into some top places. Now it seems like ~$1,000 is an entry point for a lot of luxe-ish places and $2,000 or even $3,000/night or more is not out of line for top Four Seasons-style properties. It’s wild and has pushed me more and more toward Airbnb-type rentals.

[MChang]

^ Not saying it’s out of line . . . but some people swallow really hard when it’s $1000/night for a room that provides a (much) more luxurious version of something that provides the basic need for 10% the price or less.

Why drink DRC when Boone’s farm or Charles Shaw provides the basic nerd for 0.01% of the price or less? That’s a ridiculous statement.

[MChang]

^ Not saying it’s out of line . . . but some people swallow really hard when it’s $1000/night for a room that provides a (much) more luxurious version of something that provides the basic need for 10% the price or less.

Marginally off topic:

I really enjoy nice hotels and resorts. My wife really enjoys nice hotels and resorts. It is astonishing how much luxury hotel and resort prices have exploded over the last ~5 years or so. Seems like it used to be $400-500 could get you into some top places. Now it seems like ~$1,000 is an entry point for a lot of luxe-ish places and $2,000 or even $3,000/night or more is not out of line for top Four Seasons-style properties. It’s wild and has pushed me more and more toward Airbnb-type rentals.

This is where credit card points really help you.

[AndrewH]

^ Not saying it’s out of line . . . but some people swallow really hard when it’s $1000/night for a room that provides a (much) more luxurious version of something that provides the basic need for 10% the price or less.

Why drink DRC when Boone’s farm or Charles Shaw provides the basic nerd for 0.01% of the price or less? That’s a ridiculous statement.

Between the two, your response is far more ridiculous. Are you saying that no one ever swallowed hard about paying $1000/night for a hotel room (I said “some people”, which clearly does not include you). If you wanted to make the comparison to a $200 bottle of wine (<10% of DRC), then go ahead and argue that few people would question stepping up 10x in price.

[MChang]

^ Not saying it’s out of line . . . but some people swallow really hard when it’s $1000/night for a room that provides a (much) more luxurious version of something that provides the basic need for 10% the price or less.

Why drink DRC when Boone’s farm or Charles Shaw provides the basic nerd for 0.01% of the price or less? That’s a ridiculous statement.

Between the two, your response is far more ridiculous. Are you saying that no one ever swallowed hard about paying $1000/night for a hotel room (I said “some people”, which clearly does not include you). If you wanted to make the comparison to a $200 bottle of wine (<10% of DRC), then go ahead and argue that few people would question stepping up 10x in price.

The issue is referring to the basic need. My point was that doesn’t apply at all when you’re talking about luxury goods.

[Jonathan_Loesberg]

Why drink DRC when Boone’s farm or Charles Shaw provides the basic nerd for 0.01% of the price or less? That’s a ridiculous statement.

Between the two, your response is far more ridiculous. Are you saying that no one ever swallowed hard about paying $1000/night for a hotel room (I said “some people”, which clearly does not include you). If you wanted to make the comparison to a $200 bottle of wine (<10% of DRC), then go ahead and argue that few people would question stepping up 10x in price.

The issue is referring to the basic need. My point was that doesn’t apply at all when you’re talking about luxury goods.

Even if I am to take this analogy seriously, the answer, for me, is that I might indeed stay at a Best Western hotel rather than pay the cost for the room, but I would certainly drink water before I ordered Boone’s Farm. Moreover, I might well stay at one of the neighborhood Bed and Breakfast’s for $200-400, getting about 90% of the comfort and service, which is, in fact, what I did do the last time I ate there. Beds to sleep in are not really comparable to wines to drink and food to eat.

[Jayson_Cohen]

Between the two, your response is far more ridiculous. Are you saying that no one ever swallowed hard about paying $1000/night for a hotel room (I said “some people”, which clearly does not include you). If you wanted to make the comparison to a $200 bottle of wine (<10% of DRC), then go ahead and argue that few people would question stepping up 10x in price.

The issue is referring to the basic need. My point was that doesn’t apply at all when you’re talking about luxury goods.

Even if I am to take this analogy seriously, the answer, for me, is that I might indeed stay at a Best Western hotel rather than pay the cost for the room, but I would certainly drink water before I ordered Boone’s Farm. Moreover, I might well stay at one of the neighborhood Bed and Breakfast’s for $200-400, getting about 90% of the comfort and service, which is, in fact, what I did do the last time I ate there. Beds to sleep in are not really comparable to wines to drink and food to eat.

I agree. But I could also see some people may get the thrill out of staying in yet another Four Seasons or St Regis or IALW or … because that’s their thing. Like the next great wine experience is ours no matter how many times we have done it.

[MChang]

Between the two, your response is far more ridiculous. Are you saying that no one ever swallowed hard about paying $1000/night for a hotel room (I said “some people”, which clearly does not include you). If you wanted to make the comparison to a $200 bottle of wine (<10% of DRC), then go ahead and argue that few people would question stepping up 10x in price.

The issue is referring to the basic need. My point was that doesn’t apply at all when you’re talking about luxury goods.

Even if I am to take this analogy seriously, the answer, for me, is that I might indeed stay at a Best Western hotel rather than pay the cost for the room, but I would certainly drink water before I ordered Boone’s Farm. Moreover, I might well stay at one of the neighborhood Bed and Breakfast’s for $200-400, getting about 90% of the comfort and service, which is, in fact, what I did do the last time I ate there. Beds to sleep in are not really comparable to wines to drink and food to eat.

To you, not to people who care about luxury hotels.

[J_Galang]

IMHO, when it comes to luxury goods, it is not surprising at all that in some instances, all logic is thrown out the window.