MOUNT VERNON INN RESTAURANT

Last week on a very rainy day, we decided to pop over to the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant for lunch.  I also wanted to look around the gift shop.  A little early for Christmas shopping yes, but I picked up a couple of gifts anyway.  There were so many pretty things in there and I loved browsing around.  It is a great shop, two shops actually across the hall from each other.  

We took Cousin Bill there a few weeks ago, looked around George Washington's home first and then went for a bite to eat at the restaurant.  (If you missed that post you can click on the red lettering at the beginning of this paragraph.  Scroll down and you will see us having a meal in the restaurant.)  

As it poured down outside and felt more like a fall day than summer, Gregg said this would be a good day to go and have a bowl of their peanut and chesnut soup, a good old colonial specialty and one that the restaurant always offers.  

The only thing I took photos of our meal was their homemade skillet cornbread, which comes with a delicious piping of vanilla bean honey butter on the top.  I also enjoyed a mug of coffee.

I forgot to take photos of that soup and the rest of our meal, which was a French dip sandwich which Gregg and I shared.   Another specialty they have is bread pudding.  Whenever we go anywhere we hardly ever seem to feel like a dessert afterwards.  This time, however, curiosity got the better of me. I had heard good things about their bread pudding and decided to take a piece home.  It was very welcome that evening, as delicous as I had heard.  I found their recipe on line and if you like bread pudding, you can look here.  Next time we have friends over it will be on the menu.

There is a very nice room next to the dining area, where you can wait for a table if needed.  Fortunately we didn't have to. There was no one to disturb so I had fun taking photos.

I tried different angles but unfortunately I couldn't get a photo of George without reflections of the lights in the room.

They cast a warm glow that was very nice.

On the way to Mount Vernon we passed George Washington's Grist Mill and I noticed this lovely big barn nearby.  I asked Gregg if he would mind pulling into the parking lot so that I could take yet more photos.  I didn't get out as it was still raining, and took these from the front passenger window.

The barn is located in 

George Washington's Grist Mill Park.  

It is a dairy barn and you can read about it here.  I read the following, and more, at this link.

"Though the dairy barn at Grist Mill Park was built in the 1920's by Minnesota Sentator Clapp, the land is part of the Union Farm owned by George Washington.  The farm was part of an original land grant in 1657 and passed through a few members of the Washington family, until George Washington acquired it in 1784.  The farm passed through multiple owners after George Washington's relatives sold it, and eventually 78 undeveloped acres were acquired by the Fairfax County Park Authority in 1978."

Hopefully we will be able to get to the Grist Mill next time.