Friday, August 23, 2024

LUNCH AT MOUNT VERNON INN AND RESTAURANT - 8-20-24

We had a very nice lunch out the other day. As a special treat and because I had been cooped up for a while because of my sprained knee, and was feeling a bit housebound, Gregg asked me where would I like to go? I suggested Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant. We had not been there for a long time. You can see another visit on this page. I see many familiar names in the comment section there, so you may remember that particular post. Hopefully it has been long enough that you will enjoy it again. 

The windows on the left of the picture are on one side of the gift shop area. On the right is the entrance to the tavern where you can see the table and chairs outside. You can access the restaurant from the gift shop also. The main entrance is on the left out of frame.
The view from our table window.  We reserved a table in the side room as I like looking out the window. The yellow roof is a bus waiting to pick up passengers.
This gentleman came by and played his flute for us. He asked if anyone had a birthday but we came at a quiet time and no one put their hand up. He was excellent and it was like stepping back in time with the tune he played, which I didn't recognize only that it sounded very colonial. I would love to see him perform around the estate.

I found an excellent article telling us all about him at this link. He has quite an interesting history and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it.
We had a very nice meal.
Gregg ordered a steak salad which was grilled marinated flank steak served on a bed of arugula with cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, goat cheese crumbles, fried onions straws and chimichurri dressing.
I had the pan-fried trout, which was house seasoned topped with lemon-caper butter and underneath, hard to see, was succotash. I don't remember being a fan of succotash, but this was very tasty and enjoyable. It was very rich - I usually go for the grilled trout - but delicious. 
Fortunately, I was able to share some with Gregg.
We also had a peanut soup to start off with but forgot to take a photo. I have tried to replicate it at home but haven't come up with a better recipe than this one. They also have the best bread pudding. Gregg is not a fan but I took a portion home and had it for tea. We certainly didn't need to have a meal after this.
These flowers were out front and while waiting for Gregg to park the car I took a few photos. The yellow ones are called Cucumber Leaf Sunflower. The purple ones are Mealy Cup Sage.
There was another bush with flowers outside our restaurant window. I didn't identify it but we saw a few skippers and bees, and I am 99 percent certain I saw a hummingbird moth briefly as it flittered out of sight a few seconds later. No photos of these unfortunately. My cell phone would not have been able to get close enough. These pretty leaved bushes lined the whole front of the entrance area. 
~ Coleus ~
Unfortunately, my sprained knee is still giving me problems, so I wasn't able to look around the gift shop this time. I bit off a little more than I could chew this day, but I was eager to get out. Next time I think it will just be a car ride, at least until my next doctor appointment. Hopefully by then it will be much better. I have a lot of things I need to do but am still effectively hobbled. Still, I am certainly not moaning as I know there are those out there who are a lot worse off, and my heart goes out to what you've gone through and are going through.

Thanks for looking everyone and I hope your day is great.









52 comments:

  1. How interesting about the flute player! It seems that playing there may be a step down from his previous achievements, though? But perhaps it is a calmer job for him. I love this place, and the food looks wonderful and so multi-faceted! I am so sorry about your knee!! But at least you got a lovely dinner. I hope it settles back down tomorrow to how it felt before the trip. I had an M.R.I. on my knee today. Yikes, having to keep it straightened out for so long, I was afraid it would lock up! But it didn't. The Sage is so interesting, and I never heard of this kind of sunflower. They sure have some gorgeous plants!

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    1. Oh goodness, your poor knee with that MRI. That must have been very painful and uncomfortable! I felt that way when I was getting mine x-rayed. It was awful! I hope everything will be okay with yours.

      Hopefully this very nice gentleman has his good memories. He was chatting with the staff when we first came into the dining room, and they were having such a warm conversation. He was obviously very well liked. I didn't realize at the time he was the flute player, or that we were indeed going to get a mini performance of his talent. I was even more surprised to read this wonderful history.

      They always have a lovely garden. There's a beautiful one inside the grounds that belonged to the Washingtons, but we didn't want to pay the admission fee to see it, not that I would have been able to walk around it anyhow. I daresay when we have company we will be making a trip out here one day. Take good care of yourself my friend.

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  2. Looks a lovely meal, trout is good. Seems a lovely place to eat, have been to the links and will explore. Hope your knee is soon very much improved - takes a while.
    Take care.

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    1. Thank you Margaret, next to salmon, trout is my favorite fish. Thanks also for the good wishes on my knee. I always take a long time to get over my sprains.

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  3. I am glad that you got out and hope that your poor sore knee continues to improve. Love the flowers (and leaves) you gave us too.

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  4. Your meals both look delicious. That looks like a really nice place. Love all the flowers.

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    1. They were very tasty :) and a fun place to visit :)

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  5. That was a lovely run out. It's too easy to overdo it, but difficult to regulate.

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    1. A lot of fun :) and you are right, it took me by surprise that I couldn’t walk very far as it has been three weeks now since I did it. I thought I might have been further along by now.

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  6. All in all a fine break from the house. I hope that your knee will soon be much improved and you will be romping around at will.

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    1. Very much so, thank you David :) and thank you for your kind words.

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  7. The trout looks yummy! Beautiful flowers and photos.
    Take care, have a great weekend.

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    1. Thank you Eileen, it was a fun day all round :) wishing you the same great weekend.

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  8. What a great looking meal! Gregg is so thoughtful. Beautiful wild flowers.

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    1. It was excellent and yes he is. He showed that wonderful side of his personality the day we met :)

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  9. Don't you two look nice! Just love your photos today. The food is excellent and I like the strolling musician. Those leaves look like Coleus, a plant I used to buy in New York.

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    1. Thank you Gigi, sweet of you to say :) and I am very happy you enjoyed the photos. Thank you on the ID. I sometimes forget you lived in NY for a while.

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  10. So very nice of Gregg to get you out of the house at a lovely setting what that delicious-looking trout, Denise. Sorry to read that the sprained knee is still imiting your get-around activities and hope that more rest will help.

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    1. Thank you So much :) it certainly was. I appreciate the well-wishes too.

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  11. both meals look delicious and wow on the story of the flute player. I would have enjoyed him as much as the meal. sorry it triggered your knee, and so sorry you are still hobbled. prayers it will heal quickly and you can get back to fun things again.. love those sunflowers

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    1. Wasn’t that a great story? Thank you and for the sentiments also :) Those sunflowers put on a lovely show.

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  12. Glad you could get out even though your knee is not cooperating. Your meal looked very nice. Hope all goes well with the healing of your knee.

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    1. Thanks Ellen, and it was great to get out :) Thank you also for your recovery wishes.

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  13. Hope your knee is not screaming at you this morning...after your outing. But I will admit, it does look like such a nice day. I have not been to the Inn for several years but we always enjoy eating there. And I have not had peanut soup in awhile either. That sounds like a great reason to head over to Mount Vernon! Rest well this weekend. Stay off that knee!:)

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    1. Thank you Jennifer, it was talking to me quite a bit for a few days afterwards so lesson learned, I will be staying off it again and trying not to be too impatient with myself :) I hope you get over there soon.

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  14. You had a lovely outing to the Mount Vernon Inn Restaurant despite your sprained knee. The meal, the atmosphere, and the impromptu flute performance all sound delightful. I’m sorry to hear about your knee still causing issues, but it’s wonderful that you were able to enjoy the day and a great meal. I hope your recovery speeds up and you can explore more comfortably soon!

    I invite you to read my new blog post and let me know what you think: https://www.melodyjacob.com/2024/08/health-risks-drinking-alcohol-on-plane.html

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    1. Hello Melody, it was fun :) Thank you so much for your kind words. I am looking forward to visiting your blog. Always running late these days but I will get there.

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  15. Here's to the sprained knee healing all the way up, soon. Love that meal. Looks like a good day for sure. Flowers are pretty. Good post! Cheers, Ivy.

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    1. Thanks so much Ivy, and much appreciated. Cheers to you too :)

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  16. Denise, I am so happy you were able to get out of the house. You chose a wonderful spot to enjoy! My heart is so sad to hear you are not better, my friend. Unfortunately I have knee issues that flare up from time to time. It is miserable!!! Hopefully your doctor will give you help soon. I've had injections that help from time to time. Both of your meals look great and so do both of you! Take care of yourself, dear one.

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    1. Thank you Martha Ellen, you are so kind and knowing you have flare ups, I am sorry you have to deal with that :) I read your comments to Gregg about the injections. I will ask about that next time I go see the doctor. Thanks for mentioning it my friend, and for your other sweet comments. You take care of yourself too.

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  17. We have been to Mt. Vernon but not the lovely restaurant....My eyes and my tummy were happy looking at both your plates. I do love of flute. I'm so sorry about your knee. Sprains take a long time to heal. I was messin' with a sprained ligament on the inside of my right knee for a year. It got better then it would flare up. I too had a cortisone injection in it a year ago this month. Really helped.
    I love bread pudding.
    Hugs Cecilia

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    1. Thank you Cecelia :) I’m sorry you also had a knee problem. That took a long time for you to heal and flare ups? Ugh! I will ask about a cortisone shot when. I go back. I think you would love the restaurant’s bread pudding. My other favorite there are the fried green tomatoes but I didn’t have that this time. Sending hugs :)

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  18. The food looks amazing. I think you choose wisely. Such pretty flowers and such a pretty tranquil location. Glad you're doing better and were able to get out and about after being couped up.
    Sandy's Space

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    1. Thank you Sandy, it was really good :) it is a very nice place, even more so if you pay for admission onto the grounds. There is a lovely view of the Potomac.

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  19. It's good to get out and about. Nice meals, too!

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  20. Beautiful plants and flowers Denise

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  21. Lindo restaurante. Lindas flores. Te mando un beso.

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    1. Muchas gracias. Me alegro que hayas disfrutado de las flores :) Te mando un beso.

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  22. I’m sorry about your knee. I believe those green leaves are a type of coleus. It’s been 20 years or more since I’ve been to the restaurant at Mount Vernon, but I recall that I had peanut soup.

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    1. Thanks Linda :) and for the ID also. That peanut soup is really delicious.

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  23. This looks like a wonderful spot -- really beautiful and charming. I like he musician and the garden area is lovely. Your dinner looks fantastic!

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    1. Thank you Jeanie, it is all that you say :) A real nice experience to go there.

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  24. The food looks delicious, and it is wonderful to get out every now and then. I hope your sprain starts feeling a lot better soon.

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    1. I agree it is and as we don’t go to a sit-down restaurant all that often, it’s a real nice treat :) Thank you Rose, it is nothing compared to what you had to deal with I remember how awful that was for you.

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