Trummer’s worth the trip outside the Beltway

What could bring a couple of hardened veterans of New York restaurant scene to tiny Clifton, Va.? Why, home of course.

Victoria Trummer grew up in Clifton, so when she and husband Stefan Trummer decided to leave Manhattan, it was a logical place to go. Nor did it hurt that a restaurant space was available. Their large building on Main Street was christened as the Clifton Inn in 1869, and counted Rutherford B. Hayes and Teddy Roosevelt among its guests. Most recently, it lived as the Hermitage Inn restaurant.

To assist them, the Trummers brought in chef Clayton Miller, whose resume includes two of the country’s best restaurants: French Laundry and Daniel. Tyler Packwood, a 10-year vet of the Inn at Little Washington, oversees the wine program.

The Scene: Portraits of Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant greet you when you enter, a nod to Clifton’s Civil War history. But beyond that, the Trummers have updated things a bit. A dark and inviting lounge, with an onyx-topped bar and stone walls, beckons on the first floor. Upstairs, a giant dining room with vaulted, beamed ceilings, all done up in hunt-country chic, looks out onto an outdoor garden. A second, smaller dining room features a fireplace that will likely make it a destination come December.

The Pour: Stefan Trummer has been a cocktail consultant for years, and it shows in his libations. Take the Ginger, made from Tanqueray 10, lemongrass and ginger essence and club soda. Or the Sage, made with Plymouth gin, elderflower and sage. Packwood says he’s building the wine list from its current level of 3,000 bottles to 10,000. My advice: Let him suggest a bottle. He may even come back with something unusual, like an Austrian rose or a Banyuls from Southern France. The bottle will likely arrive with a story to go with it.

The Taste: Miller’s seasonal American menu takes its nods from the seasons and, as a result, changes frequently. You might find a salad of heirloom tomatoes with smoked tomato sorbet. Or a warm salad of heirlooms, swimming in basil oil. Oysters emerge from the kitchen with avocado, lime, celery and a foam of celery water. Carrot soup gets a lift from charred shrimp, cashews and a sorbet of ginger beer. Steamed flounder takes on an Asian twist, with pickled garden vegetables, white soy and Japanese citrus. The most inventive item was perhaps the “Vanilly Belly,” a crispy pork belly injected with vanilla and served with Grenadine-infused rhubarb. Not everything sings: Miller’s light touch wasn’t evident in a leaden teriyaki shrimp dish with cauliflower puree and aged gouda. And his otherwise pleasant fried cake of pig’s head was overwhelmed by its vinegary bed of cabbage. But this is a kitchen that’s already showing great promise after only a few weeks.

The Touch: Service here is polite, courteous and well-trained.

Don’t Miss: The Sunday brunch, which is a steal at three courses for $28.

Why You Won’t Go: Because from inside the Beltway, it can be a bear of a drive to get here after work.

Why You Will Go: Because before (or after) dinner, you can stroll around the kind of small town that you probably didn’t think still existed this close to D.C.