Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
shallots, and Parmesan cheese; or chicken
liver in a
vol-au-vent
pastry with caramel-
ized onions, wild boar sausage, and truffle
butter. Evans has developed a great net-
work of artisanal suppliers, both from the
area and from his native Vermont; their
products reach the Patowmack table in
dishes such as quail stuffed with wild
game, accompanied by risotto
forestière
and braised collard greens; grilled hanger
steak with vegetable-stuffed brown rice
crepes; or roast Cornish game hen on a
bed of creamy leeks.
What you don't expect—and what
finally blows you away—is the intricate
artistry of Evans's plate presentations.
Sprigs of fresh herbs, edible flowers, and
drizzles and droplets of gem-colored
sauces set off his precisely arranged small
portions, making you feel incredibly pam-
pered as well as virtuous.
Dinner is served Thursday, Friday, and
Saturday nights, either a la carte or in a
five-course prix-fixe menu (also available
with wine pairings); a vegetarian menu is
always available as well. Saturday and
Sunday brunches are an especially great
time to visit, when you can tour the farm,
walk the
1
/
2
-mile (.8km) nature trail, or just
drink in those breathtaking views.
42461 Lovettsville Rd. (
&
540/822-
9017;
www.patowmackfarm.com).
(
Washington Dulles International (15
miles/24km).
L
$$$
Lansdowne Resort,
44050
Woodridge Pkwy., Leesburg (
&
800/541-
4801
or 703/729-8400; www.lansdow-
neresort.com). $$
Norris House Inn,
108
Loudoun St. SW (
&
703/771-8051;
www.
norrishouse.com).
Straight from the Farm
181
L'Arpège
Passard's Passion
Paris, France
In 1986, when the gifted young chef Alain
Passard bought the classy 7th arrondisse-
ment restaurant L'Archestrate from his
mentor, Alain Senderens, he was stepping
into the sort of haute cuisine restaurant
for which Paris is renowned. Even when
Passard renamed it L'Arpège, redecorated
it in sinuous Deco-style wood, leather, and
etched glass, and started to rack up the
Michelin stars, it was still similar to others
in its class. The telegenic Passard gained a
worldwide audience in 1997 and 1999
with his performances on Japanese TV's
Iron Chef
—but he was still operating
within classical French boundaries.
Then in 2001, Passard made a daring
move: He banished red meat from his menu,
dropping no less than 12 of his signature
dishes, and focused fanatically on vegeta-
bles. For Passard, it wasn't necessarily
about health and nutrition or even Slow
Food politics; it was more of a been-there-
done-that escape, the impulse of a rest-
less genius looking for new trails to blaze.
You can still order the occasional poultry
dish, and there's plenty of seafood—shell-
fish, butter, and vegetables are the culinary
cornerstones of Passard's native Brittany—
but his stunning way with garden vegeta-
bles, cooked with painstaking gentleness to
call out their deepest colors and aromas,
has truly become his hallmark.
In 2002, Passard took the logical next
step, planting a 2.5-hectare (6-acre) gar-
den 220km (136 miles) southeast of Paris
where all the produce for his restaurant is
raised organically, without any machines
(if you don't count a horse and plow). It's
a complete ecosystem, with beehives,
nesting boxes for birds, and a pond to
