The texts started circulating last spring. “Excited to see all of you after so long!” said one friend on the thread.
“I’m so looking forward to this,” gushed another.
“Is anyone bringing cigarettes?” someone joked.
No one in the group smokes, but we all felt like we were getting away with something delicious and precious—a weekend together, far from the responsibilities of jobs and families, at a beautiful property in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Our destination: the Farmhouse at Blue Rock, a chic and modern rental adjacent to the Blue Rock Inn in Washington, Virginia.
My five traveling companions and I met in January 2018, drawn together by a shared goal to do good in our careers, households and communities. We’ve referred to ourselves as the “Salon” ever since.
We are athletes, artists, veterans, Ph.D.s, teachers and administrators—compassionate leaders who have learned it can be lonely for women at the top of their field. We have traveled the world (one of us in the cockpit) and cultivated vast networks around the D.C. area. We are moms who have experienced many stages of parenting and partnership.
For more than two years, we met bimonthly, setting aside whole afternoons—and sometimes whole weekends—to convene. But as this trip falls into place, I realize we haven’t been in the same room together since March 2020, when the pandemic drove us into isolation.
Finally, the June day arrives when we are able to gather, spilling into the vast, open floor plan of the Farmhouse to clink glasses, hug each other and fill in the blanks. We share snacks at the giant dining table and sprawl on stylish couches. We marvel at the views of the horse pastures and rolling hills.
We have missed each other.
This is my second trip to the Blue Rock Inn, which opened its doors in October 2021. I visited for dinner in 2022 and was surprised by how sophisticated and fresh the property felt. The spaces, designed by creative studio Lumber & Light, were clean and modern—not a doily in sight. I made a mental note to return for an overnight stay.
I had originally thought to book a romantic weekend in one of the inn’s five beautifully appointed rooms, but now here I am next door in a house full of women and my heart is just as full. While snagging the five-bedroom Farmhouse did require some scheduling acrobatics, the weekend is our own. We have the entire 3,700-square-foot residence to ourselves.
Salon gatherings are always driven by intention, and this one is no different. Most of us are recent empty nesters or on the cusp of having kids leave for college. We are wanting to reflect more deeply on what that transition looks like in our lives—both personally and professionally.
To ground us, we call on Cara Cutro of Abracadabra Massage & Wellness in nearby Sperryville. Cutro, a warm and intuitive mom herself, is experienced in all aspects of the healing arts—from massage, Reiki and acupuncture to tarot reading. She agrees to bring her skills and equipment to us, arriving at the Farmhouse with a dozen crystal singing bowls, the largest of which has the weight and heft of a prizewinning pumpkin.
Cutro stations herself in a corner of the second-floor bedroom suite and arranges the bowls in a semicircle around her. We lie down on yoga mats in a human Tetris formation, slip on eye masks and cocoon ourselves in blankets to prepare for our private sound bath.
One of the goals of a sound bath, Cutro explains, is to help participants enter a state of deep relaxation between wakefulness and sleep, where our brains produce the electrical impulses called theta waves that promote learning and solidify memories. “This is where you do a lot of your healing,” she says. “You’re not asleep, but there’s something really restorative about it.”
Conjuring resonant tones from each bowl, she immerses us in what she describes as a “powerful form of nonverbal communication.” By the end of the hour, we all understand what that means. Most of us skate just above or below the surface of sleep. (“Every new tone was like tasting different flavors,” one friend observed.)
Afterward, Cutro notes that the acoustics of the space had a softening effect on the bowls’ sounds, but didn’t dampen their impact. “What a perfect place to have a retreat,” she says.
Once we flicker back awake, we disperse to our rooms—each of which has an en suite bath stocked with plush towels and Molton Brown products—and lazily dress for dinner at the inn. We end up driving to the main building (it’s a short walk away, but no one is interested in tromping through the grassy field in heels), arriving just before sunset to watch the sky turn pink above the mirror-glass pond out back.
Blue Rock’s restaurant is a go-to for locals, many of whom are lounging at patio tables, seeming to smile at their good fortune that this culinary gem landed in their laps. Situated just a few miles down the road from the five-star Inn at Little Washington, Blue Rock is also a special occasion destination worthy of an intimate dinner or milestone life event.
Chef Bin Lu is the driving force, having arrived here in 2020 after nearly five years as head chef at D.C.’s Pineapple & Pearls, which earned two Michelin stars during his tenure. He ventured to Rappahannock County after chasing a rumor about an inn in Virginia farm country that was being renovated and was under new ownership. (Nick Dowling, the property’s owner of record, prefers to stay out of the spotlight.)
“I was able to dig up the name and old website,” says Lu, now the front-facing partner for both the inn and the restaurant. “I sent a cold email to the old business, and there just happened to be someone on the other side. Everything went from there.”
At Blue Rock, he offers a seasonally driven tasting menu—$138 for five courses, with an $89 wine pairing and a handful of optional add-ons—in the 35-seat main restaurant and on the weather-permitting outdoor patio. A small adjoining tavern for inn guests (and occasionally walk-in diners) serves a more casual, a la carte menu.
Our six-course meal in the cozy private dining room begins with Lu’s crackling five-spice fried chicken. It’s accompanied by a warm mushroom tea—a rich, savory broth that we sip from coupe glasses.
I would have been totally content had dinner ended there, but I would have missed out on the complex and memorable flavor combination that was the salad course. Chef Lu’s heirloom tomato carta di musica—a crisp flatbread studded with produce from local farms—is smoky and fresh.
The delicate ‘nduja ravioli that follows is balanced with a tangy kohlrabi choucroute—a slaw—and a puddle of beurre blanc. The presentation of grilled monkfish choux farcis is as much artistry as it is a love letter to seasonal cooking.
Between savory bites, our dinner conversation is structured and intentional, with prompts floated for discussion: What’s the biggest thing you’re wrestling with? Name something that surprised you about yourself this year. What’s your unfair advantage? Can you cite a recent experience, book, film, etc. that taught you something new?
As a table of ladies who normally pass plates of dessert until one polite forkful remains, we show no restraint in demolishing our individual “black and white” chocolate tarts, complete with berries and olive oil gelato.
“I’ve been to a good number of local restaurants,” says one friend whose husband is a restaurateur, “and I’m hard-pressed to think of a meal I’ve enjoyed as much as this.” It’s not an empty compliment.
We spend the rest of the weekend checking out nearby attractions such as the Marketplace in Sperryville’s River District. The building has been converted to a food hall and market for local artisans and vendors and houses local art galleries.
A tip from Chef Lu sends us out to spend a brilliant, blue-skied afternoon at Pen Druid, a brewery and cidery in Sperryville. The owners employ a style of fermentation that relies on native yeast to craft their beers and ciders, eight of which are on tap the day of our visit. Their taproom also sells a handful of bottles of natural wine curated by D.C. wine shop Domestique.
The real draw for me, however, is hidden in a field out back. Sumac is an “experimental kitchen” run out of a ramshackle trailer behind Pen Druid’s taproom, with a chalkboard menu and an underground fan base whose members know to order ahead.
We hardly mind lingering on the porch while waiting for an order of smoked-and-seared cauliflower served with mulberry “ketsup,” scallions, peanuts and a native plant entertainingly called “spicebush.” Also delicious is Sumac’s take on shrimp and grits, dressed with fava beans, cucumbers and coriander berries. And it takes very little encouragement from Chef Dan Gleason to give in to a slice of cherry-and-serviceberry clafouti with peach leaf ice cream.
It’s some of the best—and fanciest—food I’ve ever eaten at a picnic table.
Clearly, we aren’t the only ones impressed by this hidden treasure. A few months after our stay, Sumac lands on The New York Times’ 50 favorite restaurants list of 2024.
A winding drive home to the D.C. area includes a stop at Patty O’s Café & Bakery (the casual sibling of Chef Patrick O’Connell’s Inn at Little Washington), where the texts start pinging in again.
“Wish we had another week to spend in that farmhouse.”
“Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to our delicious friend, the monkfish.” Someone has found an image of the gruesome, saw-fanged sea creature that looked much more docile on our plates the night before.
“We could have enjoyed the company and conversation for many more days.”
It feels like there is never enough time with this group. We always leave wanting more. Then again, our weekend sojourn was a reminder that any of us can call on others in the group for personal wisdom, professional advice and solace at any moment.
If you go:
Where to Stay
The main building of the Blue Rock Inn (bluerockva.com) contains five rooms starting at $199 per night. Vacation rentals of the property’s 3,700-square-foot Farmhouse (which sleeps 10) start at $1,200 per night with a two-night minimum. Three new buildings on the 80-acre property will soon bring the total number of rooms and suites to 19—good news to those hoping to visit after fall 2025.
Where to Eat and Drink
Dinner at the Blue Rock Inn’s on-site restaurant helmed by Chef Bin Lu is a must. Blending locally sourced and exotic ingredients, his five-course tasting menu is an ever-changing culinary adventure.
The prix fixe dinner at Three Blacksmiths (threeblacksmiths.com) in Sperryville is a singular experience with one nightly seating (Wednesday through Sunday) and space for 20 in the intimate dining room. For a more casual bite, The Black Twig (theblacktwigdiner.com) is a diner and bar housed in the iconic red Sperryville Schoolhouse.
About a mile from Sperryville’s main drag, you’ll find Pen Druid Fermentation (pendruid.com) just off of Route 522/Sperryville Pike, with its sweeping countryside views and a rotating selection of beers and ciders on tap, plus a bin with natural wines from D.C.’s Domestique. Check the brewery’s Instagram (@pendruidbrewing) before visiting and try to plan your visit when Sumac (sumac-va.com), the wood-fired kitchen out back, is serving small plates from its “wildly local” seasonal menu.
More girlfriend getaway spots
Find serenity watching the sunset over the water at the spacious Chesapeake Mansion (tremezzostay.com/chesapeake-mansion), a waterfront estate just outside of St. Michaels, Maryland. Situated on 30 acres, the 12,000-square-foot Colonial manor can accommodate up to 12 guests. Enjoy an outdoor heated pool, private dock and wide grassy lawn with Adirondack chairs. Rates begin around $1,100 per night.
For an agrarian kind of luxury, Madeline Farms (madelinefarms.com), a working farm in Luray, Virginia, is home to a renovated 120-year-old farmhouse that can accommodate up to 12. Rates begin around $770 per night. Guests are invited to feed the animals, collect eggs and harvest crops—or sit on the porch and watch nature do its thing.
The Farmhouse at Waterperry Farm (waterperryfarm.com/the-guesthouses) near Charlottesville, Virginia, sleeps 10 and includes a pool, tennis court and outdoor kitchen. Rates begin at $2,150 per night with a required two-night minimum. Guests also enjoy access to pickleball courts, a fishing pond, walking trails and firepits. Garden tours, yoga classes and a private chef can be booked for an additional fee.
Grab up to a dozen friends and stage a full takeover of the five-suite Wellspring Manor & Spa
(wellspringmeetings.com), a luxury bed-and-breakfast on 7 wooded acres in Upper Marlboro, Maryland, where the pampering includes massage and skincare treatments and customized menus designed by the on-site catering staff. See the website for rates.
Adrienne Wichard-Edds is a writer and small-business owner based in Arlington, Virginia. Find her online at theessaycoaches.com.
This appears in the January/February 2025 issue of Bethesda Magazine.
