Double-height ceilings, big windows, and plantation-inspired fans in the Trummer's dining room

It’s no secret that we planned this trip around the places we wanted to eat, which sometimes meant we traveled across multiple counties to visit a particular chef or farm. Such was the case with Clifton, one of Virginia’s many tiny, charming, towns. We biked from Fredericksburg to Clifton in less-than-ideal circumstances largely because we had heard amazing things about the two-month-old Trummer’s on Main. Owners Stefan and Victoria Trummer came home to Virginia after working in some of the world’s top restaurants, including New York’s Bouley, Masa, and Compass. They bought a historic 1869 inn, completely gutted it, and transformed it into a three-story restaurant with a stylish bar on the ground level and a cozy art gallery/dining nook on the top floor.

Stefan is a serious cocktail guru (it runs in the family – his brother, Alfred, owns New York’s Chinatown-cool Apotheke) and has introduced Clifton to the world of complex, innovative drinks. G tried his signature Titanic, a not-too-sweet mix of muddled grapes, verjus, vodka, St. Germain, poured over a dramatic glacier of champagne sorbet, while I opted for the refreshing Big Apple, made with Hendrick’s Gin, fresh apple, and dill. We could have easily camped out at the bar, snacking on parmesan popcorn and sampling different drinks but our stomachs were screaming for more substantial fare.

Eventually we moseyed upstairs to the main dining area, which has a soaring peaked ceiling with plantation-style fans and huge windows. It was tough to choose from the long menu – oxtail ravioli or roasted beets with pistachios? Butter roasted chicken with cornbread or grilled flounder with artichokes and fennel? Chef Clayton Miller comes to Clifton by way of the French Laundry and his food combines sophisticated techniques with comforting flavors. Our favorites were the warm hush puppies, the smoky tortilla soup, and the rich veal cheeks — and we’ll definitely be back for the vanilla pork belly with rhubarb.

Nothing like a good cocktail to get us smiling

Dinner was lovely but we couldn’t get enough of the desserts. Pastry chef Chris Ford was most recently at Manhattan’s Chikalicious and specializes in playful, delicious sweets. We started off with his double vanilla ice cream, made with Tahitian and Papua New Guinea beans and served over crumbled sable cookies, and his rich banana pot de creme. That wasn’t quite enough for us, though, so we had a second round of chocolate mousse with spiced meringues and cocoa nibs. We ended up staying long past our bedtime, in part because the mischievous sommelier, Tyler Packwood, kept sneaking over and topping off our glasses with luscious Las Rocas Garmacha. By the time we made it to our car we were feeling warm, happy, and well-fed.