Small Towns, BIG TASTE

HARBOR HOUSE INN
Elk, California

With no more than 300 residents, the small and scenic town of Elk sits on the Northern California coast, roughly 15 miles south of Mendocino. Here is where you’ll find the historic Harbor House Inn, high up on a scenic coastal bluff, looking out over the Pacific. Dating back to 1916, this four-acre property includes 11 guest rooms, a private cove, and enchanting gardens, all providing a relaxing sanctuary immersed in the beauty of nature.

The restaurant reflects this setting in both its layout and its cuisine. The 20-seat dining room, perched directly above the coastline, offers impressive views along with a tasting menu that changes daily and is only served Thursday through Monday nights. Executive Chef Matthew Kammerer, a 2024 two-Michelin-star recipient, uses only steam and fire when cooking with heat, resulting in the purest of flavors. Pairing ingredients from the onsite garden and chicken coop with locally sourced meat from Mendocino County creates the ultimate farm-to-table experience.

“At Harbor House, our goal has always been to reflect the raw beauty of the Mendocino Coast—not just on the plate, but in the entire experience,” says Kammerer. “Being in a remote town like Elk means we have to be incredibly self-reliant, but it also gives us the freedom to be hyper-intentional with every ingredient and every detail.” 

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Elk, California

Greenwood State Beach is a popular location for boating, fishing, kayaking, beach walks, and beachcombing. At the top of the bluff, there are picnic benches where you can enjoy lunch with a fantastic view of the Pacific Ocean and its rocky shore.

Located in what was the town’s original post office, the Greenwood Museum and Visitor Center features photographs of early settlers, lumber camp artifacts, period furnishings, as well as an illustrative mural of Elk’s Greenwood Wharf in the 1800s.

Open to the public seven days a week, year-round, The Artists' Collective in Elk boasts a rich collection of original fine art, including photography, paintings, drawings, jewelry, sculpture, ceramics, pottery, stained glass, mosaic, etched glass, and redwood furniture, all from artists along the coast.

LA BASTIDE DE MOUSTIERS
Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, Provence, France

Situated in Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, a picturesque French village of some 700 residents, La Bastide de Moustiers is a charming inn that offers unequivocal luxury while still remaining true to its rural surroundings. The inn’s expansive grounds are peppered with over 60 different types of trees and colorful gardens of flowers, fresh herbs, and fruits, which provide ingredients for the food prepared at the Michelin-starred restaurant.

Thirty years ago, Chef Alain Ducasse (of Paris’s three-Michelin-star Le Louis XV) came across the secluded countryside property hidden within the Parc Naturel Régional du Verdon. Ducasse would eventually turn this space—a 17th-century farm that later became home to a potter—into the enchanting inn it is today, with 11 guest rooms, two suites, and a heated swimming pool. The inn’s unwavering commitment to sustainability practices earned the property a Green Star from the Michelin Guide.

Ducasse designed the restaurant with his own personal collection of decorative objects and appointed Valentin Fuchs (previously a chef at Rivea Cap 3000) to lead the kitchen, focusing on a straightforward yet captivating plant-based menu that showcases a sense of place on the plate.

“La Bastide de Moustiers cuisine pays tribute to Provence,” says Ducasse. “I wanted it to have the audacity of simplicity.”

Fresh seasonal ingredients are sourced from the property’s farm and from local producers. Simple cooking methods and techniques create innovative, yet approachable cuisine served in a relaxed, hospitable setting.


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Moustiers-Sainte-Marie, Provence, France

As the town is renowned for its faïence pottery, with its distinct blue and white patterns, the Musée de la Faïence is a perfect first stop. Here you can learn about pottery’s significance to the village’s history and the different techniques used to create it.

Numerous pottery shops can be found throughout the main village, including Ceramic Store Bondil, located on Place Pomey in the heart of Moustiers. This shop sells the fine earthenware made by Atelier Bondil-Artisan Faïencier.

Perched on a rocky cliff above Moustiers-Sainte-Marie is the Chapelle Notre-Dame de Beauvoir, a historical church built between the 12th and 16th centuries. The chapel is a favorite for religious pilgrims, historians, and photographers drawn to panoramic views of the surrounding landscape.

INN AT LITTLE WASHINGTON
Washington, Virginia

Though its population numbers fewer than 150, the Virginia town of Washington (nicknamed “Little Washington”) in the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills boasts the renowned Inn at Little Washington. In 1978, Chef and Proprietor Patrick O’Connell (a James Beard Lifetime Achievement Award winner) took charge of the property, a former garage, and transformed it into one of the most sought-after destinations in the world. The award-winning property features a 24-room country house hotel that holds a Michelin Green Star for sustainability, and a three-Michelin-star restaurant with a glass-enclosed conservatory dining room within the courtyard garden. The sweeping, 26-acre property offers scenic mountain views, plus a farm and gardens. 

“We wanted to create an identity which is different from people’s expectations of an inn, because it more resembles a private country house,” says O’Connell. “You get the pleasure of all the world-class amenities you’d expect in a fine international hotel, but with the intimacy and the charm of staying in a private residence, so every detail is intended to give a guest the feeling of visiting friends in the country who happen to have a Michelin three-star kitchen.”

The self-taught chef and Washington, DC, native entices guests with his refined American cuisine based on garden-fresh ingredients and with unique pairings rarely seen elsewhere, including a water menu of 13 still and sparkling waters from around the globe, such as the 15,000-year-old iceberg Berg water from Newfoundland. Diners learn about the origin, salinity, pH level, and complexity of each fine water offered while enjoying how it complements the dish.

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Washington, Virginia

Wine Loves Chocolate: At this downtown shop, you can take their famous “Choco~Vino Challenge” to learn which confections pair with which wine, or build your perfect box of chocolates from their delectable selection.

R.H. Ballard Shop & Gallery: This award-winning gift store and art gallery is located just steps from the Inn at Little Washington and sells an eclectic mix of French table linens, vintage objects, women’s accessories, children’s gifts, and home décor, plus fine art and sculpture.

Little Washington Winery & Brewery: A small family-owned and -operated winery open to the public year-round. Bordering Shenandoah National Park, the farm spans more than 50 acres on the “sunrise side” of the Blue Ridge Mountains.