Wining about the Good Life

Wining about The Inn at Perry Cabin

During a snow-less weekend this past winter we packed some bags and set off for a two day break in St Michael's, Maryland. The promise of clear skies, dry roads and sneakers rather than boots on our feet, filled us with excitement. Our destination was our absolutely favourite sojourn - The Inn At Perry Cabin.

Regular readers will know how enamoured we are of this splendid retreat, built just after the War of 1812 by Purser Samuel Hambleton, aide-de-camp to Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry. The property's design concept was inspired by the Commodore's cabin on the USS Niagara. Nestled on the Miles River, a tributary to Chesapeake Bay, The Inn at Perry Cabin is a long, pearly white colonial mansion - elegant, comfortable and offering a unique marriage of world-class luxuries with the warm informality of Anglo-American hospitality. The Inn is situated on Maryland's Eastern Shore in the Victorian resort town of St Michaels, in Talbot County which boasts the longest

shoreline in the continental US.

The drive from Philadelphia took about two hours. We arrived precisely at tea time so scones and Devon cream, in one of the Inn's sitting rooms, was very welcome indeed. You know what they say: "You can take the Brit out of Britain but you can't take Britain out of the Brit" or to quote Mike Myers, the actor better known as his alter ego Austin powers: "Nobody is more English than the English who are no longer living in England".

Our room, as always, was quiet, spotless and tastefully decorated in keeping with a private country estate. An outside door opened onto a stretch of garden which ended at the bay, and this view gave me a tingly, happy feeling. The property was previously owned by Sir Bernard Ashley of Laura Ashley, so Ashley fabrics and flavour fill the Inn which was recently acquired by the Orient-Express group, one of

the world's most prestigious hospitality companies. Master Chef Mark Salter, an engaging Brit, still oversees the kitchen and has managed to keep his head in his tall white hat despite ego inflating awards constantly thrust his way, including a prestigious DiRoNa award, for one of the "Distinguished Restaurants of North America". Mark domain is the Ashley Room, which serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. The Miles Room is an alternative dining location where meals are served on the outdoor patio. After dinner a glass of port is perfect while lazing in one of the public rooms overlooking the Bay or if you prefer cigars are available for a long puff on an outdoor terrace.

My old chum, Stephen Creese, a fellow Brit, is General Manager and exudes the charm and professionalism expected of his position. Most GM's I've known tend to be a little crusty and stiff, but Stephen is amicable, approachable and has a sense of humour, despite the long arduous hours demanded by the hotel business.

We ordered the Gourmet Tasting menu for dinner ($95 per person) which included canapés, crab spring roll with pink grapefruit, avocado and toasted almonds, cream of onion soup, crispy duck leg on chayote slaw with star anise and orange dressing, French bean salad with dried cranberries, golden beets and wild mushrooms, tenderloin of Angus beef on sour cream and chive mashed potatoes with fried green tomato and home-made Worcestershire sauce .... and a trio of desserts. All historical, cooked to perfection and faultless. Superlatives are not included in the package, so you will need to take your own. I have the entire recipe so if you e-mail me, I'll be happy to pass it along to you.

Thad Hoy is the food and beverage manager, and Thad has organised one of the best wine lists in the country. The list is far too extensive to do it justice in this column, but apart from plenty of wines under $40 a bottle here is a sample of some of the rarer entries: Salon Brut Le

Mesnil Champagne 1985 ($410); Chateau Lafite Rothschild 1962 ($800); Chateau Palmer 1986 ($490); Chateau d'Yquem Sauternes 1967 ($1,925); Montrachet Sauzet (Cote de Beaune) 1997 ($650); Cain Five (Napa) 1990 ($240); Ridge Monte Bello, Santa Cruz Mountains 1995 ($245); Peter Lehmann (Australia) Eight Songs Shiraz 1996 ($128); Grahams Port 1955 ($990). In addition I counted at least four dozen single malt whiskies. One of my favourite wines, which we had with dinner, was a house specialty: Chateau St Paul (Haut Medoc) 1997 which cost $20 for a half bottle. Amazingly smooth, fruity, food friendly (especially with the beef) and refreshingly quaffable. Mark Salter is very accommodating and will create menus to satisfy special diet restrictions. That's probably why the Inn's wall is filled with awards which include: Condé Nast - 5th Best Resort in the United States; Zagat Travel Excellence Award 1997; Harper's Hideaway Report - Grand Award Winner 1997; Wine Spectator's Award of Excellence 1995-1998.

After the 2 hour meal you can spend the following morning in the indoor heated swimming pool, sauna or steam room, or the fitness room. I opted for a game of snooker! As I mentioned, The Inn at Perry Cabin is now part of a rather august family of properties around the world including Hotel Cipriani, Venice, Italy; Hotel Splendido, Portofino, Italy; Hotel Quinta do Lago, Algarve, Portugal; '21' New York; Copacabana Palace, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; The Observatory Hotel Sydney, Australia; Bora Bora Lagoon Resort Bora Bora, French Polynesia. And then there is the Orient Express of course!

The Inn isn't a particularly inexpensive diversion for a weekend but it's one of the finest and luxurious hospitality and cuisine experiences I have ever experienced in the Colonies, and worth every penny.

The Inn at Perry Cabin
308 Watkins Lane
St. Michaels
Maryland 21663

Tel: +1 410 745 2200.
Tel: 1 800 722 2949 (in the US)
Fax: +1 410 745 3348

e-mail: perrycbn@friend.ly.net

www.perrycabin.com