ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, April 3, 1996 TAG: 9604030066
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHARLOTTESVILLE (AP)
SERIES: Taste of Virginia
SOURCE: DEBORAH ROSE THE DAILY PROGRESS
If you visit Clifton: The Country Inn you will dine on haute cuisine, served with a tasteful accompaniment of rural tranquility and early American history.
Clifton is on a 48-acre site that was part of a 1735 land grant to the family of Thomas Mann Randolph, an early governor of Virginia and the husband of Thomas Jefferson's daughter, Martha. The house is believed to have been built as an office, but it later served as a home for Martha and her family.
Now owned by T. Mitchell and Emily Willey of Alexandria, Clifton's wide plank pine floors, paneled walls and original fireplaces have been preserved and enhanced with gracious decorating and meticulous landscaping.
Guests also may discover that the chef looks familiar. Craig Hartman has been innkeeper and chef at Clifton for three years. He has attracted the attention of prestigious, nationally circulated magazines and has appeared on public television cooking shows.
A graduate of the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, N.Y., Hartman's varied credits include being featured in Country Inns magazine, twice serving as guest chef at the James Beard House in New York City and being listed in the Beard Foundation's 1995 Insider's Guide to America's Most Celebrated Culinary Talent and Restaurants.
Hartman hopes his high profile will attract visitors to Clifton.
``I think it is worth it for the profile of the inn ... to do a better business,'' he said.
But the recognition of being included in publications like Forbes, Gourmet and Conde Nast's Traveler also inspires better performance by Hartman and his staff. ``As a chef you like to be recognized ... and it keeps everyone who works here excited, it keeps them proud,'' he said.
For Hartman, fine cooking expands beyond recipes to menus. With a system he calls ``universal cuisine,'' Hartman designs menus that provide harmonies of flavor, texture, aroma, nutrition and color.
Hartman may mix and match from culinary traditions around the world to achieve the harmonies he seeks. He might, for example, serve a Middle Eastern dish with one developed from an Asian recipe. And - whenever possible - he will feature fresh produce grown just down the road from the inn.
``Universal cuisine as a menu planning system has no boundaries. It is not a trend follower,'' Hartman said.
Dinner at Clifton is served prix fixe and will usually include six courses: appetizer, soup, salad, entremezzo, entree and dessert. Clifton also offers year-round accommodations in private rooms and suites, along with amenities that include tennis courts and a swimming pool. Live entertainment is offered with dinner Fridays and Saturdays.
Name: Clifton: The Country Inn Address: 1296 Clifton Inn Drive, Charlottesville Phone: (804) 971-1800 Specialty: Universal cuisine. Prix fixe menu nightly Price range: $38 Sunday-Thursday; $48 Friday-Saturday. Five course Prix fixe not including beverage, tax or gratuity Hours: 6:30 p.m. reception; 7:30 p.m. seating Reservations: Seating by reservation only Dress: Casual elegance Payment: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Diners Club Alcoholic beverages: Full bar and extensive wine list Nonsmoking section: Totally nonsmoking Handicapped accessible: Yes
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Craig Hartman is innkeeper and chef at Clifton.by CNBcolor
CLIFTON'S DILL-ONION BREAD
See microfilm for recipe