When The Inns at St. Albans reopens The Old Barn Inn Restaurant to the public for weekends-only dinner service on December 6, guests will once again have the pleasure of dining in one of St. Alban’s historic treasures.
Well-known restaurateur Beth Williams and her culinary crew will move into the Old Barn’s kitchens in three weeks, after she closes Table Three, her popular Wildwood restaurant, on November 23.
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“I moved to St. Albans about a year ago,” she says. “Back in June, I was finishing a round of golf with a friend when I brought up an idea for a cafe. She mentioned Head’s Store on the St. Albans course as a possible space.
“I made a phone call that day to Datra Herzog, the owner of the Inns at St. Albans. We made an appointment for the following Monday. My idea for a small café mushroomed into a much bigger project, and it all started on the golf course. The Head’s Store café? We’re doing that, opening April 1, 2020, but our first priority is opening The Old Barn.”
The barn, built by Prussian émigré Francis Arnold Becker in 1843, was converted to a restaurant in 1928 and operated by Irene Johnson, the wife of one of the co-owners of International Shoe. She closed it in 1950.
Gilbert and Simone Andujar re-opened the restaurant as Malmaison, a French style bistro in the early in the 1980s, which became The Gardens at Malmaison under the culinary leadership of Eddie Neill, who maintained the traditional French food. Throughout several changes of ownership and style at the restaurant, one thing remained constant: families and friends cherished the memories they made at the old barn.
In 2004, the barn was purchased by Inns at St. Albans owner Datra Herzog, and the space was repurposed for large group events. For the past five years, the restaurant has been closed. Under Williams, the restaurant will turn out farm-to-table fare, changing the menu six times a year to showcase seasonal foods at the peak of flavor.
Williams’ plans for the holidays this year at the Old Barn include a Christmas Eve family style dinner and Bubbles & Bowties, a festive night of dinner and dancing on New Years Eve. Next year, she and Herzog have grand plans for the properties that include opening the Village at St. Albans weekend celebrations. There will be a ticketed tour of the grounds, gardens and building, including tours of The Studio, which was designed by Theodore Link, the architect of Union Station. The following day, guests can shop a Christmas market throughout the entire village. “We want this to be a destination every holiday season,” Williams says.
Look for other events at the historic barn, such as spring-time Sip Inn Sundays on the patio, featuring music, wine, and bourbon tastings. “People won’t have to travel so far to enjoy a wine on Sunday,” Williams says. “I envision casting this net, inviting people to take a country drive for a weekend. We have gorgeous hills, we sit on a beautiful lake, and the golf course is one of the top five in the country. It’s a resort destination not far from home.”
The expanded restaurants and community involvement are just one aspect of the planned growth for this popular event venue. In September, The Inns at St. Albans announced the construction of a new lodge offering 12 overnight rooms and 18 total beds for guests at weddings, corporate retreats, and weekend events. This addition complements other additions completed in recent years, including an event pavilion at the Studio Inn that can seat up to 180 and a new pavilion at the Old Barn Inn seating up to 220. A new tiered ceremony site at the Old Barn Inn, coupled with an outdoor covered garden area for cocktail receptions, was completed in 2013. Overnight stay accommodations include four intimate cottages; The Studio’s six bedrooms; and a Victorian home near Head’s Store known as the Farm House, where individual stays and whole house rentals are available.
