The heart of The Ashby Inn is its kitchen. Many refer to the inn as a "restaurant with rooms." Chef Brian Pellatt offers a daily menu that is guided more by tradition than trend. His sophisticated menus reflect deep textures and robust taste. The kitchen stays close to the seasons, waiting for the first asparagus, shad roe, local morels, soft shell crabs and raspberries. The inn’s jumbo-lump crab cakes are considered the region’s best. Fall and winter bring a range of game dishes: roasted quail, rabbit and oyster gumbo, braised duck with turnips, and medallions of venison. Salmon gravlaks, sausages, terrines, breads, pastas and desserts are prepared on premise. The Ashby Inn’s four dining rooms range from cozy banquettes with stunning artwork to the original kitchen with its full-service bar and fireplace. All are comfortable and stylish. The tented patio looks out on wonderful gardens with a broad hillside and the Blue Ridge beyond.