Image courtesy of Greg Powers via Three Blacksmiths
When we think of a restaurant, most of us probably imagine a large open space where families can sit down and enjoy a meal. Well, at the Three Blacksmiths restaurant in Sperryville, Virginia, they run things a little…no, a lot differently.
John MacPherson, along with his wife Diane and Sous Chef Ethan Taylor run this new quaint restaurant in Sperryville.
History of Three Blacksmiths
Before Three Blacksmiths opened, the MacPherson’s ran a small inn and restaurant for 13 years called the Foster Harris House. During these 13 years, they established a wonderful tenure there between the locale, guests, farms and markets. In January 2018, they sold the property and set off to travel to Europe for two months.
“It was kind of a research trip to identity the things we really loved about Europe,” MacPherson said. “We visited
Image courtesy of Douglas Graham/Rappahannock Media via Three Blacksmiths
with some restaurants, some inns and met with some chefs we admired to help formulate the concept for Three Blacksmiths.”
Upon their return from Europe, their construction of Three Blacksmiths got underway. After purchasing the building the restaurant sits in today, they spent roughly 10 months building the interior. They had their friends redesign and build the exterior.
A lot of thought and hard work went into building the inside.
“The majority of the interior was inspired by the trips over the years to the French Alps,” MacPherson said. “It has a very warm and ensconcing feeling. One of the important parts of building this restaurant was to make it feel like a home when people come here.”
Inside you will find lots of brick, stone and a hearth in the center of the space.
Unique Restaurant Experience
Three Blacksmiths is no traditional restaurant. First, guests pay a deposit and reserve an evening to dine. They pay their reservation balance the morning of their reservation.
Image courtesy of Greg Powers via Three Blacksmiths
“There is no bill, no commerce, no business aspect to it at the end of the meal,” MacPherson said. “People show up, sit down and enjoy a multi-course meal in this warm environment. The whole experience feels very much like you are just coming to someone’s home and enjoying a meal.”
Dinner is served on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings each week. Visit Three Blacksmiths to reserve an evening. You will get the whole place to yourself. There is room for a party of 16.
Five-Course Meal
A five-course meal is served to each guest. To begin the evening, guests will be served three bites, which are small snacks to start with. Then meals are served over the course of the evening and at the end of the meal MacPherson gives away a “fun little takeaway” to his guests.
The menu is constantly changing. Generally a menu lasts for about three weeks with some evolvement and small changes, and then by the fourth week there is a completely new menu available.
“It all depends on what our local farms are delivering to us,” MacPherson said. “It can vary depending on the
Image courtesy of Greg Powers via Three Blacksmiths
season.”
Guests Come First
At Three Blacksmiths, it is all about the customer’s experience.
“Our guest experience is really the most important thing that we want to take care of and make sure every guest who comes to Three Blacksmiths experiences a warm, cordial, hospitable evening,” MacPherson said. “It is very leisurely and intimate and it is special.”
Since there is only one seating per evening, guests are never rushed to finish their meals and leave. Guests are there to enjoy themselves, take their time eating, and spend time with one another.
“Dinner rolls out in a very casual, comfortable pace,” MacPherson said. “For us, we are as busy as we’d like to be and we’d love for people to know what it is that we do and how we do it.”
“There are a number of fantastic restaurants in the area that do amazing things, but they don’t operate quite like we do,” MacPherson said. “There are five people here who prepare your meal, serve your meal, and clear your table that you will interact with throughout the night.”
This gives each guest the opportunity to have a one-to-one relationship with the staff and chefs at Three Blacksmiths.
MacPherson believes this is what sets his restaurant apart from others in the area.
Image courtesy of Greg Powers via Three Blacksmiths
Quick Facts About Three Blacksmiths
Since opening, no guest has noticed the special memo right above his/her heads.
“While we were building the interior, we built the beams on the ceiling of the dining room,” MacPherson said. “While Ethan (Sous Chef) and I were fabricating the beams we put a little bit of graffiti on one of the beams and so far no one has identified it.”
When someone is able to identify the artwork they created, MacPherson plans to reward them in some way. The graffiti has a special meaning to him, as it is about his son.
If you’re looking for a unique, intimate dining experience then look no further.
Three Blacksmiths Phone:
540-987-5105
Address:
20 Main Street
Sperryville, VA 22740
All images courtesy of Three Blacksmiths and approved to use by John MacPherson
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