Nemacolin Woodlands Resort & Spa

Just before Independence Day, a friend and I had the pleasure to experience a brief getaway at Nemacolin Woodlands Resort .
Nemacolin is just a 3 hour drive from Akron but it feels as though you've entered another land: a land of understated luxury and surprises at every turn.
There are two main accommodation buildings at Nemacolin, the very French Chateau Lafayette, styled after the Ritz in Paris, and Falling Rock, a luxury boutique hotel inspired by the architecture of Frank Lloyd Wright with 42 rooms and personal butler service. We were delighted by our wonderful room in Falling Rock. It looked out over the 18th green of the famed Mystic Rock course, the sight of the 84 Lumber Classic each September. In the early mroning, the mist over the mountains made me feel as though I was in the clouds (actually, I was!)
We spent our first day playing golf and dodging thunderstorms. After the second lightning alert, we packed away our clubs for the day and were satisfied that we at least got 9 holes in that day.
The dinner we enjoyed at Falling Rock's Aqueous was a twelve course gourmet wonder. According to the Nemacolin website, "The cuisine at this restaurant imparts the aspects that set Frank Lloyd Wright apart from his peers: harmony with natural surroundings, calculated use of angles, progressive thought, and use of regional materials. The menu at Aqueous features "Forward Thinking American" cuisine, which give the freedom to be bold and creative, using the finest selection of ingredients found in the United States. Chef de Cuisine Dave Racicot places strong emphasis on using only American products, choosing to showcase the foods of small farmers whose passion for their craft matches that of the Aqueous culinary team.
The dining experience at Aqueous brings Wright’s “progressive thought” to the forefront by concentrating on key flavors in each dish and manipulating their texture and temperature as a way to keep dining interesting. For example, one main ingredient such as Perfect Spring Asparagus could be served with three flavor profiles such as sweet, smoked and spicy. Dessert also focuses on American methods and flavors, using both sweet and savory ingredients to complete the dining experience".
Each course was accompanied by a wine specifically paired to the food. It was easy to see why Aqueous has been named as one of the Top 25 restaurants in Pittsburgh (about an hour away).
(More in my next post)