About
Where New York Meets Main Street
George Washington and Lord Fairfax hunted here; the Confederates and the Union met up here throughout the Civil War; the first electricity in Virginia began here; the first New York restaurateurs to bring a restaurant to Clifton opened here in 2009. Located on Main Street in a historic town born out of the Civil War, Trummers on Main, formerly the Hermitage Inn, is a creation of husband and wife restaurateurs Stefan and Victoria Trummer. They have relocated to Victoria’s hometown to “combine small town charm with fabulous food and attentive service generally found in big food cities.”
Located just 25 miles from Washington DC, Clifton is a quaint destination with its working Virginia railway driven directly through the center of it all. Following the Civil War, noted Clifton developer Harrison Otis built a hotel in the heart of this quiet town upon frustration with his vineyard. The hotel is the original building structure of Trummers on Main. As history begins to unfold, the historic building dates back to 1869, when it opened as The Clifton Hotel.
General Robert E. Lee and Presidents Abraham Lincoln and Ulysses S. Grant, who came thru Clifton during wars and administrations, greet you upon stepping inside via their painted portraits. Other visitors included Presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and Teddy Roosevelt, who once hung their hats here at The Clifton Hotel.
A fresh coat of paint on the exterior and shutters, the Trummers have completely rebuilt the interior. The restaurant space boasts three floors enveloped by warm reds and oranges with soft creams. The ‘Winter Garden,’ an addition added during the Hermitage days, is both a dining room and ideal for private events. This glass-enclosed room has a view of the serene flagstone waterfall behind the restaurant and the outdoor seating patio. The main feature in this room is the set of four paintings based on the Trummer’s logo. Commissioned specifically for Trummer’s On Main, artist Buck Nelligan has incorporated the logo into the four seasons of a tree through winter, spring, summer and fall.
The ‘Gallery’ is the third floor dining room featuring local artist paintings available for sale to guests. These will rotate every two months. Also off this space is the elegant bridal suite. The second floor dining room featuring exposed brick and two working fireplaces is aptly named ‘The Loft’ and is located directly off the ‘Winter Garden.’ One fireplace features its historic refurbished mantel centered prominently and the second located near the back in a corner with raised river rock. Plaster painted walls in cream and contemporary styled, vibrant chairs complete the design. Restaurant seating will accommodate 210 guests, complete with textured chairs of red and orange contemporary design and tabletops of a butcher block-blend.
The bar and lounge on the first floor feature dark cherry wood, a honey-colored translucent granite bar top, prominent lighting and textured stones on the bar wall, and columns wrapped in amber ledge stone. A fireplace in the lounge is flanked by painted portraits of cocktails. Here, Master Mixologist Stefan Trummer’s hand-crafted cocktails will be both seasonal and innovative libations.
A wine tasting room is glass enclosed for wine tasting only, complete with a communal tasting table and a view of the wine cellar room located directly next to it. The wine cellar will hold up to 8,000 bottles of wine.
The Trummers come with a collective service, food and beverage background comprised of Citarella Restaurant, Bouley, ‘upstairs’ at Bouley, Masa, Restaurant RM and Compass in New York. Stefan’s mixology lends a large element; a skill honed for years as a consultant for 202 Restaurant and Ultra Club in New York, L2 Lounge in Georgetown, DC, and Hangar 7 in Austria, his native country.
A destination near to Washington DC and the Blue Ridge Mountains, Clifton has been a main thoroughfare for centuries. Today, Trummer’s On Main reignites Main Street with a culinary adventure of historic proportion.