Lunch or dinner at the inn is an intrinsic part of the Mount Vernon experience. It’s a quaint and charming Colonial-style restaurant, complete with period furnishings and three working fireplaces. Lunch entrees range from baked turkey pie (a sort of early-American stew served with garden vegetables in an open pie shell) to a club sandwich. There’s a full bar, and premium wines are offered by the glass. At dinner, tablecloths and candlelight make this a more elegant setting. The menu is mostly modern, but you may still see Colonial references in starters like hoe cake (a flatbread-like cornbread) and the homemade peanut and chestnut soup. By the way, Mount Vernon has joined the happy-hour trend and now serves discounted beer, wine, and spirits, along with very un-Colonial appetizers (fried calamari, buffalo wings) Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 8pm.