Typically, one acclaimed chef is enough to generate buzz when he opens a new restaurant. What about when three team up? Well, it’s almost been enough to give area foodies a case of the shakes.
Last year, chefs Jonathan Krinn and Jon Mathieson, who last teamed up at the highly regarded 2941 Restaurant in Falls Church, announced a new venture in Tysons Corner, named Inox after the French word for stainless steel. Between them, they’d worked under such world-famous chefs as Tom Colicchio, Alain Ducasse, Gray Kunz and Eric Ripert. Just to add some additional star power, they added a third chef as their sommelier. John Wabeck was most recently the chef at New Heights, but in recent years had turned his attention from the grill to the grape, and is one of D.C.’s top wine experts.
The Scene: Taking a cue from the restaurant’s moniker, the 125-seat dining room has metal in mind. A metallic curtain bisects the dining room, and metallic subway tiles line the back wall. Ask for a seat back there, in one of the comfortable, cozy nooks that the wavy, Gehry-esque walls of the room provide. The attraction up front is a floor-to-ceiling window, but even the pane of stained glass running across its middle can’t obscure the fact that you’re looking at the parking garage. My favorite space is the urbane, elegant lounge area. Its marble bar, low seating and soft lighting bring a little taste of downtown to the burbs.
The Pour: Only one step away from his Master Sommelier diploma, Wabeck could practically teach a class around every glass he pours or bottle he opens, which would make for a long course given that his list comprises some 650 labels. You’ll find boutique Champagne, an entire page of Rieslings and a particular emphasis on Burgundy and Spanish Rioja. Yet for a crash course, you can’t go wrong with asking him to pair glasses of wine with your meal. You might get a rare Spanish rosé with your lobster or an ice wine from Austria with dessert.
The Taste: The menu is adventurous without being avant-garde; creative while still rooting in familiar techniques and elements. Krinn and Mathieson don’t just employ seasonal spring ramps; they whip them into a frothy emulsion alongside morels, asparagus and smoked trout. An elderflower gelée makes its way into a blueberry soup for dessert. The now-popular pork belly is sealed in a pierogi and served with peas, onions and shallot broth. Execution is flawless as well. Lobster tail gets no more flavorful or luscious as when the chefs slow-poach it and serve it with local greens for the lobster salad appetizer. The risotto, which makes such a nice bed for the braised veal cheek, is perfectly al dente and creamy. Only two months in, this is a kitchen already functioning at a very high level.
The Touch: Service here is very formal, bordering on stiff. And while the staff knows the food, on my visits, a few too many details seem to fall through the cracks: We wait 10-plus minutes before a server greets us. A candle on the table remains unlit until the second course. In a half-empty dining room, the hostess tries to sandwich us in between two other parties of two (she cheerfully reseated us, but why not offer our own space at the outset?). Petty grievances? Not at $100-plus per person.
Don’t Miss: The chef’s table for a special occasion. Set between two staircases in the downstairs kitchen and ringed with wine racks, it’s a perfect place to celebrate an anniversary or seal a deal.
Why You Won’t Go: Because despite its interior design flourishes, a restaurant on the first floor of an office building — surrounded by other office buildings — lacks allure.
Why You Will Go: Because, to put it simply, you won’t find better cooking anywhere in the Tysons Corner area.
If you go
Inox
1800 Tysons Blvd., McLean
703-790-4669
inoxrestaurant.com
Hours: Lunch — 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday; Dinner — 5 to 10 p.m. Sunday to Friday, 5 to 11 p.m. Saturday
Prices: Appetizers $12 to $21; entrees $22 to $35; six-course tasting menu $85 per person.
Bottom Line: Two first-rate chefs team up to turn out graceful, creative cuisine, but while service may improve with time, the location is still likely to leave city-dwellers cold.
