Inox in McLean?
Yesterday's POST had an article about a farewell dinner for the departing chef, John Wabeck, at New Heights restaurant. One sentence referred to Wabeck's new position as wine director at Inox in McLean. Does anyone know anything about this new place? Location? Type of cuisine? Price? Expected opening?
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We ate there last night (week 3 or 4 since their grand opening). Here's my brief review:
- Drinks: Menu (by the glass) has about 6-8 to choose from in each category (red, white, beer, cocktails). House cocktail menu caters to a much older crowd/tastes (mostly gin-based cocktails, and a campara cocktail). We ordered wine and mixed drinks. ($10-$20/glass). The wine pour was exact, or just slightly under. Selection of by-the-glass was okay (1 of each grape varietal)
- We did not order an appetizer (were not hungry enough), though it looked okay. The bread was fantastic (Rye, olive, french, country/rustic I think) and the butter was the perfect temperature (spreadable but not over-soft).
- Dinner: Pork Belly and Duck entrees. Very nicely prepared; perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. Fantastic. The Pork Belly seemed a little over-proportioned (I guess it was 8 oz, served with just a couple brussel sprouts) -- would have been better with less meat and more vegetables. But other than that - both were fantastic.
- Overall Menu: Personally, I'd like to see more vegetables and vegetarian options (the only vegetarian option was the standard pasta + roasted vegetables -- very typical). I'd also like to see more use of organic, locally grown, ethically/sustainable options (perhaps they are there -- but not advertised). Also, we saw other bar patrons eating items that were not on the menu -- I suspect there may be a 2nd menu for the bar-only, but this was not offered to us as a choice.
- Service: very friendly. But very new. I sensed a lack of confidence and inexperience; but otherwise very very friendly and professional.
- Decor/Atmosphere: The dining area felt so corporate - bright, starch white tables, starch white chairs - not intimate. So we ate in the bar/lounge, which is airy yet cozy, dimly lit, stylish, comfortable - fantastic.
- Parking: fyi, parking is valet only (free + tip). Strange because most of the parking garage in the area are open/free after business hours except their's. Not a big deal since there is no fee; but not everyone is comfortable/secure with using valet.
- Crowd: We went on a Wednesday night; no reservations. Crowd was older (40's+), well-dressed, corporate (post work/happy hour-ish). The bar/lounge was completely full early on; while the dining area had only a handful of tables used. We left by 8:30 and both were nearly empty.
Overall: It defintely felt new. (shaky wait staff; limited menu choices). But I have no doubt they'll work out these typical post-opening kinks and be a fantastic and much-needed new upscale option in the Tyson's area. I just hope that they make some modifications to attract the non-corporate-account crowd.
We will be back...many times I'm sure!
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Pool Boy
Aug 8, 2008 06:30 AM
It's in Mclean, VA (1800 Tyson's Blvd), it is supposed to open in November, and I think there is a well known (to DC folks) chef heading it up - Jonathon Krinn, as well as Jon Mathieson. No exact comments known on menu, but it will be influenced by seafood and Asian cuisine, supposedly. 125 seats.
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re: Ericandblueboy
2941 restaurant isn't more than a 10 minute drive from Tysons. I'm doing quite well without Inox or Colvin or whatever given the fact that the new chef at 2941 is putting out sublime food. Besides, the dining room at 2941 is one of -- if not the -- prettiest dining rooms in town. The lovely landscaping and great art always put me in a good mood.
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re: ranger2000
themeatguy
Jan 28, 2009 04:41 AM
Second week in February....
They will start dry runs this next Monday and are hopefull to open soon there after.-
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re: DanielK
I went on Friday evening. We had a very early reservation. It did, indeed, open on Thursday but chef Krinn said that it was a "soft open" and the
"real opening" would be Monday. As is typical of a new place, the kitchen was a little slow. But the food was great. It's pretty similar to the best that Krinn did at 2941 with a few interesting molecular gastronomy touches.
We had the salted cod and pumpkin-bacon pirogi appetizers, steak and salmon main courses and the Bavarian chocolate/Earl Gray ice cream and bread pudding/olive oil ice cream deserts. There was also a truffle and artichoke amuse bouche and a blueberry jelle pre-desert bonus. (I saw other tables getting the amuse bouche but we were 2941 regulars and got married there, so it's possible these were not sent to everyone.)Everything was very good: although I liked my food, my wife probably chose better. The Wagyu steak LOADED with marbleized fat and served with potatoes, seasoned haricot vert and greens is wonderful and, at $35, a bargain for the quality of meat. Fish dishes were very good as well; the salmon in particular was super-fresh--similar to what I've had in Japan.
The wine program looks very interesting. We just had glasses of champagne but it's worth exploring. Bread, by Mal Krin, is also top-notch although, for now at least, a little less varied than 2941. (Olive, wheat, rye, white.)The room is neat: no spectacular views but there's a very pretty glassed-in kitchen and two small rooms with AV systems designed for business meetings.
Service was top notch in every way even as the place got crowded.
Bottom line: I'll be back for sure. In my book, it's the best place going in Northern Virginia.
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