Where to dine in Tyson’s, McLean Va area?

[cvilleelkscoach]

i have a meeting at Freddie Mac in a couple of weeks. Haven’t been to that area in a few years. Where should my wife and I have dinner? Not interested in a steak place. We like seafood, Italian, French, up scale Asia. Looking for some good recommendations from the brain trust (that counts you out Barry). Lol jk.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ralphster]

Peter Chang. Cult Szechuan chef. Has a few restaurants in the area. Quite a following. Always listed among best Asian restaurants in the country.

 

[Zone-Blitz]

Founding Farmers

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Founding Farmers

As long as you don’t read Tom Sietsema’s WaPo review where he shreds the place (to be fair, it’s the Foggy Bottom location) to the tune of the most mean spirited ZERO star review I’ve ever read.

A bartender doesn’t blink when I tell her I’m done with a plank of prosciutto- and mascarpone-paved “farm” bread — seemingly a loaf of sliced ciabatta — after a few bites. With barely a glance, she chucks the lot, sullied with a cloying balsamic reduction, into the garbage. In the dining room a few weeks later, no one asks why so much food remains when staff come to collect our plates. Had my waiter inquired, my posse would have told him the swamp posing as shrimp and grits was about as close to the southern model as rap is to opera. Also: “Land and Sea” goes down like a forced marriage between beef steak that’s never cooked the shade you ask and a crab cake whose seafood is masked by salt and heat. The best part of the goat cheese burger has nothing to do with the unfortunate sandwich but with the squat brown paper bag alongside it. Inside are potato chips. They’re okay. Not okay: Chicken pot pie weighed down with an arid biscuit the size of a softball.

Main courses average an agreeable $19. The prices signal a bargain until you realize you’d rather pay extra for better food — elsewhere.

That said, I think Founding Farmers is pretty good. McLean/Tyson's is mostly 'power lunch' type steak places these days and ever since 'Me Too' bit Mike Isabella and his empire in the ass there isn't much there in the way of interesting cuisine (IMO). The aforementioned Peter Chang's is solid, but his nearest location is Arlington. If you can, try to get to DC. If you must stay in McLean/Tyson's, I'd recommend:

- Founding Farmers
- Chef Geoff's
- Lebanese Taverna
- Barrel & Bushel
- Earls
- Eddie V's Prime Seafood

Enjoy!

 

[psurog1]

The newest offering from Great American Restaurants local chain just opened called Patsy’s American...you won’t be disappointed...trust me.

 

[bboushell]

i have a meeting at Freddie Mac in a couple of weeks. Haven’t been to that area in a few years. Where should my wife and I have dinner? Not interested in a steak place. We like seafood, Italian, French, up scale Asia. Looking for some good recommendations from the brain trust (that counts you out Barry). Lol jk.

Thanks in advance.

Peking Duck Gourmet Inn (Chinese).
Have to like Peking duck, a lot of figure heads and famous folks have visited this establishment. Always best to make a reservation.
6029 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041
6.8 miles

Pupatella
Little pizzeria, parking can sometimes be an issue depending on time of day.
5104 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22205
5.4 miles

Taco Bamba
Lunch spot, real inexpensive but good street tacos.
2190 Pimmit Dr, Falls Church, VA 22043
Or
164 Maple Avenue West, Vienna, VA 22180
1.8 miles

Founding Farmers Tysons
1800 Tysons Blvd, Tysons, VA 22102

Costal Flats
Great American Restraunt - seafood with a fun atmosphere. Fairfax one is in a nice little shopping center (Fairfax Corner) and you can catch a movie after dinner if you want. Chain Restaurant*. Tyson one is in the mall which im not a fan of due to it being in mall but none the less still good and there is a theater in the mall as well. Reservations may be needed.
7860-L Tysons Corner Center
Or
11901 Grand Commons Ave, Fairfax, VA 22030

Bellissimo Restaurant
Not a bad little Italian spot in old town Fairfax.
10403 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030
10.4 miles

Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant & Wine
Italian as well.
10824 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030
10.4 miles

Eddie V's Prime Seafood
More of fine dining upscale place.
7900 Tysons One Pl, McLean, VA 22102

Chasing Tails
An attempt on Cajun-seafood jambalaya & boiled crawfish. Chain as well*.
2200 N Westmoreland St, Arlington, VA 22213
3.9 miles

Lived in Nova for over two decades

Other folks have made some great recommendations.

I also agree with the chain statement. *

 

[Aardvark86]

I don’t recall there being a Jose andres place out there but if there is go there. Or go to crystal city to jaleo.

Tyson’s is really pretty corporate chain-ey. In McLean cafe oggi. Or Go off the board a bit and head toward great falls to lauberge chez Francois. Traditional country French but lovely setting.

 

[Lion84]

Founding Farmers

Just had lunch there on Tuesday with clients - was very good.

 

[MadChill]

i have a meeting at Freddie Mac in a couple of weeks. Haven’t been to that area in a few years. Where should my wife and I have dinner? Not interested in a steak place. We like seafood, Italian, French, up scale Asia. Looking for some good recommendations from the brain trust (that counts you out Barry). Lol jk.

Thanks in advance.

https://www.mamachangva.com/
Peter Chang does have a new restaurant in NoVa. Mama Chang's located at 3251 Old Lee Highway in Fairfax, which Sietsema just named as the top restaurant in the Washington Post's Spring Dining Guide: https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/food/dc-spring-restaurant-guide/?utm_term=.ca24de11e341

Another Sietsema favorite is the Greek restaurant Nostos located at 8100 Boone (Aline & Leesburg) Blvd, Vienna: https://nostosrestaurant.com/

And although Pupatella has been mentioned, a just-as-good pizza place is Crust Pizzeria located at 8415 Old Courthouse Road in Vienna: https://www.crust-pizza.com/

 

[LionHoya]

My recommendations:

- Clarity, modern American (in Vienna, 5-10 min drive from Tysons)
- Bonaroti, classic Italian (also Vienna)
- Masala, Indian (McLean)
- Chef Geoff's, modern American (Tysons)

As others have said, Tysons is pretty chainy

 

[cvilleelkscoach]

Thanks to everyone that answered, very helpful.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

As an aside, I checked to see if my favorite NOVA joint was still in business 14 years after I left and it was - Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon.

I ate in tons of great places in DC - most as boondoggles hooked up by lobbyist friends and the typical DC shenanigans, but this simple Persian joint is probably the place I would go daily if I could. I went so many times that the Owner (Mohammed) would see me walk in and start writing my order. At lunch there would always be 4-5 crusty Iranian expats watching a grainy TV broadcasting Iranian TV.

Kickass food doesn’t ever need to be fancy. Mediterranean and Persian comfort food is my jam.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

As an aside, I checked to see if my favorite NOVA joint was still in business 14 years after I left and it was - Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon.

I ate in tons of great places in DC - most as boondoggles hooked up by lobbyist friends and the typical DC shenanigans, but this simple Persian joint is probably the place I would go daily if I could. I went so many times that the Owner (Mohammed) would see me walk in and start writing my order. At lunch there would always be 4-5 crusty Iranian expats watching a grainy TV broadcasting Iranian TV.

Kickass food doesn’t ever need to be fancy. Mediterranean and Persian comfort food is my jam.

On that note, my favorite kabob place in the area is actually at the Tyson's Corner Mall and it's aptly named 'Grill Kabob'. They butter up the meats and bread before grilling them then serve with two massive sides of rice and homemade yogurt dipping sauce. I'll have to try out the one in Clarendon though.

Recently my favorite thing in DC is this Balkan food truck called 'From Scratch' - tastes exactly like what I would get in Sarajevo. The cevap (grilled pork/beef sausage) and kajmuk (buttery cheese spread) sandwich is amazing...

 

[Chickenman Testa]

On that note, my favorite kabob place in the area is actually at the Tyson's Corner Mall and it's aptly named 'Grill Kabob'. They butter up the meats and bread before grilling them then serve with two massive sides of rice and homemade yogurt dipping sauce. I'll have to try out the one in Clarendon though.

Recently my favorite thing in DC is this Balkan food truck called 'From Scratch' - tastes exactly like what I would get in Sarajevo. The cevap (grilled pork/beef sausage) and kajmuk (buttery cheese spread) sandwich is amazing...

Yeah, brother! Same thing - they definitely butter up the skewers and bread. I love that Sumac powder as well. I smother the rice with sumac powder and the yogurt sauce. Moby Dick south of DuPont used to be good as well.

There is **** all of that type of food in Austin. A real shame. Supposedly there’s a place about 30 minutes north of me in far northAustin I need to try

 

[Class of 67]

Peking Duck Gourmet Inn (Chinese)
Have to like Peking duck. A lot of figure heads and famous folks have visited this establishment. Always best to make a reservation.
6029 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041

Pupatella
Little pizzeria, parking can sometimes be an issue depending on time of day.
5104 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22205

Taco Bamba
Lunch spot, real inexpensive but good street tacos.
2190 Pimmit Dr, Falls Church, VA 22043
Or
164 Maple Avenue West, Vienna, VA 22180

Founding Farmers Tysons
1800 Tysons Blvd, Tysons, VA 22102

Costal Flats
Great American Restraunt - seafood with a fun atmosphere. Fairfax one is in a nice little shopping center (Fairfax Corner) and you can catch a movie after dinner if you want. Chain Restaurant*. Tyson one is in the mall which im not a fan of due to it being in mall but none the less still good and there is a theater in the mall as well. Reservations may be needed.
7860-L Tysons Corner Center
Or
11901 Grand Commons Ave, Fairfax, VA 22030

Bellissimo Restaurant
Not a bad little Italian spot in old town Fairfax.
10403 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030

Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant & Wine
Italian as well.
10824 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030

Eddie V's Prime Seafood
More of fine dining upscale place.
7900 Tysons One Pl, McLean, VA 22102

Chasing Tails
An attempt on Cajun-seafood jambalaya & boiled crawfish. Chain as well*.
2200 N Westmoreland St, Arlington, VA 22213

Lived in Nova for over two decades

Other folks have made some great recommendations.

I also agree with the chain statement. *

I would not consider some of these in the "McLean area" unless your OK within a 10 mile radius. On a side note, my wife went into labor at Peking Duck 34 years ago, so don't go there if yours is 9 months pregnant!

 

[Lion78]

Within the 10 mile radius, L’Auberge Chez Francois’ https://www.laubergechezfrancois.com/

 

[NoVa Lion]

Personally I avoid the Tysons Corner area like the plague. Traffic in Northern VA is awful and Tysons is the worst.

 

[bboushell]

Peking Duck Gourmet Inn (Chinese)
Have to like Peking duck. A lot of figure heads and famous folks have visited this establishment. Always best to make a reservation.
6029 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041

Pupatella
Little pizzeria, parking can sometimes be an issue depending on time of day.
5104 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22205

Taco Bamba
Lunch spot, real inexpensive but good street tacos.
2190 Pimmit Dr, Falls Church, VA 22043
Or
164 Maple Avenue West, Vienna, VA 22180

Founding Farmers Tysons
1800 Tysons Blvd, Tysons, VA 22102

Costal Flats
Great American Restraunt - seafood with a fun atmosphere. Fairfax one is in a nice little shopping center (Fairfax Corner) and you can catch a movie after dinner if you want. Chain Restaurant*. Tyson one is in the mall which im not a fan of due to it being in mall but none the less still good and there is a theater in the mall as well. Reservations may be needed.
7860-L Tysons Corner Center
Or
11901 Grand Commons Ave, Fairfax, VA 22030

Bellissimo Restaurant
Not a bad little Italian spot in old town Fairfax.
10403 Main St, Fairfax, VA 22030

Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant & Wine
Italian as well.
10824 Fairfax Blvd, Fairfax, VA 22030

Eddie V's Prime Seafood
More of fine dining upscale place.
7900 Tysons One Pl, McLean, VA 22102

Chasing Tails
An attempt on Cajun-seafood jambalaya & boiled crawfish. Chain as well*.
2200 N Westmoreland St, Arlington, VA 22213

Lived in Nova for over two decades

Other folks have made some great recommendations.

I also agree with the chain statement. *

I would not consider some of these in the "McLean area" unless your OK within a 10 mile radius. On a side note, my wife went into labor at Peking Duck 34 years ago, so don't go there if yours is 9 months pregnant!

Udated with mile range.

 

[BrucePa]

I live in northern Virginia and eat in the Tysons area often. It generally has mediocre and chain food. Visit www.donrockwell.com if you want to hear from thousands of food-savvy Washingtonians.

AVOID Founding Farmers. I have had horrific food there, even though it has the highest revenue of any restaurant in Tysons. Also avoid the Great American Restaurant Group restaurants (Patsy's, Sweetwater, Coastal Flats, etc.) unless you want to shriek over the ear-splitting din to converse with anyone you're eating with.

In Tysons itself, Lebanese Taverna is convenient to Freddie Mac -- my wife works at Freddie -- and Da Domenico is very trusty Italian. Woo Lae Oak is serviceable Korean, and Nostos is your best bet for high end Greek. (My wife is an executive admin at Freddie and works for four SVPs, and they invariably take their special lunches at Nostos.)

If you have the chance to get out of Tysons, Amoo's in McLean is genuine Persian fare, and Clarity in Vienna is as good as it gets in that part of the suburbs.

 

[Aardvark86]

My recommendations:

- Clarity, modern American (in Vienna, 5-10 min drive from Tysons)
- Bonaroti, classic Italian (also Vienna)
- Masala, Indian (McLean)
- Chef Geoff's, modern American (Tysons)

As others have said, Tysons is pretty chainy

Chef Geoff’s is good

 

[Aardvark86]

As an aside, I checked to see if my favorite NOVA joint was still in business 14 years after I left and it was - Kabob Bazaar in Clarendon.

I ate in tons of great places in DC - most as boondoggles hooked up by lobbyist friends and the typical DC shenanigans, but this simple Persian joint is probably the place I would go daily if I could. I went so many times that the Owner (Mohammed) would see me walk in and start writing my order. At lunch there would always be 4-5 crusty Iranian expats watching a grainy TV broadcasting Iranian TV.

Kickass food doesn’t ever need to be fancy. Mediterranean and Persian comfort food is my jam.

Sadly Clarendon has gobbled up the Asian classics like queen bee etc

 

[BrucePa]

Chef Geoff’s is good

It's very inconsistent. When Geoff Tracy is in the kitchen, it can be good, but he is mostly in the kitchen downtown at Columbia Square. Chef Geoff's in Tysons is not worth the visit.

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Sadly Clarendon has gobbled up the Asian classics like queen bee etc

Oh, god, the Queen Bee. That place was awesome. Several times I would eat there I’d see high ranking Vietnam Vets eating there - McCain, Schwarzkopf, etc. I think I saw Schwarzkopf with some of his old South Vietnamese Ranger buddies. They all looked like badasses. Tight security to say the least

 

[Pinkhippo PeanutButter]

I think there is a McDonald's there. There used to be a great Roy Roger's in Reston.

 

[BrucePa]

Oh, god, the Queen Bee. That place was awesome. Several times I would eat there I’d see high ranking Vietnam Vets eating there - McCain, Schwarzkopf, etc. I think I saw Schwarzkopf with some of his old South Vietnamese Ranger buddies. They all looked like badasses. Tight security to say the least

Queen Bee is long gone, and all reasonable Vietnamese fare has moved to the Eden Center and surrounding Seven Corners-Falls Church area. Some of the best Vietnamese food this side of Los Angeles is in Falls Church. Clarendon was once the home of the Defense Intelligence Agency's human collection service, in that pyramidal building above the Metro. When it moved, Clarendon's food scene took a dive,

But the original poster was looking for Tysons recommendations, and unfortunately, a lot of poor recommendations surfaced. I repeat, Freddie Mac executives invariably take their big deal visitors to Nostos off Rt 7, or Lebanese Taverna in Tysons Galleria. Woo Lae Oak is pretty good Americanized Korean fare as well, but parking is a bit of a problem. All other recommendations for Tysons, especially Founding Farmers and any Great American Restaurant Group restaurant, are a waste of a good meal opportunity.

 

[anon_xdc8rmuek44eq]

Queen Bee is long gone, and all reasonable Vietnamese fare has moved to the Eden Center and surrounding Seven Corners-Falls Church area. Some of the best Vietnamese food this side of Los Angeles is in Falls Church. Clarendon was once the home of the Defense Intelligence Agency's human collection service, in that pyramidal building above the Metro. When it moved, Clarendon's food scene took a dive,

But the original poster was looking for Tysons recommendations, and unfortunately, a lot of poor recommendations surfaced. I repeat, Freddie Mac executives invariably take their big deal visitors to Nostos off Rt 7, or Lebanese Taverna in Tysons Galleria. Woo Lae Oak is pretty good Americanized Korean fare as well, but parking is a bit of a problem. All other recommendations for Tysons, especially Founding Farmers and any Great American Restaurant Group restaurant, are a waste of a good meal opportunity.

I recommended Lebanese Taverna, and disagree about FF. It's not Rose's Luxury but it's fine. And I've had plenty of good meals at Mike's in Springfield and Sweetwater Tavern in both Centreville and Sterling. I do agree that there are better restaurants in the area if you're willing to travel a bit, but Tyson's Corner is pretty limited. We're talking dinner here - not your last meal.

 

[shak66_psu]

Chef Geoff’s is good

Been in NoVA for 20 yrs
1) L'auberge Chez Francois - by far the best, worth the drive
honorable mention
Clarity
Bonaroti
which are 5 mins away in Vienna
folks nominating chains are way off

 

[Chickenman Testa]

Queen Bee is long gone, and all reasonable Vietnamese fare has moved to the Eden Center and surrounding Seven Corners-Falls Church area. Some of the best Vietnamese food this side of Los Angeles is in Falls Church. Clarendon was once the home of the Defense Intelligence Agency's human collection service, in that pyramidal building above the Metro. When it moved, Clarendon's food scene took a dive,

But the original poster was looking for Tysons recommendations, and unfortunately, a lot of poor recommendations surfaced. I repeat, Freddie Mac executives invariably take their big deal visitors to Nostos off Rt 7, or Lebanese Taverna in Tysons Galleria. Woo Lae Oak is pretty good Americanized Korean fare as well, but parking is a bit of a problem. All other recommendations for Tysons, especially Founding Farmers and any Great American Restaurant Group restaurant, are a waste of a good meal opportunity.

Nice to hear Lebanese Taverna is still around. Assume it’s the same ownership as the one in Cleveland Park(?). That was the only one when I was there and that place was unreal.