Inox

Just an FYI, the restaurant is lo longer open. It’s a shame as Jonathan and company did a good job but the restaurant suffered from a few things namely I believe biggest issue being the location.
ps, I already reviewed the restaurant, just wanted to give people heads up so they didn’t show up to find a closed door.

Business lunch here today so didn’t get to make my own choices from the menu and my mind was, admittedly, more on business than the food.
It’s a nice upscale restaurant with extremely attentive and professional staff. While I thought the food was very good rather than outstanding, every dish was accomplished and well presented but, like the décor of the modern dining room, it lacked character and love.
Good for a business lunch where the focus is more on discussion but I can’t think of any other time I would want to come here.

Had dinner here to celebrate a good friends birthday. The décor is nice, very trendy. The ambiance is nice and noise level is nice, where you don’t have to scream to hear the people at your table.
We started off with lobster and foie gras appetizer, both were delish! Our waitress was very attentive and not very intrusive, if I had to complain it was that she was not knowledgeable enough about the wine on the menu but then again she’s not the sommilier, regardless she could brush up a little on the vino selection. :)
When the appetizers came out were thought, wow, that’s small, but then we started eating and it was plenty, we had hte same thought with our meal but again it was more than enough. The bread passed around is very good as well. The dessert menu is decent although I picked the chocolate peanut butter dessert cake and was not impressed at all … actually the desserts were not that impressive, now the cheese tray was very good.
If you go, people dress up here, so you make want to do some casual dress if you don’t want to get all dressed up.
I left very satisfied and not over stuffed at all. All 4 of us had a wonderful meal and will return.

Impressed. It’s not a term I use often… but Inox definitely deserves it. I went in thinking this is just another fancy shmancy restaurant in Tysons for power lunches and work happy hours… I came out thinking this is one of the best restaurants I have been to in a VERY long time.
The service was attentive (in just the right amount). The wait staff was also very knowledgeable regarding the menu and any questions my table had.
The ambiance and service were both wonderful, for either a business dinner or an anniversary dinner (similar to
in that respect), but what really blew me away was the food. I’m so used to restaurants being overly fancy with no flair for flavor and creativity. Inox completely delivered in these too areas… the dishes my table had were ALL incredibly delicious AND creative.
We started off with the parsnip soup (which was absolute heaven) and the seasonal greens. You can’t really mess up a seasonal greens salad, so the review of this dish is probably mute, BUT the dressing was definitely a notch above standard mixed greens. As for the parsnip soup, the presentation was beautiful… they present it with a brandade de morue in the bowl by itself mixed with hamachi, then they pour in the soup. The soup was seasoned to perfection.
Our dinners consisted of the pumpkin cavatelli pasta and the venison. The pasta is 100% vegetarian and absolutely amazing. The combination of vegetables, seasonings, and pasta wowed me. It had amazing texture from pumpkin seeds and amazing flavor from the brussel sprouts and squash. Venison is another dish that has taken high end restaurants by storm. Usually it’s served with an overly sweet sauce that drowns out the true flavor of the meat. Not this time… the sauce was savory and complimented the venison perfectly.
We finished our meal with the warm chocolate cake trio (lava cake with a side of chocolate malt and grand marnier ice cream). Like everything else… the combination was inventive and awesome! HIGHLY recommend this place.

This is a place I would never think of going on my own. It’s a little too fancy for me. However, my work decided to have our xmas lunch here so that was a treat. I can’t comment on the décor and layout b/​c we were seated in a separate room.
The wait staff is very attentive, filling your glass when needed and changing utensils for each course. The lunch menu has a lot of variety and there is a pre fixe menu that you can get three courses for $ 28 which is a great deal!
Everyone enjoyed their meals. The bread they serve before the meal is warm with a crispy crust and soft center. I had the seared boat scallops and they were exceptional. They were nicely seared on the outside to give them a little crunch. The saltiness of the bacon went well with the richness of the other elements in the dish.
Although it is pricey the food is well worth it. I would return here for a fancy lunch since it is reasonably priced.

I agree with those people that have observed that all is all right here. My 1^st experience was very good, but my 2^nd and 3^rd have been successively falling shorter and shorter from that 1^st time.
The risotto first course is excellent. Salty, but the flavors are so intense, I’m guessing, from a drawn-​out reduction process. Foie gras, well, can Hudson Valley + skilled chef lead to anything but good? The halibut — dry. The rack of lamb serviceable. Skate Wing — forgettable.
At $ 76, i think their tasting menu is the way to go. It would easily surpass $ 100 in a more urban location.
Petits Fours were fun and fanciful. Impressed they tackled kalamansi — a citrus-​like fruit from the Philippines in the form of a kalamansi marshmallow. Also the dark chocolate with the bacon was spot on. Smoky, savory, and sweet. It’s like Vosges’ Mo’ Bacon Bar.
We did see Chef Krinn working the floor in a suit, but to tell you the truth he looked so pained. The dining room floor as a primary responsibility is probably not the best match for him. He needs to really get back in his element (read kitchen) to work his magic and have a professional to handle the front (or at least someone who looks like they enjoy roaming the floor).

The chef at Inox is the same guy that was at 2941 when we went there a few years ago. I was told not to expect much, because the food was on par with what 2941 used to be. My source apparently thinks the new chef at 2941 is much better than the old, but since I enjoyed myself when I was there I wasn’t that concerned. I would, in fact, rate the food on par and given my prior review, that’s a good thing. The décor was of similar quality, although the fine dining nature was less airy contemporary and more warm lounge. The service was what you would expect of a restaurant of this quality.
The menu leaned towards seafood and higher end ingredients but there is probably going to be something for everyone who isn’t a vegetarian. The prices weren’t as ridiculous as I would have expected given the location and the portions, while appearing small, ended up perfect for a three course meal. The courses presented well, had balanced flavors and were generally pleasing. Not every dish was a home run but none were a disappointment. My courses were very rich, although that’s what I expected from ordering foie gras and duck. The seafood dishes appeared lighter, but I didn’t try any to be able to say with certainty. If you’re looking for a recommendation, I highly suggest the Duck Breast with Duck Confit-​Pistachio-​English Pea Agnolotti [ravioli], Heirloom Beets and Foie Gras Emulsion. It’s probably the best duck dish I’ve ever had.
All in all, it was a pleasant experience. I’d have a hard time not recommending it to someone looking for a good meal. I wouldn’t suggest large groups or going in without your shirt tucked in, but it’s a good place to sit down and enjoy your dinner.

I’ve been here a good half-​dozen times. In short; excellent food, large selection of wine by the glass, and wonderful desserts. Easily the best dining experience in Tysons Corner.
The interior is contemporary, the service is good, and the atmosphere is business casual. Moreover, their pricing is reasonable. For lunch you can get away with not far off $ 20 – 30 per person, and get a much better meal then the gastronomic mediocrity of many of the other places in Tysons for that price-​range. They also have a mini-​course lunch menu for below thirty dollars which is nice.
Perhaps, a recessionary side-​effect, but what I personally appreciate is the rotating selection of affordable wines– especially by the glass. They do also have a large selection of higher-​priced, higher-​quality wines, but whomever selects this wine seems to have a consideration for the current economic climate. Its something every enophile can applaud.
Inox also have a very good tasting menu, which is usually below a hundred course alone and not much more paired with wine. Its excellent, large variety, and if you can, the wine pairing is always recommended. But one thing I really love here is the desserts, and I’m not fan of sweets. I attribute this to the fact that pastries and cakes have a more restrained sweetness to it, not the overly-​sweetened mess that so many American pastries often seem to fall in to– rather, using the natural sweetness of the fruit the pastry is paired with– the raspberry crêpes I’ve had there recently being an example of this.

I give it 2.5 stars. I came here on a Monday night with high expectation. Inox was not prepared. Actually, the wait staff was on point, but that’s probably because we were the only people there! As for the kitchen, it needs to re-​evaluate their palettes. I felt everything lacked flavor and EVERYTHING was salty. I thought it was just me, but my dining date agreed. I think our bill was $ 160 for 1 app, 2 entrees and a bottle of wine. For that amount of $$$, you would think the food would be delish. I left disappointed. =(I originally rounded up, but reflecting back, I changed it 2 stars. Maybe I’ll come here again, but not on my dime.
4 stars for service/​1 star for food.

I’ve been a fan of Jonathan Krinn since enjoying my dining experiences at 2941. My expectations were high as we rounded the corner passing the golden sign announcing you have arrived at your destination, to the valet parking stand and strolling up to the front door as the staff swiftly opens it making you feel as if you are coming home.
It was a bit early for the Friday night dinner time (5:45ish) so we decided to take up residence at the bar and we were happy to find we could order from the full menu without having to give up our comfortable perch. The bartenders were more than gracious, offering to suggest/​explain the specialty drinks, recommend wine paring or give you full detail descriptions of the menu items. Dave was quite adept at crafting my Summertime in the Garden martini. Concocted with a balanced mix of Red Peppercorn Infused Tequila, Lillet, Strawberry Purée, Rhubarb Syrup, and Moscato d’Asti this light refreshing drink let me know I was in for more tasty treats to come.
We split our 2 first courses and 1 main thankfully so because the serving portions were very generous. Starter — LOCAL HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD-​Mosaic of Watermelon (red and yellow), Micro Basil, and Spanish Goat Cheese — fresh fresh fresh flavors. 1^st course — SLOW COOKED VEAL CHEEK RISOTTO, Porcini Mushrooms, and Fava Beans — I LOVE veal cheeks and the risotto was cooked to perfection and creamy creamy creamy. Main — CRISPY SKATE WING AND DAY BOAT SCALLOPS-​Green Asparagus, Potato Confit, Lettuce Emulsion, Fresh Summer Truffles, Cucumbers, and Black Radish — scallops were perfectly seared and the skate was crunchy coated and flavorful but the star of the plate was the lettuce emulsion (first time having this boldly fresh flavor and I could have drank a gallon!).
Desert deserves its on paragraph — The chocolate cherry molten bread pudding oozed cherry chocolate lava as I punctured the crust of the brioche and chocolate custard, needless to say the flavors just blew me away. A side of house made cherry ice cream and a splash of Banyoul’s dessert wine rounded out the presentation and flavor profile. If you are not already aware, Banyuls is only one of the fortified wines made in the Languedoc-​Roussillon region which is home to some of the most ancient vineyards of the world. The amazing part of pairing this dessert with Banyuls is the deep rich plum/​cherry notes with a hint of orange and espresso in the finish… this is one of those finishing moments to an outstanding meal that make you want to repeat over and over and over again!
As I wrap up this review the only negative I have is that the décor seemed a bit crafted together like a crazy quilt. It was DC club meets bar lounge meets fine dining all wrapped up in gray, ecru, brick red and accented with shiny gold beads in lieu of alternative window treatments. The bar was a combo of crazy expensive marble with pink veins running through it paired with a dark wood fascia. I’m not sure how the cowhide stools and varnished driftwood’esque tables play in the space… I was just left with a bit of confusion in how you’d describe it.
The food was high quality, pleasurable to the eye as well as the palate and I recommend this as a «special» evening out locale.

I have to say that the experience that I had at INOX was a one that of a day at the park waiting for something that was good that would only get better… let me explain.
Sitting down at the bar having a raspberry pisco sour in a martini glass… well I gotta say that I didn’t enjoy the martini glass but I have to say that I really did enjoy everything about it. There was a fruity sourness to the pisco with the cherry colored sugar on top. I gotta say the bartender really took time to get every detail in the drink. Not the quickest drink but still got what I ordered.
Moving on… the tasting menu was great but the a la carte menu is something that is you really have to think about… which one do I choose? tasting or ala carte. first time there I had to choose the tasting.
Everything was as expected… Jonathan (s) were all in the dining area and had to say attention to detail was something everyone was trying to attain.
I have to say that I really enjoyed all the meats that were done either sous vide or confit! really tasty and all really well seasoned.
One thing I have to point out was the black sesame ice cream… I am korean and the only thing I could really think about was the rice cake that tasted exactly like the wonderful ice cream I had… I actually asked for 3 servings to go and they gladly obliged and packed it for me… damn that is good service.
Folk it’s a new restaurant and there is some room to grow but I gotta say you have a complaint and they are gonna fix it right away… run to eat at this wonderful establishment.
Cheers

Most Recent Review: Early June
After giving INOX a pretty great review, I was a bit disappointed the 2^nd and 3^rd time I went. Everything has gone downhill. The infamous beloved truffle melt was still tasty but not as big. I had a flat bread for lunch and it was horrible. It was burnt, the taste was bland, the topping looked carelessly thrown on. The service has declined as well. Maybe it was because we looked young compared to the other customers, (early 20s compared to mid-​40s/​50s) so they didn’t think we were the type to «care» about service. The server didn’t inform my friend that her dessert was missing an ingredient (tapioca bubbles) and that was the reason why my friend ordered it. The dessert came out, minus the tapioca and the server didn’t even inform us that it was missing until she asked. The server barely uttered an apology and walked away. What Happened INOX?!?
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PREVIOUS REVIEW: 5÷4÷2009
This place recently opened up near my place and we decided it’d be a great idea to go for my birthday lunch especially since its the same chef from 2941 who moved here!
The place has natura filtered water so they charge a nominal fee of $ 1 but you get to choose between sparkling or still. Since we had to pay the dollar anyway, we both ordered sparkling.
We shared the «COMPRESSED ENDIVE SALAD» as an appetizer. There was also blue cheese in the salad — which was good and I love spiced pecans. The dressing was so-​so. The salad was a mix of one bite tasting fine/​normal, and then the next is very bitter/​strong. It was odd. Next time, I’ll order another salad or another appetizer.
My truffled patty melt was amazing. I ordered it medium rare & got it medium rare. The fries were crisp and tasty, you can’t go wrong with fries. The bread was perfectly toasted — crisp & brown, no burnt spots at all. It was also a huge portion — I could only eat half of the melt and half of the fries. I brought the rest home for boyfriend and he gobbled it all up immediately.
This dessert — «Tangerine Vacherin — vanilla sphere custard, granny smith, and fnnel granite» was very different — in a fabulous way. There were tangerine sorbet, along with tangerine mousse & a frozen flan inside. The crème caramel sphere had a layer of caramelized sugaro n the top. The granny smith was just slivers of apple but the fennel granite was awesome, they were green pieces of rocks/​ice, went so well. The white is white chocolate but it was very chalky — however the heck they did that. I loved the presentation! (not to mention they wrote Happy Birthday on the side of the plate for me!)
After dinner, we had petite fours. There were chocolate/​coconut, raspberry marshmellow, another vanilla cake one, mint chocolate, lychee, and apricot jelly thing. I didn’t particularly enjoy any of these petite fours except the cake one. The chocolate/​coconut was odd — ‘gravy’ Nicole said. The chocolate mint was nothing new. Lychee was good since we’re both fans of it. The raspberry marshmellow was tasty but again, nothing interesting and the apricot was a good sweet way to end the meal.
The service was excellent! Our server explained everything to us in rather great detail and even gave us copies of the menu to take home. She also explained to us our desserts three times after which Nicole had to start writing down! The chef also stopped by and spoke to us. He said hello, asked us how lunch was, proceeded to ask where I worked and what we did, etc. Very nice and friendly guy! Prices were so-​so. I got one of the least expensive items on the menu and it was an excellent choice. I wanted to try the lobster ravioli dish but it didn’t seem to come with too much food being a whopping $ 36 at lunch. As for Nicole’ s food, she got the LAMB BOLOGNESE — House Made Cavatelli, Parmesan Foam which came out looking like meal worms and she said it tasted like… regular home-​made pasta but she ate it all because the serving wasn’t too big. Her dessert — she fell in love. She had WARM YUZU MOUSSE with Kumquat, Shiso, and coconut but it was a crazy mix (the reason why the server had to explain everything.) but it was excellent. The dessert menu’s wording is very simple/​short which it shouldn’t be because the desserts are NOT simple and also great. A place with great creative desserts makes me a happy person because I’m all about desserts. People remember the end of a meal and if you can be creative throughout the entire meal including dessert, then you’re amaz-​ing. (which restaurants sometimes skip and go with the usual apple pie a la mode because it seems easier.) The check came out to be about a little over $ 32 each I believe — yay!

I was so excited about Inox, since I LOVED 2941. So sad, I just didn’t love Inox. Our server was an idiot, and the space is aseptic.
And the food! Well, it was OK, and certainly, um, nourishing. But after sampling practically the entire menu (we are a large group of sharers), there was definitely no magic. There were magical elements — like the perfectly seared foie gras, and the perfectly tender sweetbreads. But they were totally overwhelmed by a bunch of other crap on the plate that didn’t even taste like themselves. My. mother. could. not. finish. the. skate. I can count the number of times my mother has not finished skate. One.
On the plus side, the wine list seems nicely thought out and even has multiple pages of very reasonably priced bottles, altho they were offered to us by a fella who looked like he had just graduated puberty who was clearly reciting from memory (but I’m sure very talented).

In the interest of full disclosure, I worked at 2941 for a year and a half and absolutely loved it. I’ve never worked at Inox however, and so I feel compelled to compare and contrast.
When I first approached Inox, I was a bit confused. The décor is a bit of a riot of textures and weight. Everything is appealing in its own right, but there seemed to be no cohesion or theme other than, «Oh, that looks neat.» The contrast between the bar and the dining room is likewise jarring. The dining room is much more elegant and conservative. Lighting throughout seemed pleasant. I do think there are too many tables in the space however, and the lack of art in the dining room was another disappointing departure from Krinn’s old space: there are no 18 foot high paintings of nymphs playing in a waterfall here.
I only had an appetizer and drink at the bar in the afternoon, so I will not speak to the full menu nor the waitstaff, since it was a bit of an awkward time. I will say that the spiced and glazed shrimp I got had potential but not executed particularly well. I know Krinn was not in the kitchen when my order came out though. The Spanish rose that I selected to accompany it, however, was delightful and moderately priced.
I will return for a proper dinner at some point soon. To be honest I will return with the hope of being able to add another star to this restaurants score.

Jonathan Krin does it again. After being a longtime fan of 2941, I eagerly anticipated my trip to Inox. The space is very sleek and spacious. The staff is knowledgeable, pleasant, and efficient. The sommelier recommended a beautiful Bordeaux to pair with our eclectic food choices around the table. I had the squab with melt-​in-​your-​mouth foie gras to start followed by a light trout with spicy chorizo and a almond sauce. One of my dining companions had what he described as some of the best duck breast he has ever eaten.
I finished my meal with two oddly delicious desserts. First was a chocolate bread pudding with kalamata olives, and strangely it worked. Then I had a little cookie of chocolate and bacon. I am a strong believer that if you put bacon on anything, it makes it better, and to my surprise that rule also works for chocolate.
Great place and looking forward to the next trip.

I have eaten here twice and both times they fully delivered. Both of the savory Chefs do wonderful work and are both very friendly!
I had the butter poached Maine lobster and ravioli filled with braised shorts ribs — this was to die for! The second time I had the Red Snapper which was delicious! I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the dishes. The presentations of the food was beautiful. Aside from the food, the restaurant is beautifully designed and the staff is all very friendly.
My family enjoyed the walk to the bathroom because there is a window that allows guests see into the kitchen. They enjoyed watching what was going on in the kitchen — we were able to watch our desserts being plated.
All in all, I highly recommend eating here!

This is a beautiful space. Only had drinks and bar menu so far, and will go back to try a dinner. However, my first impression was very much like my impression of 2941 — which is sort of an Emperors New Clothes feeling that I don’t see the magnificence that so many others seem to.
The duck rillettes and samosas was nice, but nothing particularly special. The olives described on the menu didn’t show up on the plate, and it was a pretty meager portion for $ 15 or so — would have been fine (if overpriced) as an appetizer for one before a meal, but not really suitable for a bar menu that you’d share between a couple of people. Not enough to share. The fries were OK but again, nothing special (I have a high standard on fries as they’re usually superb in Holland where I spend most of my time these days, and these didn’t compare — nor to the ones at Central). The cheese plate had 4 very interesting cheeses artfully presented, but the same theme holds — lilliputian slices barely enough for 2 people to have a bite each to taste, so the fine taste of that bite was overshadowed by the aftertaste of the $ 18 price.
The wine by the glass selection was pretty small and none stood out, and again overpriced (even by top restaurant standards).
2 people having 2 glasses of wine each, plus the nibbles above, came to $ 120.
So, I will go back to try a meal just to give them a fair shake, but for a drink after work there are much better choices even in Tysons.

We had to go here after following Chef Krin from 2941 to his newest establishment of Krin’s so my boss was more than adamant that we go here for my coworker’s bday. Whenever he takes us out, it’s definitely a treat for us to try out new restaurants and I’m always excited and very grateful.
The ambiance of the restaurant was very elegant and done tastefully. The name of the restaurant means stainless steel in French which I find very fitting. This restaurant’s style and elegance will definitely be strong enough to be around for awhile.
Anywho, I’m really surprised that ppl did not comment on the bread bc it was sooooo moist and delicious and all done IN HOUSE. Yes Chef Krin’s dad is retired and decided to try his hand in making bread and I’m soooo glad. My favorite was pumpernickel; I mean I could have it for the entire meal. so good. The bread portion was done a little bit differently this time. Instead of having the basket in the middle, they have servers coming around and serve us our bread which was lovely. I much prefer the basket so we can dig in ourselves but this way was fine too. hehe.
Lunch prices on the meals are fairly decent which is great. I ordered the steak for my entrée and yum! It came with some fries which was good but I didn’t want to fill my stomach with too much. The steak was done medium well and so good. Moist and perfectly seasoned. mmm. Now let’s talk about the dessert! I ordered the pineapple mousse and OMG, the pastry chef is amazing! It’s not tarte, right type of consistency and just enough to hit that spot on the palette. Overall I’m more than satisfied. The service was neither fast nor slow and we weren’t in any hurry to head back to the office. If you want your meal done right and done well, culinary experience should never be rushed. We even had a chance to compliment the chef when he came around asking how things were. Next time, we definitely want to make an effort and compliment the breadmaker. =)
We were hoping not to be disappointed and we were so glad that the experience surpassed more of our expectations. This is a plus plus plus in my book!

OK-let’s get one thing straight. It’s already apparent to me as soon as we walked through the door how stuffy the restaurant is. But just how stuffy was it?! Well… let’s proceed.
It was evident that this a newly established restaurant to join the oh so lovely business district of Mclean. This seems like a replica of the Willard room, where dinner service can literally take hours and hours and you will still not be partially done. After a late night at the office, long service was the last thing I wanted to endure… seriously it was torture. After being seated, it took an eternity for somebody to come over just to serve «bottled» water. It was like 5 – 10 minutes (which does feel like forever) and we didn’t even receive menus within that time frame! First flaw, complete mistake.
So…we decided that sitting by the bar would fasten the service and be more suitable to our liking. I felt like I should have been wearing a dress… the restaurant was absolutely chic & gorgeous and I felt out of place with my jeans & button up. The orange beading and beige couches by the window made it sleek and lounge appeal like.
I wanted to eat something simple… rather the menu, which looked very appetizing seemed rather short but complicated. We decided to skip out on dinner instead and stick to the basics… alcohol.
The drink I had was wonderful… overall service (including host) was a bit too nice if you know what i mean–
Maybe when i look and act the part, that this would be MY kind of restaurant. Meh, but for now I’ll pass.

I took my girlfriend to Inox (which apparently means «stainless steel» in French) for a belated Valentine’s day dinner this past presidents’ day; having spent a considerable amount of time in New York earlier in my career, visiting Inox was like a flashback to the chic, modern and «re-​invented» fare of the big city. Inox is actually on the first floor of the PricewaterhouseCoopers building, complete with valet service and a parking garage right next door. Given the plethora of restaurant chains already claiming the Tyson’s area as their own, I was excited to see if Inox would be a place the DC’ers would actually leave the city to try.
We had reservations at 7 but were promptly seated when we arrived 30 minutes earlier. Given that the restaurant had only opened less than two weeks prior, the restaurant never really approached half-​capacity all night, which was just fine by me. The décor is pretty awesome — it’s wide-​open and modern looking, yet still classy without being pretentious — there’s even a window to allow you to get a view of kitchen. Overall, the pale-​earthy palette is pleasing to the eye. As far as the food goes, the menu has a nice mix of traditional and experimental dishes; we opted to try the six course tasting menu to get the best of both worlds ($ 105 — we didn’t try the wine pairings). We were told that the tasting menu changes almost nightly so don’t be surprised if your visit yields a different set of courses.
The meal started off with a duo of amuse-​bouche: a duck confit and a black radish salad. The duck confit was surprisingly light and refreshing (a theme that would repeat itself throughout the night), sandwiched between a lightly toasted piece of bread. The black radish salad was merely okay — the vinaigrette gave the tail end of the bite a rather unpleasant kick.
Our next course was an absolutely amazing poached scallop and black truffle soup. The mix of ingredients in this dish was spot-​on. The soup, which was rather salty on its own, was perfectly complemented by the perfectly poached scallops and black truffles. One of the highlights of the night for sure! This was followed by a poached alaskan cod in a lobster garbure with winter vegetables. The lobster garbure seemed to dominate the taste of this dish; the cod was cooked well and I enjoyed the crispness of the outside, but in the end, all I could really taste was the lobster garbure.
There apparently was a mishap with their computer systems that help them organize their tickets as they arrive at the kitchen — the wait time between our third and forth course was nearly half an hour. Our waiter stopped by our table numerous times to apologize for the wait.
Luckily, the duck breast was worth the wait! The duck was perfectly cooked; tender, juicy, and served with a dark marmalade that was somehow just right in keeping the dish light. One of the few criticisms that I have of this dish (and the cod before it) were that the vegetables seem to be an afterthought on the plate — they match the flavor profiles but aren’t really prepared in any particular way that would make them stand out. The next dish, the spice crusted venison, repeated this trend. The soggy, sad pieces of savoy cabbage just didn’t play nice with the sauce. The venison, while cooked particularly well, did not really energize my taste buds; there was a walnut purée on the plate as well, but I couldn’t get over the fact that neither the purée nor the maldon pepper reduction really added much flavor to the meat.
Dessert happens to be where I think Inox truly shines. The elderflower soup is a fantastic blend of slightly sweet elderflower jelly, a spoonful of blueberry confit and a small scoop of a tart buttermilk sorbet. These flavors not only work together, but the balance is remarkable — not too tart, not too gooey, not too sweet. This was followed by a concoction of chocolate mousse, passion fruit, coconut foam, some kind of mint-​flavored ice, and some small bread crumbs. Another strange mix of flavors that just tickles the taste buds on the way down. Another light and refreshing course!
Other than the wait time, the service was pretty spot-​on. There were a few kinks here and there (forgetting to give us spoons with soups, sending out bread a few too many times while in-​between courses); the maître d’, our waiter and Chef Krinn all stopped by our table numerous times to thank us for coming and apologize for any mishaps. While it’s clear they’re still working out the kinks, I appreciated their honesty and genuine care for their patrons.
Overall, Inox was a great time — you won’t be eating these kinds of dishes anywhere else in the Tyson’s area. Docked a star for some combinations that were perhaps a little too adventurous and the long wait time between courses, but I liked Inox’s creativity and atmosphere. A welcome addition to the monotony that has become Tysons, and a good place to impress a date!