Clarity

Food, service, and ambiance could not have been better. Simply put, a great casual dining experience. Will return!

We have been patrons since the first week and came back after a month of traveling to enjoy the scene. Booked late and ate late, for us, at 8:45. The place was still in full motion and our meals were typically great — I had the venison loin. The treat was watching the kitchen well after 10:00 and seeing how playful and energetic Clarity is with a staff that is dedicated to being the best. Quite the show. Quite the meal. Quite the transformation from Wolf Trap Deli!

It’s nice to have a place like this with vibrant energy and modern interior in Vienna but I don’t see how people can be giving this place 4 – 5 stars?! Service was good. The kitchen looked open and modern. But that’s about it. The food was pretentious yet when you really looked past the plating, the food was below average at above average prices. My measure for a good restaurant or a good dish is «will I go back and will I order the same dish?» The answer is unfortunately no.

Saw the good reviews and recommended it to my family. We went here for my sister in Laws birthday. Everything was tasty. Our waiter was super friendly and made an effort to connect. We were there late due to not placing a reservation early enough in the week. Everything was closing down and being cleaned up and we were not given the bums rush at all which was nice. The owner came out and spoke to us at length and was very friendly and grateful. We were so stuffed we didn’t have room for dessert but when the owner saw that we were leaving he insisted my sister in law take something to go for her birthday.

Deliciousness at its best! Seasonal ingredients made the experience even more lovely. The scallops that I had were on a bed of roasted Chestnut purée and my husband’s trout was equally as delicious. We both had interesting appetizers and I even tried the filthy martini made with squid ink. Just the right balance of «unique» to be interesting without being bizarre.
Loved it!

Great food, atmosphere and top notch customer service. What more could you ask for? This is our second time here and it was for my hubby’s bday and I must say that they made it special. They printed a special menu for us and treated us to free dessert. Such a great place.
Tip: make sure to make a reservation in advance.

Clarity’s dishes are beautiful to look at and super flavorful and nuanced. While appetizers and smaller plates tend to be the strongest items on many dinner menus these days, the entrees at Clarity are not to be missed! Clarity’s chefs really let the main courses take center stage. Nothing is boring or entirely predictable. And everything we tried was executed perfectly.
Yellowtail (starter): Lightly seared and pink in the center. It came with this sprout slaw and a pretty mustard colored sauce. As with everything else that came later, it was flawless.
Duck ramen (starter): Didn’t try, but my friend said the smoked duck added a nice touch, and that the dish was «good.» Probably worth trying, but not the most memorable menu item. And BTW, menu items are apt to change based on availability of ingredients.
Striped bass served atop tomato sauce: I’ve seen similar dishes at other restaurants before, and usually this is the situation: perfectly cooked fish, super salty tomato sauce. Not here. The tomato sauce is neither too tart or salty. It’s creamy, though the cream is added with a lighter touch, and an assortment of other hidden but complimentary ingredients. Well done. A winner.
Saffron fettuccine with seafood: Exquisite sauce comprises sea urchin, cream, and saffron. It was pleasantly sweet, not overly briny, creamy, but not overpoweringly so, and balanced. There’s some foam action going on, too. The bits of fish, scallops, and clams in shell scattered throughout were also perfectly cooked, nothing chewy, and super fresh. Highly, highly, highly recommend this dish.
While we absolutely loved the food, my friend and I both thought that there were two areas for improvement:
One: Wish they did more with the restaurant space, it reminded of a hotel bar/​restaurant. The walls are rather drab and gave the place a dated appearance. Not in line with the exciting menu, brimming with New American goodies. The booth seating along the wall also made me think of IHOP… Uninspired décor save for the exciting wraparound bar in the back, where you can sit to watch the staff perform their magic. The restaurant décor lacked personality.
Two: Service could have been better. Our server was a nice guy, and thankfully not pushy. However, he did the very minimum. We overhead the server next to us telling diners about the homemade bread. He didn’t do that. He also didn’t really ask if we needed more water, if my teapot needed more hot water, etc. He did ask how we were enjoying everything, the standard. And when we ordered one dessert to share, he only brought out one spoon. Sharing is pretty common these days, so it would have been thoughtful and maybe even commonsensical to bring two instead of one out. Overall, he showed a lack of experience and observation skills, though again, he was a good fellow. A restaurant that delivers food of this caliber needs to have a representative who is more enthusiastic as a whole and more knowledgeable about the food. Show some pride in what’s coming out of the kitchen and in what the business provides!
I will say that the reservation experience was fantastic. I used their website app, and I got a text confirming my reservation request in no time. The person on the other end was very friendly and helpful. The hosts were also pretty nice. And I saw the chefs mingling with guests, so it’s an approachable place for higher-​end cuisine.
Five stars for food and 4.5 stars for service, and 4 stars for ambiance, so 4.5 stars?
The comprehensive dining experience can be better. For the prices we paid (mid to higher 20s for entrees), we felt that the owners could do more to give Clarity a more refined, unique feel and more uniformly professional service.
Definitely one of the best restaurants in the DC area, and one to watch for sure. It’s not flawless, but there’s great promise.

So worth the visit! Went there for my birthday dinner and experienced nothing but amazing service. Ordered a bottle of wine, and although they didn’t have the bottle of Sauvignon blanc that we wanted chilled, they offered to bring an ice bucket table side and gave us several alternative options. We ended up choosing a bottle of Pinot Grigio instead, which was a great a great alternative. For our meal we started with the marinated yellowfin tuna and the foie gras. The only critique I would offer is that the foie comes on buttered bread, so it was a bit too greasy for my palate. For the entrees, we ordered the dry aged NY strip and the pork chop. My favorite part of the whole meal were the brussel sprouts that came with the pork… absolutely amazing! The service was wonderful and very attentive.
Definitely make the trip to Clarity — it’s got an amazingly intimate atmosphere and the food is sooooo worth the price!

Came to celebrate my husbands bday. Clarity printed a menu with his name which made the occasion special. The restaurant is do upscale and fancy that seems so out of place in s strip Mall in Vienna. But the décor is nice. Restaurant seems clean and they had a nice bar.
Server was fantastic. Attentive and did a great job timing which I expect from a high end restaurant. Ordered the champagne with kir and YUM– heard they made their own cassis. Then order the mussels w Thai sausage w curry. Omg! The best mussels I’ve ever had. Then had the seared New England scallops and sharedt handmade white truffle fetticinni which the shaved truffles at the table. The aroma was amazing and egg made the sauce creamy and delightful.
Def would come again! Love to see a nice upscale in Vienna so you don’t have to travel to DC.

Clarity is such an unexpected upscale dinner spot in Vienna! It’s really modern inside and clearly recently renovated. My friend and I failed to make reservations but were able to snag 2 spots at the bar within our first 10 minutes of standing. The bar is very comfortable to eat at and has a huge TV. Since we caught the very tail end of happy hour, we ordered a few of their happy hour starters for $ 6 each. We got the ahi tuna served on cucumber, which was really fresh and delicious, but SO TINY. Thankfully we ordered two, since each plate of tuna consisted of about two-​three bites. We also split a small bbq pork slider for an app, which was pretty decently sized and tasty.
For our mains we were indecisive and struggling, and decided to watch the couple sitting next to us take their first bites. They got the seared pork chop and the lamb shank. Both looked extremely pleased with their meals and ate every last bite. We ended up going with the pork chop and the scallops for our meals. I normally don’t order pork chop when I dine out, but this one was so so good — juicy, gigantic, and flavorful. The scallops were served with wild mushrooms and parsnip purée and while a tad salty, they were large and cooked perfectly. The guy sitting on the other side of us ordered the steak and practically licked his plate clean. So I think it’s safe to say you probably can’t go too wrong with anything you order here.
The bartender was really friendly and sweet. When my friend mentioned that it had been my birthday the week prior, he had the kitchen bring out a chocolate dessert with «happy birthday» written out in chocolate and a candle on it. In all honesty, the dessert was the weakest part of the meal (nothing special about the semi-​dry chocolate cake/​brownie, and the hazelnut ice cream served with it was all melted)… But I don’t complain about free birthday desserts! Will def be back to Clarity sometime soon, as the menu changes seasonally!

I can’t believe I haven’t been to this gem until tonight. This place is not where you want to go for ambience, but just for quality, delicious food and friendly, helpful service. Unbelievably reasonable for the quality. We shared the scallops and the pork belly as appetizers — I would have ordered a few more of the pork belly for an entrée. The noodles, broth, egg and pork were harmonious.
For entrees — I split the fettuccine and the striped bass with a friend and was not disappointed. I could have ordered either solo and would have been happy but it was perfection to try both. The brownie dessert (previously their bread pudding?) was a must if you are a chocolate lover.
Crump was such a helpful server from the beginning to end (wine and food selections). He made our dining experience far more enjoyable. This space used to be a deli and it somewhat feels lack luster in the front of the house. I would recommend they hang cool framed mirrors or play off of the deco chandeliers. The back of the house where the kitchen and bar are is probably more suitable for hanging out/​younger crowd. Will definitely come back.

I can’t believe I haven’t written a review for this place yet. It is my favorite restaurant in the area and the same goes for the people I’ve taken here over the past month.
The food is tasty and (clarity management, look away) very reasonably priced. In particular, the mussels w/​lamb sausage is just about as good as mussels get. The pork chop is huge and filled with porky deliciousness. The burger has a sophisticated taste that anybody, even someone as unsophisticated as me, can really enjoy. The salmon with something on top was my least favorite entrée and seems to be off the menu now so I guess I wasn’t alone.
The staff is friendly, helpful, and friendly. (You’re supposed to list three things and I couldn’t think of the last one.
My only recommendation, aside for just going, is to make reservations because this place has always been packed at dinner time. I’ve yet to get to sit at an actual table though I expect to eventually.

Cyndy’s Bottom Line: A great addition to the Virginia food scene!
We went to Clarity without any reservations and were offered seats at the kitchen bar. Yes, how fun would that be? Extremely fun!
We were entertained by everything going on in the kitchen. Hubby was thoroughly entertained as he reminisced about his early days working in the kitchen. I was amazed how everything is synchronized and the rhythm and flow. The Chef was very precise and worked well with his the kitchen staff to create all the delicious dishes and desserts too.
I was sitting in front of the salad line and was so mesmerized by the salad making and the care and passion she used in making each salad.
We received excellent service from DJ! He was so gracious because we were calling him TJ almost all night long until the end. :)
This is what we drank/​ate:
Hubby enjoyed a Cardamom Manhattan with Bulleit Rye, Cardamaro, Vanilla, Cherry.
Bubbly for me so I had a Prosecco.
* Yellow Tomato Gazpacho made of Maryland crab, tomato, arugula and croutons. Delicious tomato flavor and great texture.
* Fresh Hand-​Rolled Fettuccini a delicate pasta with tasty delicious tomato confit, fava beans, and whipped house ricotta. This is a deceiving dish you will or your tastebuds will be amazed with the big flavor!
* Caramelized Diver Scallops with creamed spinach, buttermilk biscuits and yummy bacon jam. Scallops cooked perfectly, complimented by the creamed spinach. The buttermilk biscuits would have worked better if it was bigger. I wanted more!

This was probably my best dinner for 2015! And that is saying it lot coming from me — I spend 80% of time time eating out, given the nature of my job!
I had no clue this place existed, until Unilocal guided me to it as I was looking for a bar to get drinks at near Tyson’s, but away from the usual suspects. I walked in with my friend, without reservations right as it started to pour like mad outside. The place is tucked away in a corner on Maple Ave, with mostly office buildings around.
We since had no reservations, we were seated at the chef’s «bar» a collection of about 6 high stools right where all the action is — you will see the prepped food being cooked and then finished right in front of you eyes. For a Tuesday evening, this place got busy VERY quickly! The ambiance of the place is beautiful — rustic and soft at the same time, all servers were in vests — which I think was very hot: p
Anyways, I honestly came her for a quick 45 minute chat with my friend, but we ended up spending about 3 hours here, this place was that good! Happy Hours runs from 5 to 7 I think, and the choices are pretty legit! All through the course of my meal, I stuck with wine and my friend to his IPA (which our server very generously kept flowing) — so that’s that for the drinks,
Now lemme come to the food. We started off with the tomato salad — so yummy! crumbly (not overly creamy) goat cheese and crunchy french beans — and interesting combination that I think worked beautifully. I devoured the salad — at one point, I held the bowl in my hand and just chowed on it like it was a noodle bowl (yep, I did that).
Another delicious appetizer was the compressed watermelon. A large cross section of the watermelon, vacuumed to remove about 40% of its water content — the resulting piece of fruit was succulent and still juicy, with the flavor being more concentrated now. I loved the feta and the pistachios — great combination. The black berry gelee was a little too strong for me, but I had it regardless. What I did not enjoy about the plate was the Kafir-​cumin honey. It was dense and too sweet :(But they swipe it along the side of the plate and not really on the fruit, which was perfect — because I just ignored it. That being said, this dish was super successful still and I would happily order it again :)
By now, I was already starting to feel a little full, so we decided to split another app as our entrée — the lightly cured Steelhead Trout. This gorgeous piece of fish comes out looking like salmon — my super informed server told me it was because the steelhead trout has whacky migration routes and a whacy diet! Now this was a beautiful dish — pink/​salmon colored piece of fish, a little translucent, with the skin on on the bottom, accompanied by pickled fennel spirals and a lobster vinaigrette. I wanted to just sit and stare at it and not really eat it. But of course I did and it was yummy! I loved every bite of it. Again, to me the lobster sauce was too thick and the texture was weird, but the dish honestly did not need it — I only wanted the piece if fish and the pickled fennel to go with it :)
Throughout my time here, I saw these super talented chefs and line cooks work their orders — every bit professional with every step they took. There were foreceps and squeezy bottles involved to make sure every tiny component of each dish was as much the star as the actual meat on the dish. I saw the pastry chef write out «Happy» 3 different times on 3 diff plates for a birthday dessert, before he was «happy» with his work and moved on to the «Birthday». Chef Jon was out and about this whole time, finishing plates and chatting up patrons. And when he was not doing that, he was busy ladling out delish scoops of ice cream into my dessert plate — YES, and now I am in love with him. Someone, help me!
I did not notice this, but my dessert took about 15 – 20 minutes to come out. I was deep in conversation and also pleasantly full: p When it did come out, I wanted a picture and as I clicked, I heard Chef Jon say «EAT IT, before it melts to nothingness on your plate». I looked up, a little embarrassed, but he continued «We make it fresh. To order. yes, you heard me. to order». I am still in awe — the place runs their ice cream mix through the machine WHEN I ASKED FOR IT. how am I going to ever forget that? How is ANY restaurant ever going to top that?!! So I start eating, the silky texture melts into my mouth — the ice cream is the star of the dish — it needed no bread pudding (which was also great). no, nothing! Just a spoon and my mouth. Now that is not all. Very soon, he was back — this time with the container of ice cream and proceeded to ladle out 2 – 3 more scoops! Thanks, Chef Jon — For ruining EVERY other restaurant i will ever set foot in, for me!
I am out of characters for the first time during a Unilocal Review. with that, I rest my case.

It took us 3 hours to have dinner here, 1 hour of which was spent waiting to order /​waiting for drinks. Totally fine that the waitress (she was actually really nice) went on a break in the middle of dinner service for our table and the other tables next to us – not fine is the actual dinner.
I ordered two heavy apps, one to serve as my entrée. They brought both out, realized their mistake, and took the ‘entrée’ back to sit under a heat lamp. Yes, I was eventually served this one that they tried to cover their mistake by saying it «was for another table».
Foie gras was great though the portion was verryyyy large which makes stomaching something so rich and greasy (yes greasy) difficult. Flavors with fig and ginger were perfect though!
The Mussels (my unfortunate entrée). I could tell this was put back under the heat lamp (not just because I saw them walk it back) but because the top of the mussel shells dried out under the lamp. Ok that’s fine, i’ll still eat it – I don’t like sending food back ever. As I started eating, every third mussel was mushy/​slimy/​gross-​tasting. Ew. I realized the mussels were either raw or not fresh. I said something and asked for a new one. Second time? fully cooked mussels along with some straight up white-as-an-albino’s-butt (see picture). I flagged them down again first response was «Oh, but if the shell is opened that means it’s cooked» — oh no no no… I just asked them to just cook the same dish longer (which the head chef himself personally did this time) — I didn’t want a new one as my table had already pretty much finished their entrees. When it came back this third time, I still had mussels at the bottom that hadn’t even opened… and yes I did end up paying for everything I drank /​consumed that night. Afterwards when I asked my friend about his mussels, he said he got some raw ones too but ate them anyways (lol)
I had been looking at Clarity for wedding rehearsal dinner. Realllyyyyy glad I didn’t go with it.

The good:
+ Sea Scallops — three plump and succulent scallops with scallop-​sized biscuits and spicy bacon jam. Delish! *see pic*
+ Fettuccine — very flavorful! Even though the entrée is vegetarian, I wasn’t missing the protein. Pasta was perfectly al dente.
+ Our waitress was so kind and swapped my cousin’s entrée for the Baked Chicken dish for free. Chicken was very moist and juicy.
The so-​so:
+ Monk Fish — decent entrée, but a tad over cooked and a bit bland for cured fish
+ Foie Gras appetizer — I guess I was expecting a foie gras type mousse that spreads like butter. This is not it. It’s a generous piece of greasy liver that was good for a few bites with the figs and toast. Definitely share this with someone — it is not an appetizer to stomach by yourself.
The bad:
+ Mussels appetizer — my girlfriend had uncooked and unopened mussels (my boyfriend did as well, but simply ate them and prayed for the best). Even after they had brought out a 2^nd batch, there were still uncooked mussels. Broth/​flavor was just okay.
+ Even though we were still waiting on one person in our party, it would’ve been nice to have bread and drinks at the table for the 6 out of 7 of us who were present. We ordered and received our drinks and bread over 30 minutes after being seated.

I love Clarity.
Been to Clarity at least 5 times now since it opened. I sat in the dining room once when I was with a group of 4 — all other times it has been my husband and I at the bar. I love sitting at the bar there for 2 reasons — one, it’s smaller, so it’s more intimate; two, they have a really nice curve TV which is great for watching Nats games on; three, you have a great view of the kitchen and the pass; and four, Erin and Mary are a blast to talk to and are always offering something new and unique off their well-​crafted cocktail list.
On to the food. Clarity doesn’t have a huge menu, but I’ve tried about 75% of their dishes (their menu changes frequently) and I really don’t have anything negative to say about any of them, except maybe the ceviche, which was a tad watery. I love the way they prepare octopus — slightly charred, not chewy at all. The soft shells were amazing — a great crisp, not greasy at all. The burger is fantastic, although a touch on the greasy side and a mess to eat but the flavors are phenomenal. I loved the risotto and shrimp, and my husband has raved about the hanger steak and the roasted chicken, two dishes he had there recently.
Clarity has a great bar menu. A small (well, smaller when compared with other restaurants) selection of wines by the bottle/​glass — but they are REASONABLE. I love that they don’t jack up the price of the wines they sell. The cocktail list is always changing and is very creative, and I love that all of their beers on draft are local.
Service is sometimes on the slower side when getting your food, but I can tell that’s just the kitchen just getting its rhythm. After watching Jason/​Jon at the pass several times, you can tell they take great pride in their food and inspect it thoroughly before it goes out to the dining room. One particular evening, our food took a while and they ended up comping us wine, which was extremely generous.
I’m happy that they added this gem to the neighborhood — Vienna needs new restaurants!

YUM! Amazing.
I never heard of this restaurant, until my friends suggested we go. The only downside is that even though this place is new, it is PACKED. We couldn’t get a reservation until 845, but we knew we didn’t want to wait that long to eat, so we waited/​fought for some seats in the back. The back area is nice because it is bar style seating, but you get to watch the chefs. The only downside, it gets HOT (duh).
We tried the octopus app, and the mussels with lamb meatballs. It was delish! I loved the flavors for the octopus app and the eggplant was a nice touch. The mussels had a more tangy sauce, and strays from the typical wine sauce. I thought it was quite delicious. The bread basket is also great, because they actually have a variety of bread, including an olive bread, which had pieces of olive throughout the bread. That was my fave.
For my meal I had the rockfish. I thought it was awesome. Perfectly flaky and tender. The tomato veggie thing was pretty great. So delish. My bf had the steak dish which was cooked PERFECTLY to rare/​medium rare. SO GOOD, melts in your mouth good. My friends had the special that was some wagyu beef? special. Not exactly sure, but again really tender and flavored nicely. Some parts were a bit too salty though.
The only comment that my bf had was the touching and tasting of all the food in the kitchen. He noticed that chefs would taste the sauce and put the spoon back in the larger jar. He also noticed that when his own dish was prepared, along with several others, the plater did not wear gloves. Honestly, much worse probably happens in most kitchens, but to see it is different.
I wish we had room for some dessert, but next time. That crêpe cake looked like what dreams are made of. Must have it.

Vienna’s got a culinary wonder in town! After reading so much about this hidden spot and it’s awesome chef, I decided to make a reservation on a recent trip home. And man, I’m glad I did.
To start, they’ve got a great beer/​wine list filled with local and other smart options. I ended up with a Pilsner, while my pal had some wine. From there we had the octopus appetizer (incredible) with the brussel sprout dish (fine, but we didn’t finish it).
From there we feasted on some roasted chicken, which was cooked to perfection, and the lamb special. Both dishes were superb, and I can’t remember the last time I had a meal so simple, yet so succulent.
We closed down the house with the pistachio crêpe (A MUST) and rolled out of there happy campers.
Loved the service, the sweet purse-​hanger gift, and the ambience. You absolutely must visit!

Vienna is becoming a culinary big league. There are now, in my estimation, two solidly ‘5 star’ quality restaurants in sleepy Vienna suburb. Tim Ma’s Maple Ave is one and I would rate Clarity as the other contender. Chefs Jonathan Krinn and Jason Madden are the dynamic duo behind this eclectic ‘new american’ menu. The fares take well-​known dishes and add their own signature flairs that raise the meal to a new level of culinary tastes. For example, the lamb shoulder was a classic mediterranean/​greek style dish with a perfectly tender preparation (which is usually hard since the shoulder cuts have connective tissues). It’s paired with a pickled vegetable and mixed greens side that borrows much from the asian flavors of sweet and sour and spicy and complements the salty and savory of the lamb very well.
The veal meatballs & hand-​rolled tagliatelle is another excellent entrée. The meatballs have great savory flavor and the sauce is rich and hardy that the al dente tagliatelle is able to hold firmly. It also has a meaty tomato flavor without the accompanying acidity.
Don’t skip out on the side dishes. The charred broccoli rabe is crisp and has a great bitter flavor that shakes up the palate. The duckfat fingerling potatoes are also good.
The fois gras appetizer is buttery and decadent. Add in the roasted strawberries and sorbet, and you’ve got a beautifully balanced mix of savory and lightly tart and sweet that dances on the palate. The toasted bread cradling the fois gras and strawberries soaks up the flavors so make sure to eat it all. Just a note, pair this with a ‘fruity’ wine. A robust red will not go well with the sweetness of the strawberries.
The carpaccio appetizer is wonderfully tender and melts in your mouth. The tart marinade brings out the some great flavors of the dish.
The best spot to sit is the bar seats overlooking the kitchen. It’s a wonderful experience to watch the kitchen staff perform and perhaps strike up an impromptu conversation with the chefs. My experience with the service has been very good. The pacing was excellent.
The bar staff is also talented. My ‘Hemingway Sour’ (Plymouth gin, grapefruit, maraschino topped with egg white foam and sprinkled with black pepper flakes) was very enjoyable. A refreshing drink with a peppery bite from the flakes.
I paired my dinner with an Oregon pinot noir, Bergstrom. Peppery bouquet with bright red berries tastes and a structured mouthful tannins. It did not overpower any of the dishes.