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by Mary Hager | Special to the Times
Over the years, 2941 has been blessed with superlatives — for food, for setting, for ambience, for service, for wine selection, for bread and just about anything else you could mention.
And the accolades have been well deserved. Just a few minutes from the Beltway, 2941's two-story window wall overlooks a tree-lined lake. The restaurant has waterfall views from the bar and private dining rooms and a large koi-filled pond at the entrance. Thankfully, the food is equal to the restaurant's chic setting. Last year, 2941 recruited chef Bertrand Chemel from New York's Café Boulud to take the helm in the kitchen. If anything, Chemel has managed to make what was already an outstanding restaurant even better.
The only negative seems to be the cost. At dinner, appetizers range from $11 to $24 and entrees from $28 to $42, and the six-course tasting menu is $95 plus another $60 for wine pairings. With wine, tip and tax, that adds up.
But there are more affordable ways to enjoy Chemel's kitchen. A four-course prix fixe dinner costs $58 — minus tax, tip and wine — and its menu changes daily. Recently the prix fixe menu offered hamachi carpaccio, handmade spaghetti, a choice of duck breast or swordfish and dessert.
Other cost-saving options would be to go for lunch — when the view is better, anyway — or the prix fixe bar menu.
At lunch, appetizers range from $8 to $16 and entrees from $19 to $32, with a selection of grilled paninis and sandwiches that range from $10 to $15. But the real lure is the three-course $23.95 prix fixe menu. Because the menu changes seasonally and individual dishes are apt to change daily, it is risky to describe any single dish in glowing detail because it might not be there next time.
Another advantage to the prix fixe menu is that your choices are limited, which makes it far easier to decide what to order. One day recently, the appetizer choices included a hamachi tartare that melted in the mouth, as well as an endive salad, perfectly grilled halibut and an amazingly tender pan-roasted chicken breast. For dessert, 2941 offered a choice of goat cheesecake or a chocolate zinfandel cake. Every bite was wonderful.
A recent three-course $45 bar tasting menu featured hamachi carpaccio, braised beef short ribs and a warm chocolate s'more for dessert. While sipping and eating, the bar is a good place to look over the 45-page wine list.
A caveat before approaching any meal at 2941: Beware of the bread. It is much too easy to keep nibbling. The baker — is there such a thing as bread chef? — Patrick Deiss bakes a selection twice daily, so what arrives at your table is fresh and fragrant. As with the menu, his repertoire changes, but standouts include his San Francisco sourdough and a baguette with bits of chocolate and cherry.
Diners should not be put off by the expensive reputation. Try one of the less costly ways to enjoy what 2941 has to offer.
2941
2941 Fairview Park Drive,
Falls Church
Phone: 703-270-1500 (reservations advised)
Hours: Lunch, Mon-Fri, 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m.; Dinner, Mon-Thurs, 5-9:30 p.m., Fri-Sat, 5-10 p.m., Sun, 5-9 p.m.
Price range: $28-$42 for dinner entrees; $19-$32 for lunch entrees; prix fixe options available
2941 Restaurant | (703) 270-1500 | 2941 Fairview Park Drive, Falls Church, VA 22042 | 2941info@2941.com |
