Email signup

West Falls Church, Tysons restaurants make semifinals of James Beard Awards

The koi pond at Fairview Park’s 2941 Restaurant, a semifinalist for the 2024 James Beard award for Outstanding Restaurant (file photo)

A longstanding fine dining establishment in West Falls Church near Merrifield and a rising star in the Tysons culinary scene are both representing Fairfax County this year in the semifinals of the prestigious James Beard Awards.

The only Virginia eatery recognized in a nationwide category, 2941 Restaurant (2941 Fairview Park Drive) was named a semifinalist for “Outstanding Restaurant” by the James Beard Foundation, which announced competitors for its 2024 Restaurant and Chef Awards yesterday (Wednesday).

The list also includes Joon chefs Najmieh Batmanglij and Christopher Morgan, who made the semifinals for the regional “Best Chef: Mid-Atlantic” category. Their Persian restaurant opened at Fairfax Square (8045 Leesburg Pike) in Tysons last June.

“The James Beard nomination recognizes how food can join chefs from different backgrounds and generations together to create a delicious and enticing experience for guests,” Joon co-founder Reza Farahani said in a statement to FFXnow. “We are humbled and appreciate the James Beard Foundation’s nomination of Chef Batmanglij’s and Chef Morgan’s talents and their modern take on this ancient cuisine. These two chefs’ approach to presenting a rich and diverse cuisine is a testimony to their artistry and skill.”

Named after the influential American chef, the James Beard Foundation has handed out awards lauding “exceptional talent and achievement in the culinary arts” annually since 1991.

Tucked away on the ground floor of an office building, 2941 has been recognized for seasonally-rotating menu — currently designed by Executive Chef Bertrand Chemel — and elegant setting, which includes a koi pond and a view of an artificial lake. Back in 2005, The Hill described it as a “gleaming example of suburban fine dining,” and it was called the best restaurant in Northern Virginia last year by Northern Virginia Magazine.

Dishes on Chemel’s current January tasting menu include baked Wellfleet oysters, a grilled venison chop and a chocolate biscuit with fig marmalade.

Before joining Joon, Batmanglij wrote cookbooks credited with helping introduce Iranian cuisine to the U.S., and Morgan co-founded the D.C. restaurant Maydan, which earned him a Michelin star. At the Tysons restaurant, they make kabobs and other Iranian dishes intended to showcase the country’s ethnic diversity, according to Joon’s website.

Located in the former Chef Geoff’s space, Joon also hosts a “virtual” food hall called The Kitchen Collective where local residents can pick up food from other concepts curated by Farahani, such as the D.C. restaurants Pizza Serata and Yasmine or the cookie shop Franki’s, which was inspired by Morgan’s daughter.

The finalists for the 2024 James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards will be announced on April 3, and the winners will be revealed at a ceremony on June 10 at the Lyric Opera of Chicago.

Recent Stories

Good Friday evening, Fairfax County. Let’s take a look back at today’s stories and a look forward to tomorrow’s event calendar. 🕗 News recap The following articles were published earlier…

For this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, local bookworms will be encouraged to collect not just new literary titles, but also places to buy them. More than a dozen shops across…

The Oakton driver behind a 2022 crash that killed two teenagers has been sentenced to four years in prison. Earlier this week, 20-year-old Usman Shahid was convicted of two counts of…

RELAC Water Cooling will begin delivering air-conditioning services to residents and businesses in Reston’s Lake Anne area this weekend — ahead of its official launch date of May 22. The…

The Gillion Academy’s Home School Basketball Program begins Fall 2024 for 7th – 12th Grade student-athletes to complete their online academic studies in a supervised and focused setting while receiving elite training from our professional basketball trainers at The Gillion Basketball Academy, a state of the art training facility in Springfield, Va. We have developed over 200 college athletes and placed over 50 players in the NBA and pro leagues overseas and provide the same level of training for our student-athletes.

We will have a virtual Open House Zoom on May 6th at 7:30PM so please go to our website to learn more about us and to fill out an interest form and register for the event and learn about the top training facility in the DMV area.

Any questions please email our Director at philip.budwick@gil-lionbasketballacademy.com.

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

For many remote workers, a messy home is distracting.

You’re getting pulled into meetings, and your unread emails keep ticking up. But you can’t focus because pet hair tumbleweeds keep floating across the floor, your desk has a fine layer of dust and you keep your video off in meetings so no one sees the chaos behind you.

It’s no secret a dirty home is distracting and even adds stress to your life. And who has the energy to clean after work? That’s why it’s smart to enlist the help of professionals, like Well-Paid Maids.

Read More

Submit your own Community Post here.

Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride

Join us on Saturday, May 11th and ride into spring during our Pedal with Petals Family Bike Ride. Back for its second year, Pedal with Petals is going to be bigger than ever. This year’s event will include both an

Encore Creativity for Older Adults at Capital One Hall

Encore Creativity for Older Adults is pleased to raise the curtain and welcome community members to its spring concert at Capital One Hall in Tysons, VA on May 4, 2024. The concert, which starts at 3 PM, will bring hundreds

×

Subscribe to our mailing list