By Cynthia Jessup and Stefanie Gans
After closing the Bungalow Sports Grill in Shirlington last year, Win and Tracey Froelich knew it was time to open another restaurant when they couldn’t find a place to eat following a movie at Cinema Arts Theatre. Everywhere they turned was a sports bar, says the couple, and the only other option, Artie’s, was a two-hour wait. (The Froelichs still own Bungalow Sports Grill in Alexandria.) “This area desperately needs something a little more upscale,” says Tracey.
Chops Crafthouse, opened in February, is meant as an antidote to the more casual Fairfax dining scene. “There are great restaurants around, and the sport bars serve great hamburgers and wings, but we wanted to create a restaurant not tailored for the college hangout places,” says Win.
The restaurant serves a slim menu of classic steakhouse fare, including shrimp cocktail, a wedge salad, soups, seafood (salmon, tuna, crab cake) and chops cut in-house: filet mignon, prime rib and New York strip. Sides—baked potato, steamed broccoli, grilled Brussels sprouts with bacon and a crab-topped mac and cheese—are offered a la carte.
“It’s pretty basic,” says Tracey of the decision to streamline the offerings. “Restaurants do 5,000 things and can’t do that many things well.”
Twelve lines of wine and 24 lines of beer are offered on tap, including the locally brewed Port City and Forge.
The bar area features 15 TVs turned to sports, though the soundtrack is tuned to Frank Sinatra, and the main dining room’s TVs—”You can literally see brushstrokes,” Tracey says—will stream a rotating selection of art, both classic and local. The Froelichs are in the process of reaching out to schools, universities and area artists to showcase their works.
This Saturday, Chops starts lunch service. / Chops Crafthouse, 9959 Main St., Fairfax
