Earls Kitchen + Bar will soon bring swank to the plaza level of the VITA Luxury Tysons Corner Apartments (7902 Tysons One Place, McLean) in the form of globally inspired cuisine, an Old Fashioned menu and an expansive, resort-like patio. When it opens Oct. 14, the Northern Virginia outlet will be the sixth Earls Kitchen + Bar in the United States, with 59 already doing business in our neighbor to the North.
The menu, which was developed in a Vancouver test kitchen that receives research and development visits from former “Top Chef” contestants and World Culinary Olympics competitors, will largely remain the same. However, expect some local departures from the norm—like the Old Fashioned menu.
“Great whiskey seems to be the base of the great American cocktail, so, unique to Northern Virginia, we’re creating five differed Old Fashioneds with tweaks to the classic recipe,” says General Manager Dylan Todd. “They’ll be listed on a giant chalkboard because we’re not doing this at any other Earls.”
Before you work your way though the drink list, you’ll need to pad your stomach. Todd expects the “Pulp Fiction”-inspired Royale with Cheese Burger to be a hit, along with BBQ ribs that fall off the bone thanks to the sous vide technique. “From a comfort food perspective, these will blow people away,” Todd says of the ribs before recommending finishing a meal with a skillet cookie. Get a feel for the menu by peeking at the one in Boston.
Ryan Spicknell will be helming the kitchen as executive chef. “What’s awesome about him is that he started at Earls in high school and worked his way up,” Todd says. The restaurant paid for his culinary training, and Spicknell most recently worked at the Calgary location.
Also unique to the Tysons Corner restaurant is a molded pewter art installation depicting the local transportation system by artist Ricky Alvarez. It will serve as the statement piece in the dining room, which holds 280 seats. Outside there will be room for 114 more people, the luckiest of whom will snag spots around the three fire pits.
Earls, named after father and son founders, will start hot out the gate serving lunch, dinner and weekend brunch.
Laura Hayes hails from Philly (but don’t hold it against her). She’s been covering the local dining scene for three years, and her work has been published in the Washington Post, Food Network, Washington City Paper, Arlington Magazine and more. Having lived in Japan for two years, she finds herself in a constant state of craving sushi. Laura always orders her favorite savory dish again for dessert and keeps her gut in check through lots of CrossFit classes.
