Want in on the most exclusive new restaurant in NoVA? You’ve got to subscribe to chef Jon Krinn’s newsletter. Elyse, hidden in plain sight just to the right of Dolce Vita Italian Restaurant & Wine Bar in Fairfax, is currently “invitation-only.” That means that you can join the mailing list to score a seat among the 28 available. But you can also use his website to access the Resy link to make a reservation.
This hush-hush method assures that each night from Wednesday through Saturday, Krinn and his team are essentially hosting a dinner party for his most devoted acolytes. In fact, the chef, who is best known in our region for opening Clarity in 2015 after receiving great critical acclaim at 2941, comes to each table to thank diners for their support and to explain the concept.
According to a quote from Krinn on his website, “My goal at Elyse is to explore — to try new and different products and techniques, to create new dishes that I, and hopefully you, find interesting and fulfilling. Trust is what it’s all about in this environment. I am going to constantly challenge myself, my team, and your palate as well. The restaurant is small and cozy, and I hope you feel like you are part of a special journey.”
Diners at Elyse sit either at a bar abutting the open kitchen or at a table that faces it. There’s no avoiding the ballet of dinner preparation. I dined on the first night of Krinn’s latest menu — five courses if you include the amuse bouche of creamy rabbit rillettes spread on crostini.
Unusual proteins are at the center of the bill of fare. I started with crispy-skinned eel, harvested in Maine and served with tangy cucumber salad and black pepper vinaigrette. After a roasted pepper soup dotted with liberal shavings of summer truffle from Molise, Italy, my dining partner and I sampled both octopus and pheasant. Each exceeded our expectations with preparations as visually appealing as they were complexly flavorful.
The octopus gained its character from a bouillabaisse-style sauce over heirloom tomatoes. Potatoes with a crunchy jacket and earthy Oregon morels completed the of-the-moment dish. The mild, meaty pheasant was characterized by the sweet-and-salty interplay of apricot and miso. I couldn’t stop spooning the consommé, made from duck wings, into my eager maw.
But the most interesting dish was the fromage-forward Basque cheesecake that further profited from the accompaniment of Parmesan crisps. Topped with balsamic cherries, it split the difference between ordering the sweet and the cheese plate.
Krinn told guests that he plans the official opening, complete with an updated dining room, for the fall. But Elyse is already off to a satisfying start. If you’re ready to drop $125 per person (plus a 20 percent service charge) on a special night out, booking a table at Elyse is the next best thing to hiring a high-level private chef for the occasion.
10824 Fairfax Blvd., Fairfax
Feature image of octopus by Alice Levitt
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