2941 To Go More Casual With an Extensive Revamp

Long one of Northern Virginia's top fine dining options, Fall Church restaurant 2941 has announced that it is switching gears away from fine dining and toward a more casual yet still upscale establishment. The restaurant will close for a few weeks in January to completely renovate the place — and the menu — into something a little more accessible for diners. According to a press release, chef Bertrand Chemel noticed that people were ordering his a la carte options rather than the pricy tasting menus and so this move is designed to reflect that, yes, restaurants do listen to you. So what's in store for the new year?

The kitchen will be totally revamped with a grill and a dedicated pasta station now added to the mix, unsurprisingly culminating in more grilled entrees and house-made pasta on the menu — which will now have more of a Mediterranean influence. The wine list, too, will be more approachable with about 20 selections available by the glass. There will be cocktails and beers and the dining room itself will get a redesign with a more distinct lounge area. In his report on the revamp late last week, Tom Sietsema sums it up thusly:

"Out: $115 tasting menus, French-American dishes and the outsized jellyfish sculpture that has greeted patrons in the foyer since the restaurant opened in 2002. In: Bare table tops, a Mediterranean tilt, a reconfigured bar and a new kitchen."

All this begins after dinner service on December 31, so book those reservations now for your last couple of months of the restaurant's six-course tasting menu.

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