A Taste of The Mason Inn
On Tuesday I sat in on a chef audition for the new Mason Inn Conference Center & Hotel, which is scheduled to open this July in Fairfax, Virginia. The Mason Inn is a new addition to the George Mason University campus and will be a LEED certified Silver facility with 150 guest rooms, a conference center with two ballrooms and 11 meeting spaces, and a restaurant and lounge.
The Mason Inn is run by Aramark Conference Centers, which reviewed over 100 resumes in search of a new chef that embraces the Mason spirit. Shannon Sparrow, the Mason Inn’s Human Resource Manager, assured me the new chef would be passionate, not only about their work but about the university and the surrounding community, “The chef has to value and embrace the spirit of George Mason University and match the quality of the University.”
Applicants went through a four-stage process including a phone screening, an on-site interview, a technical interview with the corporate chef, and lastly, a tasting menu.
Image: Dianne Murphy
The few chefs that make it to the final tasting round face a grocery bag with unknown contents and have two hours to prepare and present two plates of two courses each for a panel of five judges.
Tuesday’s chef was provided the following ingredients: Branzino fish (also known as bronzini, spigolo, or Mediterranean seabass), a whole chicken, several vegetables, pasta, risotto, and couscous.
The accomplished chef prepared a salad in addition to the main courses consisting of mixed greens, blood oranges, tomatoes, and a tasty dressing. The first course consisted of a filet of Branzino with mushrooms and tarragon risotto in a flavorful fish stock. The second course consisted of chicken stuffed with goat cheese and shallots over asparagus and pasta lightly drenched in garlic sauce. I found all the dishes to be delicious, especially the second dish.
The Aramark team will cater to two markets:
- 1. Conferences/ meetings with a fresh, healthy, nutritious yet edgy and fun menu throughout the week.
2. Weekend/ social events, which include celebratory and special events such as weddings that can also serve the local community.
Image: Newly appointed Chef Marc preparing the tasting menu. Photo by Dianne Murphy.
The yet-to-be-named restaurant and lounge will seat approximately 175 guests and the conference center will cater up to 400 wedding guests and a couple thousand conference attendees across campus. The restaurant and lounge will be open to the public and the Mason Inn will also have its own catering license.
The newly appointed Food and Beverage Director, Andrew Saba, formerly of Loews Annapolis Hotel, brings a wealth of experience to The Mason Inn (Marcels, The Watergate Hotel, Tabard Inn). He hopes to host wine and beer dinners and partner with local farmers and cheese makers within a 90 mile radius in order to serve local, sustainable foods.
The atmosphere will revolve around three areas: pride, passion, and perfection. The Mason Inn and its employees are proud of George Mason—the man and the university—and Fairfax and the surrounding community.
–Aisha Salazar
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Tags: Aisha Salazar, Andrew Saba, Aramark Conference Centers, chef, Fairfax, George Mason University, Gut Check, hotel, local, lounge, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurant, Shannon Sparrow, sustainable, The Mason Inn Conference Center & Hotel
Ritz Dumps Steak for Small Plates
While the “who’ll-finally-replace-Maestro?” guessing game continues at the Tysons’ Ritz (neither the Ritz-Carlton folks nor Michel Richard’s people will confirm their rumored partnership), the hospitality giant has scrapped its steakhouse concept for the sampling-friendly, seasonally inspired ENTYSE.
The new, sustainably focused enterprise provides plenty of options, including floating three- and four-course menus ($32 and $42, respectively), locally sourced entrees and gourmet bar snacks. Dishes range from rock shrimp corn dogs and ice cream “sliders” to hanger steak with artisanal mac and cheese or a lobster Cobb salad.
Every Wednesday, Maestro vet Vincent Ferraud gets another chance to shine with “Wine’d Down Wednesdays”–a weekly happy hour featuring rotating by-the-glass specials (Ferraud plucks a wine from his plentiful cellar and offers 4 ounce pours for $5) and a seafood island crowded with freshly shucked oysters, shrimp cocktail and crab claws (all starting at $1 a pop).
“It’s more of a value-oriented experience,” a Ritz-Carlton spokesperson said of their nascent WDW program.
The discount wine and raw bar specials run from 5:30 till ?? and are tentatively scheduled to continue through the summer.
–Warren
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Tags: ENTYSE, Gut Check, lounge, McLean, Northern Virginia Magazine, restaurant, Ritz-Carlton, Tysons Corner, Warren Rojas
