The Japanese-inspired Wren restaurant flies high in Tysons
Want to stump a food critic? Ask him where to dine (well) in Tysons. Known as the business hub of Fairfax County, this slice of Northern Virginia is one of the least interesting places to find yourself for a meal — unless, of course, your idea of dinner is meat and potatoes attached to a corporate label. Steakhouses have a thing for Tysons.
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The new Watermark Hotel wants to offer locals something more personal: a “destination, chef-driven” experience on its 11th floor, says general manager Osman Cuadros. Inside the boutique, 300-suite property from Capital One is a Japanese-inspired restaurant called Wren that has been attracting a lot of neighbors since it set sail in September — a good thing for the Watermark, which is only at 10 percent occupancy, says Cuadros. The restaurant’s name is a play on words that connects to a Japanese character meaning “love,” says chef Yo Matsuzaki. That turns out to be an apt description for a venue that evokes a songbird and already soars above nearby restaurants.
