2941, with chef Jonathan Krinn

[Joe H]

Umm...non sequitur?

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Just an absolutely wonderful response!

[cigarnv]

Four of us visited Restaurant 2941 last evening for dinner and at the very least found the establishment to be spot on. This is a restaurant that has emerged from youth with a few scars but has really taken it to the next level in all aspects.

We started the evening with a bottle of wine from a list that has grown tremendously just over the past year. The new sommelier clearly has placed her stamp on one of the better wine strategies in the area. The “new” list is well balanced with old and new world selections, the expected names as well as some well chosen new comers and priced “ok”. The sommelier is a joy to work with as she comes with no pretense, is very well versed in her trade and handles her guests with a feminine grace that will impress the connoisseur and put the neophyte at complete ease.

The food, while always very good and consistent has risen to what can best be described as magnificent in every way. The abalone in a truffle ginger sauce, the pasta folds with mascarpone and ricotta and the oxtail fettuccini were all superb starters. I followed up with the Hawaiian swordfish with Dungeness crab, which was the best swordfish I have had in many years. It was simply prepared and perfectly cooked. My fellow diners had the truffle risotto prepared as an entree and the bison tenderloin and short ribs…. Both were outstanding. As for dessert the cupcake was ok, the caramel apple crème brulee was very good as were the pancakes with ice cream.

The most significant change we saw with 2941 was the level of service, which I found dramatically improved over past visits. The quality of staff, the level of professionalism and the execution in the dining room was all very, very good.

Credit must be given to Jonathan Krinn for taking customer criticism and input in a positive and gracious fashion and acting on it. Jonathan is an extremely talented young man who takes both his craft and customers seriously.

[bilrus]

I'm glad to see this post. I've had some really good meals at 2941 but lately the reports we've been seeing haven't been up to the early standard, especially in terms of service (although I've never personally had bad service there). They've got a beautiful room and I think Chef Krinn turns out good food. I hope they can get back some more of that positive buzz they had early on.

[hwilson41]

My wife and I dined at 2941 last night and the experience was great. Service was quite good by my standards – not enough to smother you, but attendant to your needs. The breads, which I didn’t document, were very, very good (they are baked each day by the chef’s father). I need to pay more attention to them when we return, which we definitely will do.

My wife had a goat’s cheese salad with cucumber, pear, baby arugula and vanilla hazelnut vinaigrette that was excellent. The cheese was soft, slightly edged like one would expect from goat’s cheese, and just yummy. Next she had blue crab in fresh pasta folds with lemon and ricotta that was like love letters to the palate, absolutely delicious. She finished off with roasted bison tenderloin with green peppercorn crust, caramelized onions, potatoes and a brandy sauce that we both thought was superb.

For starters, I had a lobster bisque appetizer. The broth was just marvelous, although one or two of the lobster pieces might have been cooked just a tiny bit less, but overall very, very good. Next came sauteed foie gras with a Valencia orange marmalade that was superb. I almost ordered more it was so good . And my main course was caramelized diver scallops with Iranian caviar, celery root and sauteed sorrel. If I were making that dish, I think I might try adding the cariar after the scallops were cooked, because that flavor tended to get lost in the shuffle, but it was still excellent, and I’m not a big fan of sorrel.

Chef Krinn dropped by the table after the meal was over and we were presented with a complimentary cake (it was our wedding anniversary). He is a delightful fellow, and will talk about food for as long as you'd care to. All in all, it was a most pleasant experience and we’ll be back again as soon as I save up a little money so we can afford it .

[cigarnv]

2941 has really stepped up the quality of service as of late. IMO one of the best high end spots in the area, not a Citronelle, but top notch. Krinn also takes that extra step to visit his customers in the dining room on a regular basis, something we see far too little of in high end spots these days.

[DanielS]

Was fortunate enough to eat at the Chefs Kitchen Table last night, what an experience. My wife and I live in Winchester, so it is a trek to make it into the "city" for a special meal, and this one passed all expectations.

The Kitchen Table seats up to eight, and is a beautiful brown and cream onyx table in a little alcove directly in view of the kitchen action. The cost is 135.00 per person. We were greeted by Chef Krinn at seating and found a special menu, with our names printed at the top as we sat, a nice touch.

If you haven't heard about the bread by now, you are missing out, the two of us went through 3 baskets, it was spectacular, and raises the bar of the restaurant greatly.

The Menu:

Amuse Bouche - Duck Liver Rilletes

Roasted Red and Yellow Beets with Tempura Vegetables

Quail Egg Topped With Pacific Sea Urchin and Irian Osetra Caviar

Olive Oil Poached Salmon With Crayfish and Morel Mushrooms

Herb Roasted Maine Lobster With Hudson Valley Foie Gras and Orange Essence

Blue Fin Tuna Duo - Tenderloin and Toro with Soy, Sake and Tomato Confit

Colorado Bison and Australian Kangaroo

Seared Mishima Beef Tenderloin

Coconut Tapioca Soup

Chocolate Hazelnut Cognac Tart With Creme Fraiche Ice Cream

Petits Fours and Cotton Candy

The Experience:

After meeting Chef Krinn at seating we figured, Saturday night very busy, we wouldn't really be seeing more of him, per se. Boy was I wrong. Inside the madness of the restaurant, Chef Krinn prepared every one of our dishes separate from everything else. Including coming to talk to us at nearly every turn, bringing over items before they were prepared, and then delivering them to the table with so much pride after preparation. Explaining all along were he got the ideas for the dishes, how he prepared them, etc.

The Food:

As you might noticed several of the items on our menu were not on the regular menu. In fact some of them he explained were thought up that morning. The tempura batter on the vegetables, perfection. As well as his explanation of trying out over 100 different recipes to get the perfect batter. My wife wasn't sport for the Quail Egg dish, no problem, he whipped up a wonderful Scallop Risotto for her and gave me a double portion of the Quail Egg appetizer.

The food was a great study in the simplicity of great ingredients prepared perfectly. One of Chef Krinn's mantras was to make sure his technique didnt get in the way of the food, and to this he succeeded spectacularly. The Salmon, Lobster, and Tuna were all greeted with a "warning" of not being afraid of the texture, as they were prepared in such a way that they literally melted in your mouth. The Kangaroo, cooked very rare, was wonderful.

And then there was the Mishima Beef, oh man. Chef Krinn brought out the tenderloin for our "inspection" pointing out the marbling and then telling us about the levels of beef, this one going beyond the level of Kobe in marbling. He is the only Chef in the country using the Mishima tenderloin, and at $18.00 an ounce, I could see why. Now let me say I have a steak lover, I have had my fair share of Lobels Prime, Kobe at Maestro and The Old Homestead, etc. I figure, ok this sounds all well and good but how much better this steak be, right. Not only was this the best steak I every had, this was quite possibly the best thing I have ever eaten. Simply seared on one side with salt and pepper and served with a tiny side of pureed potatoes, this was Chef Krinn at this best. But wait, and I will probably get him in trouble for the future dinners, but this had to be noted. As we were finishing the steak and ohhing and ahhing, he comes over and asks if I would like anymore, I look at my wife, is he kidding?? I said sure if you are really offering, and he states that "once you are in my kitchen you are part of the family and if you want more, you can have more" So off he goes in the controlled chaos of his kitchen at 9:30 on a Saturday night to delicately prepare me another piece of the best meat in the world.

After the desserts, pettis fours, cotton candy, we were given two loaves of the spectacular bread to take home and were walked out of the kitchen by Chef Krinn, given a tour of the restaurant and outside landscaping, and he even gave our valet ticket to the valet.

The food alone for this meal would have put it at the top of our list of dinning experiences, the interaction and complete immersion of having Chef Krinn personally prepare and contribute his insight and wisdom on each dish made it our finest meal ever. And let me say that all this was done on a busy Saturday night for 2 thirtysomethings from Winchester, whose bill was probably less then half of the dinners in the main dinning room.

Kudos, to Chef Krinn for a meal that will be etched in our memories for ever.

[JennyUptown]

Has anyone ever had Sunday brunch at 2941?

[hannnah]

Has anyone ever had Sunday brunch at 2941?

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Yes. It's worth every penny for the pastries/breads alone, and the stuff on the buffet was good too. Plus, if the weather's cooperating, the patio is particularly nice in spring.

[Sthitch]

A little more than a week ago I attended a 2000 First Growth Bordeaux dinner at 2941. The dinner was held on a Saturday night, and we had an amazing amount of Chef Krinn’s attention. It ranks as one of the best meals I have had anywhere.

The dinner started with passed Hors D’Oeuvres and Champagne (1996 Gosset Grande Millesime). There were three different Hors D’Oeuvres; smoked trout on a potato chip, tuna on a crisp, and a crab cake. I had never been much of a fan of smoked trout, and had I known that it was what was being offered I would have missed a wonderful dish. It was neither overly smoky, nor fishy like I find most smoked trout, but meaty with a hint of smoke. The tuna was pure and clean, and the crisp was unobtrusive. The crab cake was on par with some of the best I have ever had. These were small one bite wonders with no filler and filled with an intense crab flavor.

Poached Maine Lobster and a Duo of Foie Gras

2001 Rieussec and 2001 Sunduiraut

The lobster cooked perfectly and was served with a sauternes reduction. The lobster was rich, and delicate. The foie gras was a torchon and a piece of sautéed lobe. Both were perfectly prepared, and the sautéed lobe was as good if not better than what Nectar had put out (and that is my previous bench mark for great foie). The Torchon was smooth, and rich. The dish was also served with an exotic fruit confit that brought a wonderful foil to the fattiness of the foie.

While these wines were not 2000 Bordeaux they did represent some of the best Sauternes released in many years. The Rieussec was a complex wine filled with an abundance of tropical fruits, honey, and spicey with enough acid to provide balance to the botrytis sweetness of the wine. It is better than any Y’Quems I have had in the past.

Herb Roasted Australian Kangaroo with Yukon Potato and Bacon Confit

2000 Leoville Barton and 2000 Leoville Las Cases

I had never had kangaroo before this dish, and was not sure what to expect. Since it contains almost no far, it was prepared very rare. The meat was rich and tender. I look forward to trying kangaroo again. The bacon confit was not really a bacon, but a pork belly cooked in pork fat. The fat delightfully crispy, and the meat was succulent. The potato was also a confit, that was soft and buttery.

These wines are not first growth, but they were spectacular. I thought that the Barton was the better of the two wines. Neither will be ready to drink for many more years (but before any of the first growths).

Marinated Roasted Squab and Venison Rack with Morel Custard and Blackberry

2000 Lafite Rothschild and 2000 Margaux

Squab is not one of my favorite foods. The only thing I generally find positive about it is that the world has one less pigeon crapping on my car. Chef Krinn’s preparation of Squab was very good. The marinate was red wine based and had a hint of cloves and allspice. The bird was cooked so that the skin crisped up and the meat was still on the rare side. As far as squab goes it was quite lovely. The venison had a delicious slightly gamey taste to it, and was cooked rare. It was served with a cherry and blackberry sauce. The meat and sauce were a perfect complement to one another. The morel custard was packed with bits of morel, and had ample flavor of the fungi in the custard itself.

Both of these wines were intense and still quite tight. They had been double decanted with four hours in the decanter. It was obvious that they were both maturing into beautiful wines. The Margaux was delightful, and had as much fruit as the blackberry cherry sauce. The Lafite was good but not as good as it was during a pre-release tasting.

Wagyu Beef Tenderloin and Chopped Tartare

2000 Latour and Mouton Rothschild

The Wagyu that 2941 uses is from a herd of cattle in Texas that is 100% Wagyu with no crossbreeding with other breeds (most American Wagyu have been bread with Angus). The tenderloin was simply cooked, just a little salt and pepper. It needed nothing more, as it was a rich and beautiful meat. The tartare was a chopped version of the tenderloin with small pieces of roasted bell pepper and a drizzle of mustard oil. The heat that the oil provided spurred debate about where it came from, some thought that it had hot peppers thinking that the roasted bell peppers were Jalapeño. Others thought that it was horseradish. Finally Chef Krinn answered the question.

While these two wines are still young and tight, they did exhibit wonderful potential. After four hours of decanting the fruit was starting to show, and surprisingly the Mouton was showing better than any of the other first growth. This is in stark contrast to the way Mouton tasted at pre-release, where it was a disappointment.

Quartet of Artisanal Cheeses

2000 Haut Brion and 2000 La Mission Haut Brion

The presentation of these cheeses was beautiful. The four cheeses were matched with a matching accompaniment. The cheeses were: Gaperon, Vella Dry Monterey Jack, Tomme de Savoie and Montbiac. I would give more details about what each was accompanied with but I cannot remember. The one exception is that the Jack was served with a “mole” of bitter chocolate, chili peppers, and chopped pumpkin seeds. This was not a sauce, but more of a confection.

These wines were very elegant, and like I expected the La Mission Haut Brion was showing better than the Haut Brion. I believe that high level of merlot in these wines makes them a little more accessible sooner than the cab heavy wines.

As a bonus when we all retired to the bar to figure out how we were going to get home, one of the other guests purchased a 1963 Fonseca Port. I had never had a port with this kind of age on it. Now I am going to have to seek out more of them. The nose was a wonderful mixture of spicy cedar and chocolate, with hints of licorice. The finish seemed to last forever.

One of the other guests decided to be a pain in the ass and eat like a vegetarian (he as scared off by some of the "non-traditional" elements of teh meal). They gracously provided these dishes to him. The two dishes that I remember was an herb risotto that was as good as any risotto I had ever tasted. The other was a mushroom ravioli on a bed of lentels. Apparently most of the mushrooms were porcinis. While he let me try the risotto, he would not give up any of the ravioli.

[Alan7147]

A little more than a week ago I attended a 2000 First Growth Bordeaux dinner at 2941.  The dinner was held on a Saturday night, and we had an amazing amount of Chef Krinn’s attention.  It ranks as one of the best meals I have had anywhere.

May I ask who put on this dinner? Sounds great!

[Sthitch]

Wide World of Wines in DC, the owner has been friends with Jonathan Krinn's father since before the fine Chef was born.

[V.H.]

I'm signing up for the chocolate cooking class on May 16. Dinner is served with wine during the class, and I was wondering if anyone could tell me what to expect for the meal.

[govtlawyer]

Has anyone ever had Sunday brunch at 2941?

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Brunch at 2941 was AMAZING. Unfortunately, they stopped serving brunch earlier this year :(

[V.H.]

I took a cooking class last night at 2941 and thought it was one of the most fun food experiences I've had in a long while. The class was a demonstration of different techniques and recipes in chocolate. Chef Krinn and his pastry chef Chris did the class a room with a long table set up at the front and rectangular tables for the 30 participants set up in rows. The class started with Chris demonstrating a molded chocolate while Chef Krinn provided the commentary. Chef Krinn's discussion of the technique was educational but also punctuated with plenty of humor and some anectdotes about his apprenticeships in France.

Dinner is provided in the cost of the class and started with a glass of wine and bread baskets. This was my first time at 2941 and the bread is as amazing as everyone has been saying. There was pumpernickel raisin, french baguette, cherry almond, garlic chive, and another fruit studded that had yellow and white chunks. I enjoyed a piece of each except for the pumpernickel as I'm not a raisin fan. The bread was followed by a great salad with a Citrus Coriander vinagrette and an entree of Chilean sea bass with black bean sauce and shitake mushrooms.

Dessert was spread over at least an hour, maybe 1 1/2 hours since we were eating things prepared in the class, and served with a glass of sparkling wine. In addition to the molded chocolates, Chef Krinn and Chris demonstrated the chocolate caramel filling for the chocolates, a chocolate mousse, chocolate-coffee truffles coated with candied hazelnuts, chocolate brownie cookies, chocolate ganache, tempering chocolate, and a glossy chocolate glaze for cake.

The things that struck me the most about this class was just how NICE Chef Krinn is. He obviously loves what he does and loves sharing that knowledge with others. He was so at ease keeping up a running commentary as he and Chris went through each of the dishes. He also made sure to get the participants as involved as he could. He walked around the room with bowls and pots of things to show each person what they should be looking for in each step of his recipes. Chris broke off a chunk of good tempered chocolate so that everyone could look at it and feel it while he discussed the characteristics of tempered chocolate.

At the end of the class, some folks were asking about the vinagrette recipe and the cake recipe. Chef Krinn invited anyone who wanted a recipe to come back into the kitchen where he could pull it up and print it out for them. That completely floored me. He had about 15 people (each holding a complimentary loaf of bread) crowded around his computer station while he pulled up the recipes.

All in all, it was an experience that lasted just under 4 hours. Quite the bargain, if you ask me. I broke into the bread this morning for breakfast and found that it was studded with chunks of figs. Yum!

[Malawry]

Tom Sietsema reported on a new cafe-type setup on the beautiful terrace at 2941 in today's Weekly Dish column. I'm pleased to see this at 2941 since it will make the restaurant accessible to more people, and since it makes use of that gorgeous terrace. I may have to check it out soon.