I’m sitting at the sushi bar at Modan, gazing upon a pristine Kumamoto oyster topped with Hokkaido sea urchin and golden pearls of Kaluga caviar. It’s the first of 15 courses coming my way as part of the “omakase experience” at this sleek Japanese restaurant, which opened in November inside the luxury Heming apartment building in Tysons.
Having already sampled the a la carte and smaller tasting menus, I’m excited to try this next-level experience which, for $220 per person, is offered to an intimate group of eight to 10 diners at a discrete counter with 5:30 and 8:30 p.m. seatings.
Tipping the oyster shell’s bounty into my mouth, I feel like I’ve plunged into the sea in one perfect, blissful bite. And with that divine introduction I am rapt, all the way through to the final spoonful of a satiny crème brulee infused with Hojicha, a roasted green tea.
The journey in between includes a sashimi assortment of hay-smoked needle fish, wild yellowtail and dry-aged (more on this process later) king salmon; crispy-skinned grilled eel; savory egg custard with snow crab and shaved black truffles; sake-steamed ruby snapper; pickled spot prawns with fig, blueberries and ruby red grapefruit; a succession of six nigiri; and donburi, a rice bowl topped with Kagoshima Prefecture A5 Wagyu beef, salmon roe and truffles.
The nigiri, by the way, are sublime, including variations laden with soy-cured bluefin tuna and toro (fatty tuna) from Mexico, king mackerel and golden-eye snapper from Japan, and what is perhaps the finest Hokkaido uni (sea urchin) I’ve ever tasted. Executive chef Chico Dator reveals that this “Black Label” urchin costs between $300 and $500 for a 250-gram box.
Modan (the name is a derivation of the Japanese word for modern) is the brainchild of McLean resident Benjamin Lin, 50, a former government IT contractor who sold his business to a private equity firm in 2021 and used the proceeds to pursue his dream of becoming a restaurateur.
“I love Japanese food and would always take clients to Shōtō, Nobu and [Sushi] Nakazawa [all in D.C.] and thought, I shouldn’t have to go into Washington for this!” Lin explains. “Tysons is littered with steakhouses, but how many times can you go to The Palm and The Capital Grille?”
He put together a group of investors to form Modan Hospitality Group and tapped Dator, 38, as chef and co-owner, having befriended him during Dator’s three-year stint as executive chef at Nobu in D.C. from 2021 to 2024. (Dator now lives above Modan, in Heming.)
Cool and contemporary, the 7,000-square-foot restaurant designed by D.C.-based Collective Architecture juxtaposes natural elements, such as lava rock and light wood, with black steel and glass shelving. Teardrop-shaped light bulbs suspended from the ceiling have a starlike effect, with dimmers and wall uplighting contributing to the sexy vibe.
The dramatic focal point is an open sushi kitchen and robata grill, where six chefs put their craft on display, wielding torches and pulling jewel-toned fish and seafood from refrigerated glass display cases to serve patrons in the 150-seat dining room, lively bar area and 35-seat private dining room. Floor-to-ceiling windows provide views of Tysons as glittering Silver Line cars zip in and out of the McLean Metrorail station.
The place has a quiet luxury and Zen feel to it, save the step-and-repeat backdrop festooned with faux cherry blossoms (for IG moments) and a fab restroom housing five private bathrooms, each one decorated lavishly and differently.
Also on display are refrigerated cases holding tomahawk steaks, cut swaths of salmon and tuna, and whole fish suspended from hooks for dry-aging.
“The only fish we [technically] dry-age are tuna and salmon, anywhere from seven to 10 days,” explains Dator. “It removes moisture, deepens flavor, softens the texture and enhances umami. The rest of the fish, like snapper, goldeneye and amberjack, we hold close to the freezing point for three to seven days, depending on their fat content. We call that ‘conditioning’ rather than dry-aging.”
Dator learned both processes from chef Ray Lee, a friend and relative of Lin’s who own Akikos omakase restaurant in San Francisco.
At Modan, he puts his 10 years of experience working for famed chef Nobu Mastsuhisa—at Nobu outposts in Hawaii, Malibu, Kuala Lumpur and D.C.—to good use. The menu is divided into appetizers, soups and salads, hot dishes, cold dishes, tempura, sushi/sashimi and classic rolls.
That makes it a cinch to put together an exciting a la carte meal. Easier still is the signature five-course tasting menu for $125 (or the premium one for $165), which features familiar Nobu dishes such as mini nori tacos filled with tuna tartare and miso-marinated black cod.
“Even if I don’t want to serve [the cod], I have to,” Dator says. “It’s the number one seller!”
Modan’s version is less sweet and more succulent than I remember at Nobu, and Dator’s addition of trout salmon roe adds a nice texture and salty punch to the fish’s caramelized flesh.
The five-course tasting menu is obviously shorter than the omakase, but it’s plenty generous. It begins with a Wagyu-stuffed puff pastry ball with honey truffle aioli, and I get that ball rolling with a crisp lychee martini.
A delightful leafy green salad with sesame dressing and fried shiitake mushrooms follows. Next up: the aforementioned tacos and two other crudo dishes—ponzu-marinated bluefin tuna topped with crispy shredded sweet potatoes, and king salmon carpaccio with sweet onion salsa, truffle aioli and fried onions. Then comes the miso-marinated cod and a second entrée, grilled teriyaki chicken thigh, which is perfectly tender but pedestrian.
The meal’s sweet endings include assorted mochi and a stunning matcha cheesecake topped with feuilletine crunch, strawberries and edible flowers. Presented in a ceremonial wooden box, the cheesecake is served with yuzu sorbet and a pitcher of caramel syrup.
The service personnel I encountered during each of my visits to Modan were well-informed and provided extra touches commensurate with the elevated prices, such as offering my dining companion a hook for her purse.
I cannot help objecting to the exorbitantly priced and not very creative wine list, and the unavoidable $13 parking garage fee. At the time of my visits, the restaurant did not validate parking, although it was in negotiations to do so.
But the food is exquisite. By the end of my omakase adventure, it was evident (from their conversation) that the other diners joining me at the counter were seasoned connoisseurs of high-end Japanese cuisine. The chef asked us how we liked our meal.
“Amazing! Just a whole other level!” said the woman next to me. I think she got it right.
What to Drink
Modan has an extensive beverage menu. In addition to classic cocktails ($17), the bar offers nine craft cocktails ($18 to $30), many enhanced with Japanese ingredients such as mugicha (roasted barley tea), kokuto (a Japanese sugar) syrup and kinako (roasted soybean flour).
Spirit offerings include 13 Japanese whiskies ($18 to $70).
Only 14 of the 56 bottles on Modan’s pricey wine list are under $100, and 17 are over $300. Three iterations of a Bond Napa Valley (via Silicon Valley?) Bordeaux blend cost $2,100 each.
Seventeen sakes range between $40 and $570, with most well over $100 per bottle. Wine and sake pairings are available.
Modan
1788 Chain Bridge Road, McLean
703-743-6600
Hours
Monday through Saturday: 5 to 10 p.m.
Parking
Heming has a garage ($13), but at the time of this review, Modan did not validate parking.
Prices
Appetizers: $6 (edamame) to $28 (Wagyu dumplings)
Entrees: $31 to $55, plus $168 for 4 ounces of A5 Wagyu on a lava stone
Classic rolls: $12 to $32
Sashimi/nigiri: $6 to $14 per piece
15-course omakase: $225 (including dessert and a glass of Champagne)
Tasting menus: $125 (signature) or $165 (premium)
Desserts: $14 to $16