Editor’s Note: TenPehn Tysons is now permanently closed.
When chef Jeff Tunks and his partners at Passion Food Hospitality Group announced plans to resurrect TenPenh, their paean to Pan-Asian cooking, in Tysons Corner, the food community was abuzz. Could the restaurateurs stage a comeback of the wildly popular concept that had enjoyed an 11-year run at the corner of 10th Street NW and Pennsylvania Avenue (hence the name) downtown? Could the lightning bolt of critical acclaim strike twice?
The restaurant’s newfound home in the sparkling Silverline Center certainly seems to anticipate crowds. TenPenh Tysons is vast, with seating for 244 inside and 34 outside. Designed by the architecture firm Gensler, the space is effectively broken down into a series of rooms—the Dining Room, the Tea Room, the Imperial Room (for private dining), the Dragon’s Lair bar, the Engawa sushi bar, and two cocktail lounges, the Salon and Jade Room—though the sheer scale of the place allows for some sweepingly dramatic design turns. A moon-shaped entryway outlined in ornate fretwork leads to a panorama of ebony-stained tables, floor-to-ceiling windows and an impressive art collection that includes everything from tabletop Buddhas to a multi-paneled Japanese mural of mermaids drinking tea.
Variously sexy, inviting and sumptuous, TenPenh is a perfect date spot—especially if you start off with one of the delightful specialty cocktails. In the Jungle Bird, yellow Chartreuse provides an herbal kick to a blend of Irish whiskey, Lillet Blanc and cacao. A touch of apricot jam lends just the right smack of sweetness to a gin-based Lotus Sour. I’d recommend unwinding over a bubbling skillet of crab Rangoon dip, a riff on the Americanized takeout staple which, in this case, is served with sweet chili sauce and wonton chips.
TenPenh Tysons does honor a few of the original’s greatest hits, reviving popular dishes like Chinese-style smoked lobster over crispy spinach, and shrimp in red-Thai curry. Chef Cliff Wharton, who helmed the original D.C. location, recently replaced Miles Vaden in the kitchen.
At the same time, the new restaurant, which opened in late 2016, isn’t an exact replica of its predecessor. Much has changed in the dining landscape since the year 2000, when the first TenPenh opened its doors, Tunks explains: “A fast-casual explosion has taken place. Sixteen years ago, no one was serving ramen. Back then, people had an appetizer, entrée and dessert. Now, things are more shareable and accessible. People aren’t committed to $29 entrées, so we changed up the format.”
The concept that felt fresh 16 years ago—American chefs exploring and interpreting various Asian cuisines—also takes on a different light as we now embark on long-overdue discussions about cultural appropriation and authenticity.
TenPenh’s menu seeks to cover a lot of ground (maybe too much), spanning Thailand, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore, Malaysia, China, the Philippines and Hawaii. You’ll find just about every trendy Asian food buzzword you can think of under headings such as Sushi/Sashimi, Dim Sum & Small Plates, Steamed Bao Buns, Ramen, “Rice Crispy” Bowls and Banquet-Style Plates for Sharing.
The trend-spree is notably evident in one dish that finds a piece of Nashville hot chicken in a bao bun with bread-and-butter pickle relish, and another that features the now-ubiquitous Hawaiian poke. At lunch, Vietnamese banh mi sandwiches and Japanese bento boxes are served in porcelain TV-dinner trays.
Amid the bounty of choices, there is much to enjoy. A “sizzling hot stone crispy rice bowl” comes out sizzling, as promised. Stir it all up so that the crunchy bits on the bottom commingle with the kimchi, carrot, zucchini and sesame-spinach garnishes, as well as Tunks upgrades such as smoked brisket and a poached egg, and you’ve got yourself a treasure trove of flavors.
A crudo of thin-sliced yellowtail, lightly dressed in ponzu sauce with orange segments and jalapeno slices, is refreshing and pleasing in its restraint. A colorful jumble of raw kale, edamame, red and yellow julienned peppers, Napa cabbage, cucumber, toasted almonds and red cabbage in a gingery peanut dressing is a solid rendition of the familiar “Asian” salad. And thumbs up to a vegetable dish of curried roasted cauliflower with Thai lemongrass and ginger relish.
I’m a sucker for okonomiyaki, the savory Japanese cabbage pancake slathered with Japanese (kewpie) mayonnaise and eel sauce with a sprinkling of bonito flakes. TenPenh’s version, with shrimp and octopus, arrives piping hot in a skillet and passes muster. The same goes for an order of bao buns stuffed with pork belly, the meat having been correctly braised and aptly seasoned with five-spice powder. (Too bad the kitchen doesn’t make its own buns.) The steamed pork dumplings, spiked with ginger and hot chili oil, are worth double ordering.
Other dishes prove problematic. A serving of ahi tuna poke drowns in dressing, diminishing the starring role of the fresh fish. Green beans stir-fried with chili are so salty from a surfeit of black bean paste that I have to return them. Four wan lamb chops bear the fate of being cut to different thicknesses, but cooked with equal time: One is blood rare, another well done, and the others in between.
The Bellagio sushi roll—a mass of tempura shrimp, salmon, avocado, rice and nori, topped with sliced tuna, avocado and colored roes—is an exercise in overkill. The slices are as large as biscuits and difficult to eat. (Although it is as over-the-top as its name suggests.)
Tunks is quick to tout the Peking duck, a labor-intensive operation in which air is put under the duck’s skin and the whole thing undergoes a maltose and anise bath, followed by a five-spice schmearing in the cavity, air-drying and another water bath before the bird is roasted and crisped up. And yet after all that, my half-order has no flavor at all, the skin missing its trademark crispiness and the whole resting on a slick of fat.
For dessert, the shaved ice (think large pencil shavings)—drenched in condensed milk and topped with fresh fruit and large, chewy boba (tapioca) pearls—is summertime in a bowl. I can’t say the same for a rubbery panna cotta with a blueberry compote reminiscent of grocery-store jam; or the key lime tart, which lacks the expected citrus zing. Both are disappointments.
There’s good and less-than-good at TenPenh Tysons. Which just goes to show that lightning striking twice is a rare phenomenon indeed.
What To Drink
TenPenh offers an extensive beverage program starting with a selection of signature ($10) and specialty ($12) cocktails. With ingredients such as lychee liqueur, ginger limeade and passion-fruit purée, you might expect these libations to lean toward the sweet side and some of them do. The Jade cocktail, made with melon liqueur, Malibu coconut and pineapple juice, is one such example. But most of the drinks are nicely balanced and quite tasty, among them the Rising Sun (Japanese whiskey, sweet vermouth, orange bitters). Generous martinis are shaken and strained tableside into chilled glasses—a welcome touch. Not surprisingly, the beverage menu also features a good range of sakes (including flavored dessert sakes), with flights of any three of them for $12. It also offers Korean soju, Japanese shochu and Chinese baijiu. One finds a variety of Asian beers such as Asahi, Singha and Kirin (with a few Belgian ones thrown in) and a wine list that includes about 15 selections each of red and white wine, sold in 6-ounce or 8-ounce pours, or by the bottle, most of which run well below the $50 mark.
TenPenh Tysons
7900 Westpark Drive, McLean | 703-910-3096 | www.tenpenhtysons.com
Hours
Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Dinner: Monday-Thursday, 5:30 to 10 p.m.; Friday, 5:30 to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 4 to 11 p.m.; Sunday, 4 to 9 p.m.
Prices
Small plates: $6-$14 | Ramen/rice bowls: $13-$15 | Large plates: $18-$30