When chefs Jonathan Krinn and Jon Mathieson left 2941—the American/French destination dining room in Falls Church—to open their own place, they envisioned something quaint. “We wanted to do kitchen theater,” says Mathieson. “Fifty seats, a turnkey operation.”

Tonight—more than a year later—they’ll open the doors to Inox, which will have room for 126 guests in the main dining room. With space for 130 seats in four private dining areas and about 30 seats in a bar/lounge, the total is close to 300.

But they do have a kitchen theater—sort of. The restaurant is located on the ground floor of an office building (sound familiar, 2941 fans?), and Krinn, 40, and Mathieson, 44, converted the basement of the adjoining parking garage into an open kitchen. There’s a small blond-wood-paneled area that the chef/owners are using as a viewing area, at least for now.

The rest of the space is modern—white tablecloths, off-white faux-leather chairs, curved walls, one with silver subway tiles. But it’s not totally stark: There are dark wood accents and decorative stained glass. The lounge is a similar mix, fusing Dali-esque beige couches with low tree-trunk tables.

At 2941, where Krinn was executive chef and Mathieson chef de cuisine, diners applauded the refined, seasonal dishes that often carried a French or Asian touch. The best bread basket in town and a goodbye bowl of cotton candy helped, too. Krinn describes the Inox menu as “fun, approachable, contemporary American.” In their 16 months off, Krinn, Mathieson, and John Wabeck—the restaurant’s sommelier and a former chef at New Heights—tried out new dishes every day.

“Sometimes we would just cook some pasta,” says Mathieson, who hosted many of the menu-planning get-togethers at his Vienna home. “We had to take time to remember that we’re chefs, and we had to practice our trade.”

They also catered parties where they test-drove wine pairings, an area that gets major play at Inox. Wabeck, a certified sommelier, has stocked glassware for every type of wine. He houses the 6,000 bottles in temperature-controlled cases—each varietal gets its own.

Tonight, diners will begin their meals with the same house-baked breads that kicked things off at 2941. Made twice a day by Krinn’s father, Mal, they come in several creative variations plus baguette and country wheat. As for that last touch at the end of the meal? It won’t be cotton candy. It’s been replaced by more elegant—but less whimsical—petits fours.

Open for dinner Sunday through Thursday 5 to 10, Friday and Saturday 5 to 10:30.

Click here to see the dinner menu.