From January 2006 100 Very Best Restaurants

THE SCENE. A mecca for foodies. The most coveted tables at this hotel restaurant in Tysons Corner offer an up-close glimpse into the unusually serene open kitchen, where chef Fabio Trabocchi turns out dishes as precise, as exquisite, and as personal as any in the country.

WHAT YOU'LL LOVE. The buzz in the air at every meal, comparable to that at opening night on Broadway--the sense of being at the center of something memorable in the making. Diners choose from either of two grandiosely named menus--La Tradizione, in which the chef displays his effortless mastery of Italian regional traditions, and L'Evoluzione, in which he integrates influences from Europe and Asia. Both menus are rooted in tradition yet unbound by them, putting a premium on clarity and intensity of flavor while playing with expectations. Rarely is good food so good--or so much fun. And few sommeliers are as engaging and trusty as Vincent Feraud, who's as enthusiastic about helping you select a $40 bottle of wine as a $400 bottle and dispenses both good advice and good humor with gentlemanly ease.

WHAT YOU WON'T. The dining room, the very definition of corporate good taste, doesn't begin to approach the drama and excitement of the experience.