Randy Norton, the patriarch of local hospitality group Great American Restaurants (GAR), has overseen 16 bar and restaurant openings in Northern Virginia, including Carlyle, Ozzie’s, and three locations each of Coastal Flats and Sweetwater Tavern. But the most recent proved the most personal. At Randy’s Prime Seafood and Steaks, now open in Tysons Corner, Norton gave his name and taste to the concept, designing it as a destination for fine steaks, wine, and seafood.
The Tuesday opening of the steakhouse completes a trio of new GAR restaurants for Tysons, all located next to one another. The other two concepts include fast-casual Best Buns Bakery and Cafe and full-service eatery Patsy’s American. The latter is named for Norton’s wife of 50-plus years and business partner of 45, Patsy Norton. Together they create a dining complex that ranks from casual to upscale—Randy’s being the finest dining of the GAR restaurants to date.
The dapper 28-table dining room features green mohair booths and mahogany tables. Five paintings from John Gable, Norton’s favorite artist from Maine, line the walls and pay homage to his favorite celebrities. Another Norton touch: a largely gluten free menu (he’s gluten intolerant), including dishes like a lobster-crab cake entree that’s been reworked to omit the bread filler. Guests can start with raw bar offerings, including three levels of shellfish towers, and move on to seafood-centric entrees such as miso sea bass or scallops with sweet creamed corn, andouille sausage, and ramp foam.
Steaks include classic cuts like filet and New York strip alongside specialties like bone-in “king cut” blackened prime rib (available Wednesday through Friday) and pricey Snake River Farms wagyu. Most of the entrees run around the $30-$40 range, while a cut of American wagyu will set you back as much as $84. For those with a sweet tooth, try the five-layer carrot cake taken right from Pasty’s recipe book.
The offerings across the Tyson’s complex are distinct, so if you’re interested in grabbing a classic cocktail at Randy’s and a meal at Patsy’s, you’ll have to move from door to door. But if you’re interested in having all three cuisines in one roof, the restaurants boast three private rooms that blend all three menus.
Randy’s Prime Seafood and Steaks. 8051 Leesburg Pike, Vienna. Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Kalina Newman is an editorial fellow for Washingtonian. Previously, she covered metro news for the Boston Globe. Her work has appeared in ARLnow, DCist, and the Washington City Paper. Kalina graduated from Boston University in 2019 with a degree in journalism.
