By Kim Hart
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, February 8, 2007; VA18
Dressed in a light brown suit, Brad Wilson walked into Morton's steakhouse in Tysons Corner and caught a whiff of cigar smoke from the bar, mingled with the unmistakable scent of prime rib from a nearby table. The restaurant was packed with wine-sipping professionals, the chatter punctuated by the clink of dishes from the kitchen.
"Ah, another steakhouse," he said, before shaking hands with acquaintances he recognized at the bar.
Wilson, a computer networking consultant from Fairfax, often spends evenings on the steakhouse circuit to make deals and meet new clients. And the growing number of upscale steak restaurants catering to the high-powered business community in Tysons means he has plenty of places to choose from.
Just as steakhouses in the District have for years attracted politicians and executives, Tysons is developing a reputation as a power-dining destination.
Ten steakhouses attract a sturdy crowd of professionals who conduct business over hunks of beef. Two new steak-serving restaurants have plans to enter the market in the next six months, adding to a scene that local business leaders say reflects Tysons's growing prominence as a big-league business district.
"I think the number of steakhouses really serves as a barometer for the business growth in the area," said Linda Roth, a local public relations consultant who works with hotels and restaurants. "These restaurants wouldn't be here if there weren't business people here to eat at them."
Capital Grille, Clyde's, Flemming's Prime Steakhouse and the Palm Restaurant have other area locations, but the Tysons steakhouses draw a different crowd. Washington restaurants typically cater to politicians, lobbyists and out-of-town officials, but Tysons attracts local entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, information technology consultants and government contractors.
Many restaurateurs say there's plenty of business. Chima Brazilian Steakhouse opened in December on the bottom floor of an office building behind the Tysons Marriott hotel. Ruth's Chris Steak House has plans for a location less than a mile down Leesburg Pike, and Wildfire, a Chicago-based steakhouse chain, plans to open in Tysons Galleria in the fall.
"We're all in the same game," said Fred Coppola, assistant manager of the Tyson's Morton's, which opened in 1990. "The guests frequent all these places."
But the influx of steakhouses in the past few years leaves some owners with the same question: How many steakhouses can the area support?
"Each time one opens, your business drops back a bit," said Jim Wordsworth, who opened J.R.'s Stockyards Inn in 1976. In the past three years, he said, he has seen five steakhouses open within two miles of his restaurant. "The market can only take so much. . . . There will be a leveling off."
One steakhouse has fallen victim to the crowded market. Sam's Essential Grill, which spun out of Sam & Harry's, a well-known steakhouse staple in Tysons before it closed in 2005, shut down last month. That's where Ruth's Chris will open this year. Wordsworth said he can see why Tysons is so attractive to restaurateurs.
"It's a bulletproof kind of market," he said. "The demographics are great for fine dining -- a stable economy and a great workforce with high salaries."
That's exactly why Chima opened in Tysons. "The whole Tysons Corner area [offers] an upscale business class that everyone's trying to tap into," said Greg Woerner, a manager at Chima, where servers roam the restaurant with freshly cooked cuts of beef on swords, slicing meat directly onto customers' plates. "It's a sophisticated place."
The regulars at the Ritz-Carlton's Steak House, the Palm, Flemming's, J. Gilbert's and Shula's American Steak House are a virtual who's who list of influential Northern Virginia business leaders.
Sima Birach Jr., who owns 14 radio stations around the country, including two local ones, eats at Morton's so much that he has his own wine locker -- a privilege reserved for the restaurant's most loyal customers. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and developer Douglas Jemal also are among the key-holders. Newscaster Sam Donaldson and several Wizards players also frequent the restaurant.
"When my wife can't find me, she calls here," Birach said, just before a New York strip steak -- his favorite -- arrived at the table.
In one corner, a group of Lockheed Martin executives discussed deals. Across the room, Clifton and Allison Best of Centreville celebrated their third wedding anniversary -- they mark the day each year at Morton's.
In the bar, lawyers and government contractors enjoyed cigars and wine.
Paul Brubaker, chief executive of Procentrix, an information technology company in Reston, said he eats at Morton's at least twice a week for business. The smoking ban in Washington restaurants drove him out to the suburbs, he said.
"It's old-school and clubby, and I think people like that," he said, cigar in hand.
A few feet away, Barbara Bridges sipped red wine with two co-workers. Merlin International Inc., the IT consulting firm where they work, is nearby and, she said, she likes the "classy" atmosphere and executive crowd.
At Flemming's, Ralph and Maria Evans, who owned McLean's Evans Farm Inn for 40 years before it sold in 2000, dined with their son, Joe Young, and his wife, Linda. The Youngs said they eat there at least twice a month and raved about the wine and atmosphere.
But in many of these steakhouses, food is secondary to networking.
"People come here to see and be seen," said Audrey Slade, communications director at the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner. Its Steak House's lounge is usually packed for happy hour, she said, and she's often surprised by the number of executives who eat a hefty steak for lunch.
Big names from PricewaterhouseCooper, Booz Allen Hamilton and Freddie Mac are frequent guests.
At the Capital Grille, regular patrons include owners of local car dealerships and lawyers, manager Gordon Leigh said.
"There's an explosion of new businesses opening here," he said. "It just shows you what's happening in this neck of the woods."
