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Look Inside Brambleton’s New No-Tipping-Required Restaurant Wine-friendly Ahso is now open

Posted December 18, 2017
The main dining room at Ahso. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC

Visitors to Ahso, the debut restaurant newly minted restaurateur Jason Maddens has placed in Brambleton Town Center, should count on seeing local ingredients and carefully selected pours cross their table — but never a suggestion to slip staff a little something extra.

“Our prices include the tip,” the menu at this modern American eatery specifies in big bold letters.

An alum of fine-dining establishments including Central and 2941, Maddens was most recently attached to critically acclaimed Clarity in neighboring Vienna, Va. It was there that he began working more with wine, a fascination reflected by the name — the old school dual-pronged wine openers sommeliers used to carry around are called Ah-Sos — of his first solo venture.

Featured selections on the opening menu include cold-smoked oysters with yuzu mignonette ($18); rabbit porchetta glazed with cabernet franc ($18); vegetarian-friendly spaghetti squash with tomato bisque and lentil meatballs ($19); lamb with caramelized Brussels sprouts ($25); gluten-free apple skillet cake with caramel ice cream ($9); and blood orange panna cotta with almond brittle ($9).

Staff tell Eater that walk-ins are welcome anytime, but say reservations are recommended for larger groups.

The restaurant is projected to operate from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m., Tuesday through Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m., Friday through Saturday, and from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Sundays.

Status: Certified open. 22855 Brambleton Plaza #108, Brambleton, Va.website.

Scroll down to peek inside Madden’s new restaurant.

The central bar at Ahso can accommodate at least a dozen customers. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC
Customers ordering wine during a preview dinner at Ahso. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC
Bar staff pouring cocktails at Ahso. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC
A satellite counter at Ahso looks right into the kitchen. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC
Ahso founder and chef Jason Maddens working in the kitchen. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC
A staff member at Ahso drizzles lemon oil over a plate of sous vide butternut squash studded with pumpkin seeds, and accompanied by baby carrots, pickled cranberries, and sage-spiked ricotta. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC
Ahso founder and chef Jason Maddens checks on customers during a preview dinner at his new restaurant. 
Photo by Rey Lopez for Eater DC