Changes afoot at Chefscape in Leesburg — the food hall and food incubator with an ever-changing line-up of restaurants and vendors. The Burn has learned that Bar Ahso, the hall’s cocktail bar, will be changing hands.
Bar Ahso, which has operated in the Chefscape space since earlier this year, will leave. In it’s place, a new bar will open called The Bar@Chefscape. The space itself shouldn’t change much — it’s really the operators that are changing. Going forward, the bar will be managed by the Chefscape team itself versus an outside vendor.
Bar Ahso was an off-shoot of the Ahso Restaurant, a hotspot in Ashburn for fine dining and fine cocktails. Jason Maddens, the chef and creative mind behind Ahso, says they are exploring other ventures in Loudoun County.
Meanwhile, the folks at Chefscape — which is located in the Village at Leesburg center — say they expect to unveil a new logo and new bar menu with expanded wine and beer offerings soon.
I have to say the biggest disappointment at Chefscape has to be Johnny Ray’s. I LOVED his restaurant in Herndon, but now it tastes like he is using frozen foods and just slopping stuff together and sticking it in a microwave. I recently asked if he had the jumbo wings he had in Herndon, the person taking my order said yes, they’re called “party wings” and I said I didn’t think so, because jumbo wings are….jumbo. She went on to say the wings are big, so I ordered them. I also ordered fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and a pork chop (I wasn’t the only eater- but had bragged about the place so long that my friends wanted to try it with me). well, the wings were your typical frozen wings that looked like they came out of a bag that said “Weaver” on it, and they tasted like it- and you can’t cover that up with sticky sauce. The mashed potatoes were hot in some spots, cold in others, and the gravy was the same, and it looked like jelly in some spots- a clear indication that all of it was microwaved. The pork chop was much smaller than they used to be and it was dry. The mac and cheese wasn’t bad, but just didn’t sit well in the cardboard container it was served in. My friends didn’t say anything until I said “this doesn’t seem like the JR’s I have had”, then they unloaded, telling me how bad the food was. The okra was clearly frozen too- no taste at all.
I’m really bummed about this, I was hoping I would walk in and get a smothered chop, some jumbo wings, and peach cobbler. Now….I’m not going back. Sad.
I have to say the biggest disappointment at Chefscape has to be Johnny Ray’s. I LOVED his restaurant in Herndon, but now it tastes like he is using frozen foods and just slopping stuff together and sticking it in a microwave. I recently asked if he had the jumbo wings he had in Herndon, the person taking my order said yes, they’re called “party wings” and I said I didn’t think so, because jumbo wings are….jumbo. She went on to say the wings are big, so I ordered them. I also ordered fried okra, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and a pork chop (I wasn’t the only eater- but had bragged about the place so long that my friends wanted to try it with me). well, the wings were your typical frozen wings that looked like they came out of a bag that said “Weaver” on it, and they tasted like it- and you can’t cover that up with sticky sauce. The mashed potatoes were hot in some spots, cold in others, and the gravy was the same, and it looked like jelly in some spots- a clear indication that all of it was microwaved. The pork chop was much smaller than they used to be and it was dry. The mac and cheese wasn’t bad, but just didn’t sit well in the cardboard container it was served in. My friends didn’t say anything until I said “this doesn’t seem like the JR’s I have had”, then they unloaded, telling me how bad the food was. The okra was clearly frozen too- no taste at all.
I’m really bummed about this, I was hoping I would walk in and get a smothered chop, some jumbo wings, and peach cobbler. Now….I’m not going back. Sad.
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