Daily dispatches on the Washington, DC area's food, restaurant and dining scene.

Breaking News: Farrah Olivia Is Closing

By Todd Kliman Published Wednesday, April 15, 2009

And another one down . . . Farrah Olivia, the freewheeling, modern American restaurant that cemented chef Morou Ouattara’s reputation as one of the city’s top talents, will send out its last plate of shocked escolar at dinner on April 29th.

The restaurant’s landlord is Balducci’s, and Ouattara says that he and the company had been in negotiations for months about a new lease. A deal could not be reached and the chef decided to shut down the two-and-half year old restaurant (which clocked in at number 20 on our list of 100 Best Restaurants).

The news is not all bad. Morou and his wife, Heather, are set to open a restaurant/bar/lounge in Crystal City sometime this summer. Morou’s brother Amadou, who previously cooked at I Ricci, will also be in the kitchen.

And Morou insists that although Farrah Olivia in Old Town won’t survive the spring, Farrah Olivia itself is not dead. He fully expects to reopen the restaurant in downtown DC within the next “nine to 12 months.”

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Comments

How dreadful!! I’m up at 3:25am watching WETA-Create and saw this wonderful place. I immediately put Farrah Olivia in the search engine but only to see this article and discover that it no longer exists. I am a foodie at heart and enjoy new and fresh cuisines. There is a dismal representation of high-end African cuisine in this area and the people of the DMV suffer for it. I can’t wait to see what turns up.

Posted by: Not A Happy Camper, Jan 07, 2010 01:00:26 AM

Looking forward to new place..We love your food.

Posted by: Neddie , Nov 11, 2009 04:45:21 PM

Unacceptable.

I’ve been looking forward to eating here and imagine my surprise to read this news. Lesson learned: if there’s a restaurant you want to go to, go asap.

Posted by: ceenahoo, Aug 06, 2009 11:22:00 AM

Shame on them! My daughter traveled down from Philly specifically for a celebration centered on the testing menu. We arrived on time, Saturday night, to find an abandoned restaurant. The sign had been ripped from the wall but there was no note of explanation on the door. I asked one of the Balducci’s workers who seemed stunned and replied, ’they were here last night.’ They had my phone number. As a basic courtesy, could they have not called to warn me, rather than leave my daughter and me stranded at 7 pm on a Saturday night?

Posted by: Cindy Richmond, Jun 07, 2009 03:11:05 AM

Oh no!! This is tragic news. A favorite spot for me. Makes me want to boycott Balducci’s from now on.

The City of Alexandria should do everything in its power to keep Chef Morou in town and find him a new home. He is an enormous asset to the City.

Posted by: Kelli, Apr 23, 2009 05:53:05 AM

I am devistated. I love Farrah Olivia. I’ve had the best service there.

Posted by: JB, Apr 18, 2009 04:19:55 AM

Ouch - bet Alexandria is regretting their choice for the face of the city’s recent ad campaign! But it was such an obscure location, I’m sure they’ll fare much better in the District.

Posted by: Colleen/FoodieTots, Apr 17, 2009 05:25:09 PM

This is sad. Farrah Olivia is one of my favorites, and very easy to get to.

Posted by: AJ, Apr 17, 2009 07:05:22 AM

Looking forward to the opening of his place in Crystal City... we could use a few good new restaurants!

Posted by: Elle, Apr 15, 2009 02:37:04 PM

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Breaking News: Farrah Olivia Is Closing

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