Changes are in the works for restaurateur Mike Isabella and chef Jennifer Carroll’s French-Mediterranean restaurant in the Mosaic District. Starting next year, Requin will undergo renovations and transform into a casual French brasserie.
Requin, which means “shark” in French, began as a pop-up in the Fairfax development. Isabella and Carroll decided to make it a permanent fixture after positive feedback, while also developing a second branch of the eatery for the Wharf in DC. Now that the Southwest waterfront project is coming together for an October debut, Isabella wants to differentiate the two locations—somewhat similar to his locations of Kapnos, which include the more rustic Kapnos Kouzina and seafood-centric Kapnos Taverna.
Isabella’s vision for Requin at the Wharf is a more upscale French/Mediterranean eatery with a large Champagne menu, cheese program, and array of seafood and meat dishes. He compares the price and style of service and cuisine to Arroz, his sleek new Spanish spot downtown. To contrast and better suit its neighborhood, Requin in Virginia will become more casual and family-friendly, with a brasserie-style menu of burgers, sandwiches, mussels and fries, and raw oysters. The space will also undergo a renovation for a cafe vibe with awnings and open windows. The name may be tweaked (a la Kapnos/Kapnos Taverna).
Stay tuned for an opening timeline.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
