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.”
More>> Best Bites Blog | Food & Dining | Restaurant Finder
