Maestro Chef Heads to New York, Citronelle Closes Temporarily

Courtney Thompson

July 23, 2007

The Post’s Tom Sietsema reported on Friday that the Ritz-Carlton Tysons Corner’s Maestro restaurant is losing chef Fabio Trabocchi to the Stephen Hanson restaurant Fiamma Osteria in New York. “Washington is losing one of its top talents,” Sietsema said, though he added that the chef hinted he’ll be back in two years—just around the time that Hanson's company, B.R. Guest, and Starwood Capital Group plan to open an Italian restaurant in a West End hotel that has yet to break ground. Trabocchi’s last day at Maestro is August 18, so make your reservations now.

In other restaurant news, Reliable Source editors Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts reported on Friday that Michel Richard Citronelle closed on Thursday due to a lapse in its liquor license. The Latham Hotel (the restaurant's landlord) missed the March 30 renewal date as well as the June 30 extension date, causing the D.C. Alcohol Beverage Regulation Administration to send over a cease-and-desist order. After relocating reservations for Thursday and Friday night, the restaurant reopened—with a full bar—on Saturday.

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