Posts Tagged ‘Morou Ouattara’
Farrah Olivia Resurrected Within Kora
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Tuesday, January 4th, 2011
Renowned perfectionist Morou Ouattara is ready to slide back behind the burners.
And he’ll be doing just that at TWO new(ish) Northern Virginia restaurants. They just happen to share the same address.
Beginning tomorrow, devotees of Outtara’s short-lived fantasy dining project, Farrah Olivia, will once again be able to indulge in fanciful, multicourse tasting menus–think: beef tartare embellished with berbere, “shocked” tuna, roasted quail with banana bread stuffing–courtesy of the tasting-room-within-an-established-restaurant model Ouattara is utilizing to reintroduce his critically-acclaimed cooking style within Kora ‘s four walls.
The embedded Farrah Olivia will feature 3-, 4- or 5-course tasting menus ($45, $55 and $65, respectively) to be served in a separate 50-seat dining room from 5:30 p.m.-9:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday. “There are separate menus, decor, staff,” Ouattara promised of the custom-tailored, fine-dining experience Farrah Olivia regulars have been clamoring for ever since the shuttering of his restaurant in Alexandria.
Ouattara is also retooling the menu at Kora, having assumed control of the kitchen after his brother, Amadou, stepped down in November.
“I found that most of our diners were slightly disappointed not to be tasting my cuisine since my name was on the restaurant. They were expecting Italian with a twist, not traditional Italian cuisine,” Ouattara said, owning up to the lukewarm response Kora has received to date.
According to Ouattara, Kora’s lunch fare will likely remain undisturbed. But he’s already begun fine-tuning the dinner program, eschewing convention in favor of fresh interpretations.
“I’ve fused Italian with modern American, some French and a few other things,” he expalined. Tentative updates include: steak tartare, tuna with caponata, balsamic and olive pearls, goat cheese gnudi with fried artichoke hearts and pan-roasted, walnut-crusted chicken breast flanked by bacon mac and cheese.
And that’s just for starters.
“I’ve also been experimenting with zero-calorie pastas,” Ouattara mused, casually floating plans to make calorie counting obsolete by marrying noodles and insoluble fibers into a guilt-free go-to.
And while he’s not entirely given up on his dream of returning to downtown D.C.–”My wife and I just had another daughter, Lily,” the proud papa reported (Kora and Farrah are the names of his earlier progeny)–he’s in no immediate hurry to race back across the river.
“Farrah Olivia will stay in Virginia for the foreseeable future,” he suggested, adding that he has nothing but fond memories of the friends he made on the outskirts of Old Town Alexandria. “I still remember the names/faces of our regulars: the Brunos, the Singers, the Outlaws, Michelle Boggs, the Jaffee Family. These people saw us on a weekly and sometimes daily bases [sic],” he shared. “I don’t know if I can find that downtown.”
Farrah Olivia will re-open Wednesday, January 5. For reservations, call: 703-445-6571.
–Warren
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009
(Image: National Honey Board)
“You have to be very careful with this thing called Facebook,” ex-Rustico chef Frank Morales chuckled when I called to discuss the latest internet chatter about a suspected aligning with fellow toque Morou Ouattara.
His abrupt exit from the Neighborhood Restaurant Group last week has led to waves of speculation about what the award-winning, brew-embracing Morales might do next.
And while he considers Ouattara a dear friend–”We do get together and have a chat every now and then,” he said of their long-standing relationship–Morales waved off online blather of hitching his wagon to the poised-for-launch Kora.
“There is no future for me at Kora,” he stated. “Except, maybe for dining there.”
Morales suspects the unfounded Kora connection was likely sparked by a low-key invite Ouattara naively broadcast on Morales’ Facebook wall.
“He wrote something like, ‘Hey, let’s get together and talk tomorrow,’” Morales said of the grossly over-analyzed exchange.
And while he is confident Ouattara will continue doing great things at Kora, Morales remains focused on putting together his own restaurant project.
“I like building something,” the well-seasoned chef suggested.
Morales said he’s shopping around for like-minded investors, stressing that he’s more interested in attracting a simpatico support staff than rushing to pounce on some glamorous address.
Which is not to say that he wouldn’t consider righting an established restaurant “with unfocused views” or perhaps signing onto a fledgling restaurant group “with a bigger role for me.”
But any potential hospitality suitors should know that his former employers have set the bar pretty high.
“I use Neighborhood Restaurant Group as a model … they are truly, truly a wonderful group,” he said, citing the career-redefining knowledge he acquired during his time with the Alexandria outfit as an invaluable benefit.
“Now I do beer cuisine. And I absolutely adore it,” he shared.
–Warren
NoVA Restaurant Scene Explodes this July
Posted by The Editorial Desk / Monday, July 6th, 2009
Really wishing I’d gone the restful route this past weekend. Because it looks like the hospitality industry is gearing up for a big July.
Trummer’s on Main
Victoria and Stefan Trummer have devoted the last year of their lives to transforming the former Hermitage Inn into their new restaurant, Trummer’s on Main. And we’ll finally get a peek at the fruits of their labor when they formally open their doors on Monday, July 13.
The Trummers have entrusted chef Clayton Miller with helping to realize their epicurean dreams, a responsibility he takes quite seriously. Miller describes views his cooking style as modern American, which means he’s only too happy to draw inspiration from all over the globe in order to weave exotic flavors into local ingredients.
He’s also a fan of carving out separate dining experiences within a single venue, which is why Trummer’s will feature gourmet snacks at the bar (available by request in the main dining room), seasonal a la carte offerings as well as a fluid multicourse tasting menu (3-5 courses or chef’s choice) in the main dining room and a 3-course brunch (coming soon) predicated on fresh pastries, homestyle favorites and snappy petit fours.
“I want the guests to have flexibility,” Miller suggests.
Kora
Though he just shuttered Farrah Olivia a few weeks back, telegenic toque Morou Ouattara is ready to jump right back into action with Kora–a family-friendly Italian project taking over the old Bebo spot. Morou and older brother Amadou (last seen behind the burner’s at Middleburg’s Salvia restaurant) will lead a kitchen dedicated to quick, comfortable eats.
“It’s not going to be too far away from casual Italian,” Morou said, listing homemade pizzas and gourmet paninis as Kora cornerstones.
Morou remains committed to resurrecting Farrah Olivia in the near future (within the next year and a half, anyway), but has not yet fixed on a new location. “Whatever comes at the right time, we’ll take it,” he said of his open-ended real estate shopping philosophy.
Columbia Firehouse
The Neighborhood Restaurant Group is hoping to rekindle interest in the old Bookbinders space by launching their own dual-natured venue, Columbia Firehouse, in the next few weeks. Orlando Hitzig (most recently attached to the now-defunct Mark & Orlando’s near Dupont Circle) is still fine tuning the Columbia Firehouse menu, but estimates it will revolve around “comfort food that you can do at home, but don’t want to.”
The first floor will feature said staples, including: smoked chicken wings with buttermilk-blue cheese dressing, Maryland crab cakes and gourmet burgers. The upstairs–tentatively set to open this August–will follow more of an upscale chophouse format.
“That’s where we will be trying to draw in folks from across the river,” Hitzig estimates.
Maestro 2.0 (?)
I’ve just about given up on this industry parlor game. But if you are still interested in what will become of the once fabled Tysons’ dining palace, the cut-off for all placeholder functions is July 31.
–Warren
