Galileo III Shutters and Roberto Donna Blames the Media

Today in not-terribly-shocking-but-sad shutters, the Washington Post has a double-byline scoop that after less than a year in service, Galileo III has closed its doors. The restaurant was James Beard Award-winning chef Roberto Donna's "comeback" restaurant that did not go exactly as planned. And though Donna did confirm the shutter to the paper, he refused to give them any more details since the "avalanche of negative articles [in the Post] did not assist in the matter.”

The Post Food section, you might recall, wrote an epic piece last month tracking the restaurant's spiral: Employees jumping ship, some even suing the restaurant for paychecks they said they were owed, and a continuation of the tax problems that have plagued Donna for years. But it hasn't been all negative coverage. Tom Sietsema gave the restaurant a generous 2.5 stars back in April — although he did note that he had waited several months longer than usual to write the review so that the restaurant could prove it had "staying power."

So, it's unclear what Donna's future will be in the restaurant world, but the tag-team of Sietsema and Tim Carman do talk to several local chefs who have worked with Donna who sadly note that this is quite possibly the end of an era.

· Galileo III has closed, Donna’s future uncertain [WaPo]
· Top 10 Crazy Lines From WaPo's Roberto Donna Spectacular [-EDC-]
· All Robert Donna Coverage [-EDC-]
· All Galileo III Coverage [-EDC-]

Galileo III [Photo: Norry H./Yelp]