Lupo Verde to Open Cheese Shop, Adopt a Sheep

Here's a new way for restaurants to encourage dining local — adopt a sheep.

That's one of the many plans that owners Med Lahlou, Antonio Matarazzo and chef Orlando Amaro have in store for Lupo Verde, their latest project coming to 1401 T St. NW. The trio behind Station 4 is looking to bring Italian authenticity to a two-level space that will serve a late night menu and boast its own cheese shop.

Lupo Verde stretches over two floors, with dramatic chandeliers and a fireplace planned. There will be plenty of marble accents, whether it be bar tops or space within the retail cheese shop the team is planning within the restaurant. There, customers can purchase selections from more than 100 cheeses, either as retail or to be served within the restaurant. Plans are for the restaurant to adopt a sheep that will provide product for the restaurant, from a farm in either Pennsylvania or Maryland. At the cheese shop, Lupo Verde will also have a selection of charcuterie available, and a cheese sommelier to assist customers.

The restaurant will have bars on the first and second level. There will be three wines on tap — prosecco, pino grigio and sangiovese — along with five beers, many of them Italian. They've partnered with limoncello purveyor Francesco Amodeo to design a cocktail menu highlighting Italian spirits, and plan to make vermouth in house. The wine list will lean Southern Italian.

Chef Amaro is particularly excited to make homemade pastas, as well as Roman style pizzas where customers can add several types of toppings on different parts of the pizzas. He's at work developing menu items like salt-crusted Branzino and razor clam crudo. The restaurant is planning to have an aperitivo happy hour that gives both food and drink specials and runs from 3-7 p.m.

Plans are for Lupo Verde to open December 2 if all goes as planned. The restaurant will initially be open for dinner only, and serve food until the restaurant closes at 2 a.m. on weekdays and 3 a.m. on weekends. Eventually they'll add a big patio in the spring.
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Lupo Verde [Photo: Facebook]