Adour to Close, Become Decanter in June

Big news today from Tim Carman — Adour, the Alain Ducasse-fronted restaurant within the St. Regis Washington D.C., will close its doors May 31 after five years of operation. From the article:

Both the hotel and ADE have decided it is the right time for the hotel to change course with regards to its restaurant offerings," Laura Schofield, general manager for the St. Regis Washington, said in a statement. For those keeping score, Ducasse's exit marks the third out-of-town celebrity chef to depart from the District in less than a year. Fellow Frenchman Eric Ripert said au revoir to the Westend Bistro last year, while the Toronto-based Susur Lee officially split from Zentan at the Donovan House Hotel in March.

The New York location of Adour closed in October. Current chef Sebastien Rondier is staying on. He'll help open the Mediterranean-influenced Decanter restaurant June 21. The restaurant will still have some Ducasse influence, the chef said (he trained under him) but will emphasize the flavors of Spain, Turkey, Italy and Southern France. Changes are on the way for the interior as well.

The St. Regis recently completed a major refresh of the lobby and bar areas of the hotel. Popular sommelier Brent Kroll left his gig at Adour earlier this year. The restaurant recently received critical praise from such sources as Washingtonian, which had it in its top ten restaurants this year, but struggled throughout its several years of business to find an audience.
· Alain Ducasse and St. Regis to close Adour on May 31 [WaPo]
· All Previous Coverage of Adour [-EDC-]