Dish

THE CAST IS SET: A 29-year-old Frenchman who cooked for three years at the celebrated Le Louis XV in Monaco has been selected by Alain Ducasse to oversee the kitchen at Adour at the St. Regis Washington (923 16th St. NW, 202-509-8000) when the world-famous chef's restaurant opens downtown Sept. 8. Julien Jouhannaud, who comes to the project from the Harbour Grill at the Hilton Hotel in Singapore, will head a kitchen staff of 28 here. Previously, he worked for Groupe Alain Ducasse at Mix in Las Vegas and Bar & Boeuf in Monaco.

Three local names will be supporting Jouhannaud. Ramon Narvaez, the veteran wine director at Marcel's in the West End, has been hired for that position at Adour. Marianna Alfa, formerly of the Willard Intercontinental Hotel, where she managed the food and beverage departments, will serve as restaurant director. Rounding out the principal cast is pastry chef and Paris native Fabrice Bendano, whose desserts have appeared at a number of Washington restaurants, including Bistro du Coin and 1789.

As with the sumptuous Adour at the St. Regis New York, the Washington restaurant will emphasize a wine theme in a well-known hotel space, but it "will not be a carbon copy" of the original, Ducasse says through an interpreter. "While there will be some similarities, the actual menu itself will bear certain differences, and in addition to dinner, we will also serve breakfast and lunch," two meals the New York Adour doesn't have to worry about. Ducasse, a hands-on boss who likes to help pick out flatware and chairs for his sundry properties, says he promoted Jouhannaud, who first came to his company in 2001, because of the young chef's tenure at what Ducasse calls his "university" (Le Louis XV) and Jouhannaud's international experience.

Jouhannaud isn't the only worldly talent at Adour. Alfa, who will preside over the dining room, speaks English, Slovak, Czech, Croatian, Polish, French and German.

-- Tom Sietsema