Dish

THE COMEBACK KID: The question of who might take over the space vacated last year by Butterfield 9 (600 14th St. NW) has been answered by veteran chef Roberto Donna, who signed a letter of intent before Christmas for the downtown location in hopes of reopening Galileo, the formal Italian restaurant he ran in Washington for more than two decades.

Donna expects to sign a lease for the space by the middle of this month.

When Galileo closed two years ago, it was because the office building the restaurant occupied on 21st Street NW was scheduled for a top-to-bottom renovation. At the time, Donna said he planned to return to the site after the work was complete. To keep himself busy in the meantime, the chef-restaurateur opened Bebo Trattoria, a casual establishment in Crystal City. He eventually was offered two spaces in the reconfigured office building, but neither suited him.

The future restaurant ("Galileo will be somewhere" in the name, Donna says) should open in April or May, a target that sounds feasible given that there's already a kitchen in place; only the dining room will get a makeover. As at the last Galileo, the new one will have an intimate restaurant-within-a-restaurant, Laboratorio del Galileo, featuring a tasting menu.

Despite the economic downturn, Donna, who turns 48 this month, says it's a good time for him to return to Washington: "There aren't too many Italian restaurants in town." He's also counting on a new presidential administration to bring in an audience. Plus, he says, he misses making the likes of roast baby goat and truffle dinners stretching to a dozen courses.

Donna will be executive chef at the new restaurant, and he's in talks with unnamed chefs in New York and Italy to assist him. Over at Bebo, chef Claudio Sandri gets to add to his title there; Donna is making him a partner.

-- Tom Sietsema