Osteria Morini first tenant to open in Lumber Shed

New York-based Altamarea Group, which opens Osteria Morini in the Lumber Shed building at The Yards Tuesday, prides itself on being a trailblazer in up-and-coming neighborhoods — you know, Capitol Riverfront, London’s Haymarket neighborhood, Istanbul.

A spokeswoman for the group compared opening up shop in the burgeoning Southeast D.C. neighborhood with the restaurants chef Michael White recently opened in those two foreign cities.

“Our CEO has created this business model where we open in new locations where we kind of believe in the gentrification of the area,” said Olivia Young, head of communications for Altamarea. “We like to be part of bringing new business.”

Osteria Morini is the first restaurant to open in the Lumber Shed building that is part of Forest City’s The Yards project. While the neighborhood’s retail and restaurant options are growing, foot traffic is still sparse, especially near the Lumber Shed. The building is situated close to the Anacostia River adjacent to Yards Park.

The Italian restaurant, although it enjoys great views of the river and the park, is largely hidden from the street.

“There’s no car traffic. There’s no foot traffic,” Young said matter-of-factly. “But we made this decision knowing it will take a little while to build. We’re in it for the long haul.”

Osteria Morini expects nearby Nationals Park to bring many more customers to the area when baseball season restarts in the spring, Young said.

The restaurant is named for White’s mentor from when he was working in Italy and features a menu of house-made pastas, Italian charcuterie and cheeses, as well as meats and fish made over the wood-burning grill. It will just be open for dinner in the beginning, with brunch and possibly lunch to follow.

And Osteria Morini may not have to go it alone in the Lumber Shed for long; Agua 301, a Mexican restaurant from the owners of Barracks Row’s Zest Bistro, is hoping to open in mid-December.

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