Chef Eric Ripert Leaves The Ritz-Carlton Washington D.C.

The star chef of Le Bernardin fame has announced that he’s leaving his D.C. eatery, Westend Bistro by Eric Ripert. Located in the Ritz-Carlton hotel on 22nd and M streets, the bistro serves “casual seasonal cuisine” in a trendy setting. As reported by The Washington Post, Eric Ripert “is cutting his ties with one of Washington’s top hotel brands.” The chef’s name will be dropped from the restaurant name on January 1, 2013. He's leaving in order to "focus on Le Bernardin and other projects."

Devin Bozkaya, formerly a sous chef at the Inn at Little Washington, will helm the bistro. Eater points out that Ripert follows a recent trend of chefs “abandoning ship” on their hotel restaurants- including Alain Ducasse (miX at the W Hotel Vieques), Tom Colicchio (Craft at the W Hotel Dallas), and Daniel Boulud (two hotel restaurants in Vancouver).