Posted at 3:40 PM ET, 11/30/2009

An opening date for Ris Lacoste's new restaurant

By Julia Beizer

Ris Lacoste left 1789 in 2005 to start her own place. That new restaurant opens Monday. (Susan Biddle/The Washington Post)

And now there's a date. Ris Lacoste's public relations firm announced today that chef's long-awaited venture in the West End will open Dec. 7. Located at 23rd and L streets NW, the space will seat 240 (including chairs on the patio, which opens in the spring), and art by Robert Kushner and Sam Gillian will deck the walls. Good to know for local worker bees: all of the items on the contemporary American menu will be available to go if you call a special takeout-only number, 202-730-2501.

This announcement marks the end of years of anticipation about the restaurant, which will be called ris ("I'm the big 'R,'" she told Tom Sietsema.) Let's take a look back at some of our highlights:

-Tom Sietsema writes about Lacoste's departure from 1789 in an October 2005 chat. Lacoste says, "I want a scene, something really fun and delicious."
-In a July 2008 chat, Tom Sietsema reports that Lacoste is close to signing a lease for the space at 23rd and L. He reports on the eventual lease-signing in a September 2008 chat, noting that the chef promises a menu with "California freshness, pristine Australian simplicity, French training."
-The restaurant's long gestation allowed time for buzz to build. It was mentioned in no fewer than four previews: two blog posts (one in 2006 and one in 2008) and two of Tom's dining guides (2007 and 2008).

Can ris live up to (our) hype? We'll find out next week.

-- Julia Beizer