D.C. restaurant Fig & Olive reopened Wednesday afternoon after at least 10 cases of salmonella were linked to the upscale eatery. Another 150 possible cases are being investigated.
The dishes that most likely caused customers to get ill were truffle fries and mushroom croquettes, Dr. LaQuandra Nesbitt, director of the D.C. Department of Health, said Wednesday at a news conference. Officials still aren't sure what ingredients in those dishes made people sick. The dishes have been removed from Fig & Olive's menu.
Health officials said more than 60 people became ill.
The restaurant, located downtown in the CityCenterDC retail and dining complex, had been closed for six days after the outbreak. The Department of Health said Fig & Olive met the requirements to reopen Wednesday.
"Over the past six days we have been working very closely with the Department of Forensic Science and persons who ate at the restaurant who may have been impacted by this outbreak to ensure a comprehensive assessment and solution...." Nesbitt said in a statement.
"We are truly sorry that this happened," Fig & Olive president Gregory Galy said in a statement. "It strikes at the heart of everything we stand for and seek to achieve."
The restaurant will offer every diner a complimentary dessert with lunch or dinner for the next month.
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Nesbitt said Fig &Olive has been "very cooperative, responsive and transparent" throughout the process and "has complied with the directive issued from the department."
The restaurant destroyed all of its food, provided evidence of cleanup, verified employee health training and took other measures, the Department of Health said.
The salmonella cases at Fig & Olive are not believed to be linked to the infections linked to imported cucumbers, which has killed two people and sent 91 people to hospitals, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, the infection at Fig & Olive is not believed to have originated from a sick employee, Nesbitt said.
Fig & Olive had planned to start serving food again at 4 p.m. Wednesday, but opened sooner than planned, about 1 p.m.
