Last Call at Georgetown’s Unum, Dec. 16

Georgetown’s hip, high-end and eclectic “Cheers” restaurant at 2917 M St. NW will serve its last meal Saturday evening, Dec. 16. For six years, helmed by chef Phillip Blane, who arrived from Equinox and points beyond, Unum lived up to its name and gastronomical ambitions.

“After six wonderful years it is time to say last call at Unum,” wrote Blane and co-owner Laura Schiller, his wife. “This Saturday, Dec. 16 will be our last service. There are no words to express the gratitude and overwhelming sense of pride we have in our little restaurant and for the many fantastic people who made it all happen.

“But it was our customers, particularly our neighbors, who helped create our special community whom we will miss most. If any of you are wondering, you can say ‘congratulations’ and not ‘I’m sorry’ for the events which recently transpired that have led to this day.”

Named for the United States motto, “E pluribus unum” (Latin for “out of many, one.”), the restaurant reflected what Blane said he liked about the phrase because of its affirmation of America’s melting-bowl nature. Indeed, the phrase, purportedly penned by the Roman poet Virgil, does refer to the mixing of a kind of pesto in one of his early verses, “Moretum.”

Having taken over the spot of Mendocino Grille, Unum will be replaced by a restaurant owned by business interests from Dubai, according to those familiar with the situation.