McCormick & Schmick’s closes fine-dining offshoot in D.C.McCormick & Schmick’s closes fine-dining offshoot in D.C.

WASHINGTON After only 10 months of operations, McCormick & Schmick’s Seafood Restaurants Inc. has closed Restaurant K by Alison Swope, its fine-dining operation here.

Restaurant K, which occupied the space vacated by the short-lived Jimmy's on K, had been developed around the cooking of chef Alison Swope. A specialist in the cuisine of Oaxaca, Mexico, Swope earlier had attracted a following in the area at Andale, which closed in the summer of 2006.

Swope recently had converted the menu at Restaurant K from a modern American culinary theme to a more Southwestern style. While the 220-seat restaurant generated healthy lunch traffic, it was unable to attract enough dinner business, said one source at the restaurant.

The Portland, Ore.-based McCormick & Schmick's said in a statement that "current economic conditions have led the business decision to close this restaurant and reallocate its resources to our core McCormick & Schmick's branded establishment."

The 85-unit seafood chain runs seven restaurants in the area and said it would offer Restaurant K employees job opportunities at those units.

The publicly traded company also said that it hoped to "incorporate [Swope] as part of our culinary development team."