Three veterans of Komi and Little Serow are teaming up to open a Mediterranean-inspired restaurant called Tail Up Goat at 1827 Adams Mill Road NW.

Former Komi sous chef Jon Sybert will lead the kitchen, former Komi service director and wine and beverage director Bill Jensen will oversee the beverage program, and former Little Serow service director Jill Tyler will head up the front-of-house. Investor Kevin Doyle got to know the trio as a regular at the restaurants.

Unlike Komi and Little Serow, Tail Up Goat’s offerings will be completely a la carte rather than prix-fixe. The menu will owe some influence to the “briny, bright” flavors of southern Italy and Sicily, but dishes will be dictated less by particular traditions and locations and more by ingredients and their personal tastes. The vegetable-heavy menu will include appetizer- and entree-sized dishes, including several served family style. Pastas and breads will also play a prominent role. The 66-seat dining room and 16-seat bar will be open exclusively for dinner.

The “comforting and adventurous” drink menu will aim to appeal to non-drinkers and connoisseurs alike. The team is quiet on more menu specifics for now.

As for Tail Up Goat’s name? It’s a nod to the Virgin Islands, where Tyler grew up and she and Sybert got married. During a visit several years ago, a herd of animals crossing the road blocked their car. Tyler asked if they were goat or sheep, and her stepdad repeated a local saying, “Tail up goat, tail down sheep.” The couple always thought it would make a perfect restaurant name given the “irreverence and joy” that it captures.

“Islands will serve as a constant source of inspiration for our new venture,” Tyler says via email. “They are important to us as places of respite and refuge and as crossroads of culinary traditions.”

The restaurant is slated to open early next year.

Photo courtesy Tail Up Goat