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Lawmakers, Hill Reporter Dodge Salmonella Scare

For lawmakers, dining within eavesdropping distance of a D.C. newshound can prove hazardous to one’s professional health. Add in a mass food poisoning situation — as turned out to be the case recently at Fig & Olive’s fledgling District outpost — and you’ve got a truly gut-wrenching scenario.  

The New York-based restaurant, which took up residence in the swanky CityCenterDC complex earlier this summer, was shut down on Sept. 10 after numerous patrons fell ill with a suspected salmonella outbreak. The Washington Post’s Tim Carman reported Wednesday the Mediterranean-themed establishment had been cleared by the D.C. Department of Health to reopen — but only after destroying its entire food supply.  

The wide-reaching hygiene scare has, so far, resulted in 10 confirmed cases of salmonella as well as reports of dozens of other potential illnesses.  

NBC Capitol Hill producer Frank Thorp V revealed on social media that he’d broken bread there just before the forced quarantine. And, apparently, so had Reps. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., and John Fleming, R-La.

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