Critically acclaimed chef Kevin Tien will soon be opening a new restaurant, Emilie’s, in the heart of Capitol Hill. The new 5,175-square-foot restaurant is scheduled to open in September 2019. Chef Tien will be leaving Himitsu later this month to focus on Emilie’s opening.
“I can’t thank our loyal guests and the Himitsu family enough for making Himitsu the incredible success that it is today,” remarked Tien. “While this was a very difficult decision to make, I’m looking forward to writing the next chapter and sharing my passion with the community on a larger scale and a different service style.”
Chef Tien’s final service at Himitsu will be September 15th. Himitsu will subsequently continue to operate under current co-owner Carlie Steiner. Chef Amanda Moll, former executive sous chef of Doi Moi, will be taking over as Himitsu’s new executive chef.
“I am confident that Himitsu will continue to deliver the exceptional experience that our guests have enjoyed over the last 2 ½ years,” said Tien. “While everyone will always have a table at Emilie’s, I would love to see all our guests at Himitsu for one last service prepared by me before my departure.”
Chef Tien’s new concept, Emilie’s, will focus on seasonally inspired and local ingredients and will feature large family-style plates and a small a la carte menu. Guests can anticipate their dining experiences to be further elevated by small plates circulating the room on carts. The idea behind this style of “tableside” dining is to facilitate Tien’s mission of promoting and supporting the local community of producers, farmers, and ranchers. In addition, the circulating carts will give guests the opportunity to sample a variety of dishes as Tien’s team demonstrates their creativity in the kitchen.
The restaurant plans to initially provide dinner service and later expand into lunch and brunch soon after its opening. Emilie’s will seat approximately 100 guests in the main dining room and at the bar.
For interview requests, please contact Monica Sethi at monicasethi@ebuzzedge.com. To receive updates, please visit http://www.emiliesdc.com. Stay connected with Emilie’s on Facebook (@emiliesrestaurant), Twitter (@emiliesdc), and Instagram (@emiliesdc).
Originally from Lafayette, LA, Chef Kevin Tien initially embarked on a corporate career. However, he had a career change charged by a passion for food and service which placed him on a culinary path in 2009. After working at various restaurants in Louisiana, Texas, and Washington, D.C., Tien had an opportunity to open his own restaurant, Himitsu, in the neighborhood of Petworth in D.C. He is currently the executive chef and co-owner of Himitsu.
Since Himitsu’s opening in 2016, the restaurant and Tien have garnered local and national attention and accolades from all corners of the United States. Tien was named one of Food & Wine’s Best New Chefs for 2018, James Beard Foundation Finalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year 2018, and James Beard Foundation Semi-Finalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year 2017. Himitsu was named Eater‘s Best New Restaurant in America in 2017 and one of America’s Best New Restaurants in 2017 by Bon Appetit. In addition, Tien recently appeared on the Food Network‘s Iron Chef Gauntlet.
Tien’s resume includes having worked for chefs Aaron Silverman at Pineapple and Pearl, David Chang at Momofuku CCDC, Jose Andres at Oyamel, and Tyson Cole at Uchi.
Earlier this year, Tien opened Hot Lola’s, a restaurant specializing in spicy chicken, in Ballston Quarter’s food hall, Quarter Market, in Arlington, Virginia.
Chef Tien’s new concept, Emilie’s, will be centered on cart-style service and customers’ dining experiences. Focusing on seasonally inspired and local ingredients, the menu is set to change regularly. The restaurant, situated at 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, D.C., will be located at Penn Eleven, the redeveloped plot of Frager’s Hardware. Emilie’s is scheduled to open in September 2019; the exact date has yet to be determined.
