Kevin Tien, the chef whose small Himitsu restaurant in Petworth opened three years ago, will leave Himitsu next month to focus on a new, Capitol Hill restaurant in D.C.
Tien’s last service at Himitsu will be Sept. 15. Chef Amanda Moll, former executive sous chef at Doi Moi, will take over as the new executive chef at Himitsu.
Tien announced plans for his new restaurant, named Emilie’s, last fall, though at the time he did not say he would be leaving Himitsu.
“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,” Tien said.
Emilie’s, a much larger, 5,200-square-foot, 100-seat restaurant, will open sometime in September as part of the Penn Eleven redevelopment of the former Frager’s hardware store at 1101 Pennsylvania Ave. SE.
Emilie’s will serve both family-style plates and a small a la carte menu. The restaurant will have carts of small plates circulating throughout the dining room, with tableside service so diners can sample a variety of dishes.
Tien has been named one of the 10 Best New Chefs in 2018 by Food & Wine Magazine, and was a finalist last year to be a James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year.
