The name “Emilie” holds a lot significance for culinary star Kevin Tien, who is opening his long-awaited second project in Capitol Hill on Thursday.

It’s the name of his fiancé. It’s the name of a friend who helped Tien’s Vietnamese family feel at home in the United States. It’s a name that reminds Tien of big family dim-sum dinners with that friend as he grew up in Louisiana. And now, it’s a name that Washingtonians can associate with a sprawling, 158-seat expansion of the former Himitsu co-owner’s cuisine.

Emilie’s is tailored to offer what Tien calls “New American” family-style eats meant for sharing. The 5,000-foot space features airy cream ceilings, an open kitchen, green booths, a private dining area, two bars, and a forthcoming 80-seat patio,

Anyone who jockeyed for a table at Himitsu—the intimate, 24-seat spot in Petworth—will appreciate the breathing room Emilie’s provides, especially since the demand for Tien’s plates means they haven’t always been easy to snag. After he and Carlie Steiner (now the sole owner of Himitsu’s reimagined Pom Pom) opened the restaurant in 2016, they drew diners lining up for seats, a 3.5 star review from the Washington Post, and national praise from Eater and Bon Appétit. In the process, Tien was named a James Beard Foundation finalist for Rising Star Chef and Food & Wine’s Best New Chef 2018.

Tien says he cut ownership ties with Himitsu because he felt both restaurants would suffer if he split his time. None of Himitsu’s dishes—previously a constantly changing rotation inspired by southern, Latin American, and southeast Asian profiles—will carry over to Emilie’s, though the “flavor profiles” and “warmth of service” will stay, according to Tien. He’s also careful not to typecast the menu as any one kind of cuisine. The kitchen plans to rotate what’s available in similar format to Himitsu, which overhauled its dishes every few months.

“Our biggest successes came from the dishes where we were just making tasty food, using our backgrounds and where we came from, and it was a team atmosphere,” Tien says. “I want that to be a focal point here, too. We just want to cook what we’re experienced at: our experiences growing up, our experiences with our family and friends.”

Because Tien’s new team has “so many different skillsets and talents,” he wanted the food to be intentionally collaborative. Every dish on the variable 11-item menu, which includes small plates and large dishes (for two to four people), as well as bread service and desserts ferried by cart, carries a backstory or personal print from one member. To decide the line-up, they visited Los Angeles and ate across the city together at Michelin-starred restaurants, in Koreatown, at taco trucks.

“We came back and said, ‘Ok, what inspired us?’” says Tien. “All our favorite meals were very confident cooking, not trying to overdo anything, that meant something to the owner of the restaurant. It’s a big kitchen here. The only thing stopping us is ourselves.”

Chef Davy Bourne begins the meal with hot breads and spreads diners can choose from the cart. Pastry chef Willa Pelini and sous chef Claire

Miller bookend with dessert: Concord grape jelly donuts rolled in rosemary sugar; salted brown-butter chocolate chip cookies and caramelized milk made from honeycomb candy; a kaffir-lime tapioca banana pudding; and a savory molten cake baked with cheese, apples, bourbon, and candied pecans.

As a first-generation Asian American, Tien says it would be strange if there were “zero influences” menu from his background. A large-format grilled pork blade steak comes flanked by Vietnamese accompaniments—spices, woven rice noodles, house sauces, and broad lettuce for wraps. Fish steamed in ginger and scallions, another family-style dish, nod to his Chinese relatives. In tribute to Tien’s southern childhood and Hot Lola’s (his fried chicken shop in Ballston), he’s doing a version of the bird marinated in buttermilk ranch with dill, bread n’ butter zucchini pickles, and grilled Texas toast. 

On the business side, Tien is partnering with inKind owner Johann Moonesinghe (like Tien did with Himitsu, the crowdsourcing platform allows guests to help fund the restaurant’s opening), Jinya restaurateur Sam Shoja, and Arris Noble.

The two bars (one in the front lounge, one in the back room) will stock cocktails that “cling hard to tradition” in French and southern American style, says bar manager Nick Gripp, who also worked the bar at Himitsu. Although Gripp wants to offer concoctions based on what diners say they like, he will have a few menu staples: pineapple Jamaican rum and rye whiskey punch, an herbal absinthe frappe a la early-1900s New Orleans, and a pitcher of martinis in keeping with the family-style vibe. Nonalcoholic cocktails will use spiced peach shrub or coconut cream spritz. They’ll always carry Heineken, which is popular at Vietnamese weddings, and a wine list picked by sommelier Alaina Dyne.

Outside of regular service, Tien also plans to do monthly charity dinners at Emilie’s with other chefs. “For me, what’s on the plate is very important,” he says. “But what you do outside of the plate means even more.”

Emilie’s is located at 1101 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Hours are 5 to 10 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday and 5 to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Lunch and brunch hours forthcoming.