WASHINGTON 鈥� A tiny neighborhood restaurant in Northwest D.C. is making a big splash.
Himitsu has just a dozen employees and two dozen seats, but the accolades keep coming in. In August 2017, the Japanese-inspired restaurant landed a coveted spot on Bon App茅tit鈥檚 of the 50 best new restaurants in America. Two months later, The Washington Post food critic Tom Sietsema ranked Himitsu No. 3 in his . (The top two restaurants, Pineapple and Pearls and Inn at Little Washington, both have two Michelin stars.)
And now, Himitsu executive chef and co-owner Kevin Tien is a finalist for Rising Star Chef of the Year at the . Last year, he was a semifinalist in the same category.
Did I mention he is only 30?
A few years ago, Tien never imagined he would be lauded by national critics and packing his bags for Chicago to attend the awards ceremony, dubbed 鈥�.鈥� In fact, he was working a 9-to-5, earning a salary and benefits 鈥� 鈥淭he job everybody dreams of having after college,鈥� Tien said. But he wasn鈥檛 completely satisfied.
Before his 鈥渄esk job,鈥� Tien worked in restaurants, including Jose Andres鈥� Oyamel, and he wanted back in 鈥� only this time, he wanted to do it himself.
鈥淪o I gave it all up to go back into the kitchen and open up a little neighborhood restaurant, and here we are, a year and a half later,鈥� Tien said.
Himitsu is different from other 鈥渟uccessful鈥� D.C. restaurants in a number of ways. Its total square footage is a fraction of what downtown and new-development dining rooms have. Plus, Tien and his business partner, Carlie Steiner, do everything in-house. He cooks and does the payroll, she manages the beverage program and the social media. Both wash dishes.
There鈥檚 no previous 鈥淭op Chef鈥� fame (although Tien did just compete on ), no publicist and no phone. And in an industry burdened with high rates of employee turnover, the majority of people who work at Himitsu have been there since the beginning.
鈥淲e will always just want to be a neighborhood dining destination,鈥� said Tien, adding that having regular customers is the only recognition he needs.
鈥淪ometimes we鈥檒l see them two, three times a week, which is amazing. For people to want to spend their disposable income at our restaurant that many times in a week or month or year, it means a lot to us. Disposable income is hard to come by, so if you want to spend it at our restaurant, there鈥檚 no bigger praise than that.鈥�
The menu at Himitsu is more or less a fusion of foods and flavors, based on Tien鈥檚 palate and experience working in a variety of kitchens, spanning Latin American and Korean cuisines.
鈥淓very chef hates the word 鈥榝usion,鈥� but I think at the end of the day it鈥檚 just Kevin on a
plate,鈥� Tien said.
Dishes such as the popular hamachi crudo and karaage fried chicken populate the small menu; the overall vibe is 鈥渄inner party where your friends come over.鈥�
Tien defines success as 鈥済etting by and being really happy with what you鈥檙e doing,鈥� but welcomes the recent recognition and sees it as an opportunity to advance an important agenda.
鈥淭he chefs that are nominated (for a James Beard Award) are really leading our industry, not just in food, but the restaurant culture they create, how they treat their employees, everything. So to even be nominated, whether you鈥檙e a semifinalist or finalist, is a huge honor,鈥� Tien said.
鈥淚t just means we鈥檙e doing something right, and it gives us a platform to have a larger voice for how we can change and shape the restaurant culture.鈥�
is located at 828 Upshur St. NW. The restaurant seats walk-ins only, starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, and seating is based on a first-come, first-serve basis. Can鈥檛 make it out anytime soon? Try your hand at making chef Tien鈥檚 Hawaiian amberjack crudo, courtesy of S. Pellegrino庐, presenter of this year鈥檚 James Beard Rising Star Chef of the Year award.
