 |
| Kyirisan will open at The Shay (above) November 2015 |
From our friends at Kyirisan...
Chef Tim Ma of Tim Ma Restaurant Group to Open First DC Restaurant 'Kyirisan' at The Shay in Washington, DC's Shaw Neighborhood, November 2015
Celebrated Virginia-based Chef and Restaurateur Tim Ma of Tim Ma Restaurant Group - Water & Wall, Gather + Feast, Chase the Submarine (slated to open in Vienna, VA in October 2015), and formerly of Maple Ave Restaurant - has officially announced his plans to open his first restaurant in Washington DC - ‘Kyirisan’ - as early as November 2015. The upscale casual restaurant featuring a home-like setting will be based in the rapidly evolving neighborhood of Shaw in the new mixed-use commercial and residential space The Shay in addition to numerous other notable retail and hospitality brands.
Located at 1934 8th Street NW, Washington DC 20001 in The Shay, a 268-unit apartment building from the JBG Companies, Kyirisan will open to the public as an Asian-French Bistro with the hopes of serving as an extension of Ma and Hernandez’s home and placing more of an emphasis on Ma's Chinese heritage. Shifting the restaurant’s name from Freehand to Kyirisan, Ma wanted the name to have a focus on family, and that would ultimately involve his three young children. In Chinese culture and in Ma’s family, every generation receives a generation name based on an element (earth, wind, fire, water, etc). 20 generations ago, someone named 20 generations of the Ma's. Ma’s kids are the 20th and last generation, and their generation name is kun, pronounced quen. The name Kyirisan comes from the combination of "Kun One Two Three" for Tim and Joey’s three children. In Chinese one, two, three translates to Yi, Er, San.
Seating at Kyirisan will be limited to 50 with the goal in mind of being able offer guests a more personable and intimate dining experience - with a high focus on service, ambiance, and the creativity of constantly shifting menu items.
With the space designed by award-winning Griz Dwight of GrizForm Design Architects, the 2700 square foot space will debut tones touched with rich smoky blues, warm woods, gold metallic accents, an open kitchen, and a communal table where Chef Ma may entertain revamped Chef’s Table/Tasting Table experiences for up to 8-12 guests at a time, similar to his Gather + Feast experiences. Kyirisan will feature custom ceramic plateware exclusively created for the DC-based restaurant by VA-based Cloud Terre.
There will also be a bar component at Kyirisan, separate from the restaurant that will have its own identity as a boundary pushing bar, but also serve as a unique complement to the restaurant. A simplified menu will be offered at the bar, and the full cocktail, wine and beer program from the bar will be available to the restaurant.
“Northern Virginia has and always will be the heart of my company, which is why I’m humbled and extremely excited to finally have the opportunity to bring and share some of my favorite things about Virginia with Washington DC”, said Chef and Restaurateur Tim Ma of Tim Ma Restaurant Group. “A large number of chefs and restaurateurs in DC continue to shape Northern Virginia’s growing dining scene, but I think it’s time to reverse that trend a bit by bringing some of Virginia to DC. It also means so much to me to be able to bring original team members like my right hand man Chef Nyi Nyi Myint along with me to DC, we love to continually challenge ourselves with new experiences.”
Celebrated since 2009 following the opening of Maple Ave Restaurant and along with wife and partner Joey Hernandez, Ma has continued to evolve his hospitality brand by opening additional Northern Virginia-based restaurants and culinary projects including Water & Wall in Arlington, VA, Gather + Feast – an intimate and private Chef’s Table experience hosted by Chef Tim Ma and Fable Hospitality’s Neal Wavra in guests’ homes - and coming soon to Vienna, VA as early as October 2015, Chase the Submarine, a casual and eclectic sandwich shop and butcher shop combination in partnership with Michael Amouri, will specialize in offering guests creative sandwiches, and a complete butcher shop. Kyirisan will serve as Ma’s first restaurant to open in Washington DC. Ma and Hernandez no longer operate Maple Ave Restaurant.
SAMPLE KYIRISAN MENU
(Subject to change)
IN THE GROUND
Ratatouille Terrine
Eggplant • Squash • Zucchini • San Marzano Tomatoes • Frantoia
Wax Bean Salad
Yellow Wax Beans • Bing Cherries • Citrus Vinaigrette
Red Curry Garden
Paprika Curry Broth • Braised Garden Vegetables • Basmati Rice
ON THE GROUND
Beef Heart Tartare
Red Chili Aioli • Fingerling Potato Chips • Green Grapefruit Emulsion
“Chicken and Waffles”
Deep Fried Duck Livers • Stroopwafel • Caramel Sauce • Shallot Veloute
5-Spice Polyface Pig Ears
Soy ginger pig ears • Fresno Chiles • Celery • Fish Sauce Vinaigrette
Crème Fraiche Wings
Gochujang • Crème Fraiche • Sudachi • Scallion Threads
Duck Breast
Roasted Duck Dashi • Pickled Mushrooms • Satsuma Oranges
Pan-Seared Sweetbreads
Garlic Scape Tartar • Sungold Cherry Tomatoes • Galangal Broth
UNDER THE WATER
Pan Seared Softshell Crabs
Vegetable brunoise • Green Tomato Jam • Brown butter
Seared Scallops
Diver scallops • Coconut Risotto • Basil Ice Cream • Spring Onion
Dayboat Snapper
Baby Carrots • Lindera Farms Ramp Vinegar • Sorrel Sauce
Steelhead Trout
Chinese Broccoli • Grilled Scallion • Beurre Monte
Raw Fluke
Pistachio • Pepper Medley • Preserved Lemon • Thai Basil
About JBG Properties:
Headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, The JBG Companies is a private real estate investment firm that develops, owns and manages office, residential, hotel and retail properties. The company has more than $10 billion in assets under management and development in the Washington, DC area. Since 1960, JBG has been active in the areas where it invests, striving to positively impact local communities. For more information, please visit www.JBG.com or find them on Twitter @TheJBGCompanies and Facebook facebook.com/TheJBGCompanies.
About GrizForm Architects:
GrizForm Design Architects is improving the built environment one project at a time. The firm, founded in 2003 by Griz Dwight AIA, LEED AP, is a leading hospitality design and architecture firm with award- winning work and a team that prides itself on its craftsmanship, strong attention to detail, awareness of historical context, and innovation. GrizForm produces creative solutions for clients, which include contemporary design concepts, cutting-edge ways to solve design and architectural problems, and approaches to help push the design envelope further through the incorporation of unique materials or subtle historical references. Along with its strong interior design and architectural capabilities, GrizForm Design Architects designs and builds custom pieces - from lighting to furniture - to bring the client’s vision to life. GFD understands the business of its projects’ operations. Dwight and his team work their designs around the real-world necessity of staffing needs, overhead, and returns on investment. The result: designs that are not only beautiful, but also functional and profitable. In 10 years and over 40 restaurants, only two projects have closed their door. For additional information please visit www.GrizForm.com.
About Tim Ma Restaurant Group (TMRG):
Launched in 2012, Tim Ma Restaurant Group (TMRG) represents the creative culinary collection of one-of-a-kind restaurants and projects brought to life by critically-acclaimed husband and wife team and restaurateurs Chef Tim Ma and Joey Hernandez. The growing roster includes Water & Wall in Arlington, VA (www.WaterandWall.com), Gather + Feast - a private Chef’s Table/Tasting Table experience hosted in the comfort of guests homes throughout the DC area, Chase the Submarine - an eclectic sandwich shop and butcher shop combination slated to open in Vienna, VA in October 2015, and Kyirisan - Ma’s 1st restaurant to open in Washington DC in November 2015 at The Shay in Shaw. @ChefTimMa @WaterandWall @FreehandDC
