Ba Bay on Pennsylvania Avenue Opening 11/24

Photo courtesy of Babaydc.com

BaBay, a modern Vietnamese restaurant, is opening next Wednesday, November 24th at 633 Pennsylvania Avenue SE. The 45-seat restaurant has been soft-opening this week, with a reduced seating capacity. If you plan on trying them during their soft-open, get there early--for now, they're not taking reservations.

BaBay owners Khoa and Denise Nguyen, who are cousins, have employed the culinary skills of former Sonoma chef Nick Sharpe. Sarah Siegel, formerly of Mario Batali's Babbo, will be BaBay's sous chef and pastry chef. Khoa himself is a graduate of the Culinary Institute of America, and all three chefs have worked at Dupont Circle's high-end southern restaurant, Vidalia.

BaBay's menu will feature tapas-style Vietnamese dishes, with approximately 25 small plate-style options ranging from $6-$22 each. Open for lunch and dinner, the Nguyens hope that BaBay will attract both Capitol Hill professionals and local residents.

The cocktail concepts were designed by Owen Thompson (of Bourbon, Cafe Atlantico) and Joseph Ambrose (of the W's Hotel's POV Lounge). According to a press release, BaBay's cocktails will be historically colonial in flavor, with "traditional Vietnamese ingredients."

So what's up with the unusual name? BaBay is named after the Nguyens' Vietnamese grandmother (who, incidentally, has been the taste tester for Sharpe's crash course in traditional Vietnamese cooking).

You can follow BaBay on Twitter @babaydc or on their Facebook page.

Update: I've posted BaBay's menu for your perusal.