Twenty-nineteen was the year of married-couple restaurateurs. Leading the pack of newcomers: chef Henji Cheung and drinks whiz Sarah Thompson, who, with some green paint and a bunch of cool antiques, created a knockout of a space in Columbia Heights. Cheung grew up in Hong Kong and plays with flavors and ingredients—such as soy sauce barrel-aged in-house—that recall his upbringing. A five-spice-rubbed lamb rib has the richness of a great confit. And daikon fritters, a riff on a dim sum turnip cake, come sprinkled with pork floss, a favorite snack from when the chef was a kid. Expensive.
