UPDATED: 6:16 p.m. 11/16/2010

Cousins Khoa Nguyen and Denise Nguyen are set to debut their modern Vietnamese restaurant, Ba Bay, tomorrow at its location in the former Locanda space on Capitol Hill. The operation is outfitted with 49 seats, Denise Nguyen warns, but only 35 will be available during its soft opening. The restaurant won’t be taking reservations, either.

In other words: Get there early for lunch if you want a taste of former Sonoma chef Nick Sharpe‘s Westernized take on Vietnamese cooking. (Incidentally, Ba Bay will make all 49 seats available on Wednesday, Nov. 24, when the establishment makes its official debut.)

Sharpe’s menu will be relatively small, about 25 dishes, including house-made charcuterie, pho, grilled shrimp on sugarcane skewers, and braised chicken in caramel sauce with local oysters. Plates are shareable and will range in price from $6 to $22.

Ba Bay has also decided on a direction for its cocktail and wine programs. The cousins hired Owen Thomson (Bourbon/Cafe Atlantico) and Joseph Ambrose (POV at the W Hotel) to craft its cocktails; the pair are, according to a release, “taking colonial cocktail techniques and combining it with traditional Vietnamese ingredients.” An example? Try a cocktail made from Brugal White Label rum, St. Germain, fresh culantro, and a coconut citrus infusion.

Yep, I’ll see you at the bar.

For more information on Ba Bay, check out Metrocurean’s preview.

Ba Bay, 633 Pennsylvania Ave. SE, (202) 547-1787