Even if you’re standing right outside the door of Knee High, the new Capitol Hill joint that opened last week, you may never find it. There’s no sign, the windows are curtained, and the door is closed. Owned by husband/wife team Jack and Michelle Valko, Knee High is like a speakeasy, an idea inspired by their world travels and their discovery of unique, signless gems in places like Southeast Asia. “The speakeasy theme makes it accessible to Americans because it’s part of our past,” says Jack, a former IT worker. Finding the perfect venue was important to them, so they searched for over three years before coming across the former Il Forno location on East Olive Way. Michelle describes the place as “hidden in plain sight.” It can only be discerned by the address written on an awning, but open the door and you find yourself in a dark, curtained room where your ID is checked before you’re admitted to the small, swanky space the Valkos designed. “We wanted it to be intimate and a nod to the 1920s, dark but not dreary.” says Michelle. The menu includes several drinks listed under “specialty giggle waters” and “stock sauces,” as well as dishes such as chicken pot pie and corned beef and cabbage.Find restaurant gossip like this plus local food events and great date ideas in our Big Bites e-newsletter, sent out every Tuesday. Sign up here and we promise we won’t send you a bunch of spam.