Now Open: Crane & Turtle
A former CityZen sous chef, Makoto Hamamura is now helming a kitchen in Petworth. We snapped him hard at work at an opening shindig before the French and Japanese-focused restaurant opened to the public on Tuesday. Look for dishes like hay-smoked tuna tataki, pork cheek ramen, sautéed Maine scallops with chorizo tapioca dumplings and duck Szechuan style all prepared with CityZen-like finesse. Drinks come from Kristi Green, a rising star behind the bar.
With only 25 seats inside and a handful outside, Crane & Turtle is cozy and intimate to say the least. Fortunately, owner Paul Ruppert (right) tells us they will take reservations while keeping a crescent of seats looking in to the open kitchen available for walk-ins. There’s a built-in wait strategy, too—head across the street to their sister bar, Petworth Citizen, to have a cocktail and wait for a text. Washingtonians know Paul from his other successes like Room 11 and The Passenger. “I know it’s cliché to say, but I truly believe what we’re trying to do here is special,” he tells us.
