Crane & Turtle is Chef Hamamura's Chance to Shine

Paul Ruppert has been quietly opening everyone's favorite hot spots around D.C. With the Warehouse Theater, The Passenger, Room 11, Hogo, and Petworth Citizen to his name, Ruppert is ready to open his latest venture, Crane & Turtle, today.

This new restaurant gives Petworth Citizen chef, Makoto Hamamura, an opportunity to shine. As a seven-year veteran of CityZen, he's looking to develop his own style, and bring something unique to Petworth. The menu is described as Japanese and French, blending classical French technique with the cuisine of his native Japan and the regional food that he grew up eating in Kochi prefecture. His family would take bonito tuna and smoke it over hay. This shows up on the menu in the form of tataki with a socca (chickpea) satay sauce, along with a number of other sushi-like small bites. Diners will be able to work their way through a variety of other French and Asian-influenced dishes, such as white asparagus salad with rhubarb and sorrel, pork ramen with crackling noodles, halibut meuniere with braised kohlrabi, and a Szechuan duck with dan dan sauce.

Petworth Citizen bar manager Kristi Green has pulled together a drinks list that includes ciders and craft beers, aperitifs, sake, Japanese whiskeys, and wines by the glass. But don't expect to linger too long over drinks — the restaurant has only 25 seats inside, and 14 seats outside. The homey, light space is accented with wood tones, whites and blues, plus touches of greenery. Fortunately, Petworth Citizen is perfectly set up to serve those waiting for a table or looking for an after dinner drink.
—Jamie Liu
· Crane & Turtle [Facebook]
· All Previous Crane & Turtle Coverage [-EDC-]