T H U R S D AY | 0 7. 0 3 . 2 0 1 4 | E X P R E S S | E11
dining | Weekend Pass
LIVE
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
POST FIREWORKS
4TH OF JULY SHOW
WITH
19TH
STREET BAND FRIDAY
JULY 4
BILLY JOE SHAVER W/ IF BIRDS COULD FLY
THURSDAY
JULY 10
SAT, JULY 12
NO BS! BRASS BAND SUN, JULY 13
SAM VASFI
HAMILTON LEITHAUSER
Crane & Turtle’s dining room is snug at 25 seats with nautical influences and clean, minimal lines inspired by Japan.
A Fable for Two Once upon a time there was a young boy named Makoto who lived in the Japanese countryside. Makoto’s father was a sailor, and when he would return from salty adventures he’d often come bearing souvenirs. It was then that Makoto first became curious about the great big world going on around him, a world he dreamed of one day traveling himself. That boy grew up to be chef Makoto Hamamura. At the age of 19, Hamamura moved to the United States for a kitchen position at a now-defunct Japanese restaurant in Georgetown, and then spent seven years at CityZen working under Eric Ziebold. “I started really low, and after seven years I was sous chef,” Hamamura says. Today he’s the executive chef at Petworth Citizen and, since its opening June 24, Crane & Turtle. The restaurants are owned by the
HOLLEY SIMMONS (EXPRESS)
Crane & Turtle blends Japanese and French cuisines with parable
Chef Hamamura’s “ramen” noodles are actually made from crackling pork skin.
same management team and sit across the street from each other, though owner Paul Rupert is quick to point out the difference: “The distinguishing factor between the two is that Crane & Turtle is more chefdriven. This is Makoto’s restaurant.” Food at Crane & Turtle is heavily influenced by Hamamura’s Asian background, with an emphasis on seafood prepared using French techniques. (Hamamura had a brief stint cooking in France.) For
example, sauteed Maine scallops are served with chorizo dumplings and coconut foam ($25) and the pan-roasted striped bass comes with a bean puree and shiitake mushrooms with squid ink ($23). But Hamamura’s eyes light up when he talks about his pork “ramen” dish, made with pork cheek, poached oyster and thinly sliced crackling pork skins instead of noodles ($12). “I saw pork skin served like this at a taqueria, and figured out a way to make it more Asian,” Hamamura says. As for the restaurant’s name: It’s based off of a Japanese fable about a crane that was stranded at sea until a turtle helped him to shore. They meet again when the crane finds the turtle land-locked and returns the favor by carrying him to sea. “I like the way they helped each other,” Hamamura says. We like the way all signs point to a happy ending. HOLLEY SIMMONS
OF THE WALKMEN W/ TORRES
TUES, JULY 15
GOLDEN STATE LONESTAR REVIEW
FEAT. MARK HUMMEL, ANSON FUNDERBURGH, & LITTLE CHARLEY BATY WED, JULY 16
ELLIOTT YAMIN THURS, JULY 17
THE BASEBALL PROJECT
FEAT. SCOTT McCAUGHEY, STEVE WYNN, LINDA PITMON, MIKE MILLS SAT, JULY 19
PHOX W/ TRAILS & WAYS TUES, JULY 22
BOBBY RUSH FRI, JULY 25
START MAKING SENSE:
TALKING HEADS TRIBUTE W/ HMFO: A HALL & OATES TRIBUTE FRI, AUG 1
A JERRY GARCIA BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION FEAT. JOHN K BAND
W/ THE U-LINERS SAT, AUG 2
TAUK & BIG SOMETHING SAT, AUG 9
CARBON LEAF FREE
LATE-NIGHT MUSIC IN THE LOFT EVERY FRI & SAT
(E XPRESS)
Crane & Turtle, 828 Upshur St. NW; 202-723-2543, craneandturtledc.com. (Georgia Ave-Petworth)
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