Sad news from Upshur Street: Crane & Turtle, the tasty Japanese restaurant from the Room 11 family of restaurants and shops, will be closing April 24.
According to a press release, the head chef and pastry chef, who are married, are moving to New York and since they were a key part of the restaurant, the owners decided to close.
The same group, led by Paul Ruppert, own Room 11, Petworth Citizen, Upshur Street Books, and the coming Slim’s Diner. Bad Saint is also related as it’s co-owned by Nick Pimentel, who is a partner at Room 11.
The Room 11 folks still own the space, so they may do something there in the future.
Here’s their press release:
After much careful consideration, Crane & Turtle has decided to close our doors on Sunday, April 24, 2016.
Husband & wife team, Executive Chef Makoto Hamamura & Pastry Chef Katy Kinch, will be relocating to New York to pursue future career opportunities and to be closer to family. Chef Makoto (whose mother and aunt are named Crane and Turtle, respectively, in Japanese) is so intertwined in the identity and success of the restaurant that no replacement will do.
We are proud of the work we have done to create a unique dining experience that combined all of our team’s passions: chef-driven inventive cuisine, engaging service, exceptional wines & beverages, thoughtful design, and most importantly, camaraderie & community.
We feel truly honored to have been a part of special moments in our guests’ lives ranging from engagements to birthdays to a memorable night out with dear friends. We hope that you will look back on an evening spent at Crane & Turtle with same fondness as we all will.
We would like to especially applaud all of our remarkable staff that has worked so diligently everyday. Crane & Turtle could have never accomplished the high degree of critical acclaim without each and every one of you.
We cannot thank Petworth enough for welcoming us with open arms and not only being loyal patrons, but becoming our friends. This is an incredible neighborhood with so much heart. We feel very privileged to have called it “home.”
We are looking forward to the next few weeks of service. We see this time as a period of celebration. We certainly hope that you will be a part of it.
Thank you all & cheers, The Crane & Turtle Family
Crane & Turtle was a tasty, small spot, which also held interesting events like the Bar Otsukare Japanese whisky pop-ups. They will be missed!
