Takashi Posts Slurping Turtle Menu, Opening Close

If you've ever felt obnoxious accidentally slurping your soup at a fancy restaurant, you'll feel right at home at Takashi Yagihashi's forthcoming Slurping Turtle, where with all the different noodle and ramen dishes it'll almost be wrong if you don't slurp, as the name says.

And you'll get to dive into a heaping bowl sooner than later as Takashi looks to be getting closer to opening. He told Eater the restaurant's inspection is scheduled for Oct. 28 and, if they pass, he hopes to open two weeks later once they can bring in the food and train the staff. Speaking of food, Slurping Turtle's contemporary Japanese menu has been posted to its website and is divided into four sections: noodles; dumplings and hot tapas; sashimi and bincho grill.

"The cuisine will taste totally Japanese and I tried keeping the authenticity of the Japanese flavors," Takashi said. He explained that the sashimi will be all fresh, seasonal fish that will be served on small, medium and large plates, depending on the number of people at the table. Selections include seared big eye tuna; ika somen (aioli squid, ohba leaves, ginger umami); ceviche of baby octopus, hokkaido scallops, shrimp and squid with yuzu-ceviche dressing; and tartare of hamachi in taro root taco.

The bincho grill is where Takashi will serve various grilled meats and seafood, like razor clams, pork belly, Indiana duck, bacon mochi, Madagascar prawn, foie gras, miso-marinated black cod and more. And then there's the noodles and dumplings: various ramen; chiyan pon (fried egg noodle with stir fried shrimp, scallops and calamari); glazed pork rib; lobster corn dog; crispy oysters and more. Takashi said the tan tan men (whole wheat egg noodle in a spicy miso with ground pork and spicy homemade sausage), will "be good for wintertime because it's spicy." And the prices? Nothing is over $14.

Dessert will feature a number of Japanese-inspired macarons, soft-serve ice cream, cream puffs and other Japanese treats. The restaurant will also serve beer and sake, sourced only from the Midwest and Japan.

Takashi tapped designer Francois Geneve (Takashi, Green Zebra, Quince) to do the 87-seat space, which will have a mezzanine overlooking the main floor. The restaurant will feature a lot of steel and exposed beams. "It'll be a very comfortable Japanese restaurant," Takashi said.

Monday through Saturday, the restaurant will stay open until 2 a.m. and the kitchen will serve until 1 a.m (it'll close at 11 p.m. on Sunday) and lunch will be served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., Monday through Saturday.
· Slurping Turtle [website]