If you’ve been wondering what’s going to happen with the Crane & Turtle space, now that Chef Makoto Hamamura is set to move to New York, here’s an answer. Well, an answer for a week, anyway.

I spoke with Crane & Turtle owner Paul Ruppert about what his plans are next for the restaurant space, and the answer is pop-ups, the culinary kind. They're launching "Passion Project Pop-Up Week," a series of pop-up concepts at the end of the month to celebrate the accomplishments of the Crane & Turtle staff as they close out the current restaurant and look to the future. (Crane & Turtle’s last day is Saturday April 23rd.)

“We are doing the pop-ups as a way to celebrate the successful run of Crane & Turtle and to give an opportunity to several of the talented people on the staff,” Paul said. “Many people in the restaurant industry have a dream of opening their own space one day, including several people at Crane & Turtle, and this is a chance for them to get a taste of developing their own concept.”

The restaurant will featured four different pop-up concepts over the summer as Paul works on what will be the next permanent restaurant to take over. “For the future, following the pop-ups we are planning an interim use for the summer and then we'll have a permanent use next fall,” he said.

“The timeline is a series of pop-ups for a short period of time followed by a quick re-decoration for the summer-themed restaurant. And the new permanent concept will probably launch in September or October.”

If you have ideas of what kinds of restaurants you’d like to see come into the Crane & Turtle, Paul is happy to receive feedback. “Always happy to have neighbor feedback,” he said. “We haven't decided on a permanent use - we are considering several options.”

Here’s the schedule:

Tuesday April 26 - MONA MOON Dinner with Kyle Rubin
Wednesday April 27 - Natural Wine Night with Guillaume Bouscavel & Angelina Dirina
Friday April 29 - MONA MOON Dinner with Kyle Rubin
Saturday April 30 - Sake akachōchin at Bar Otsukare with Jesse Selvagn & Eddie Kim
Sunday May 1 - Sake akachōchin at Bar Otsukare with Jesse Selvagn & Eddie Kim

Mona Moon Dinner
As part of the Passion Project Pop-Up Week, Crane & Turtle Sous Chef Kyle Rubin will be creating a dinner menu that is seasonal and personal. Kyle's food takes inspiration from the bounty of the season and marries it with his long experience at Crane & Turtle, CityZen, Sou'Wester, Blacksalt and The Little Nell.

Join them for the this Prix Fixe meal (with optional wine pairings) on Tuesday April 26 or Friday April 29.

More information and tickets >

Pop-Up Natural Wine Bar: Off the Beaten Path, Italy
Meet us at Crane & Turtle for a special evening to enjoy unique and rare Italian natural wines. From 5pm to close on Wednesday April 27th, we'll have our pop-up wine bar and the patio open with delicious artisanal wines imported to DC for the first time! All wines are the product of the work and love of family wineries who wish to express terroir through minimal intrusion.

The wines:

Caneva da Nani: An artisanal "Col Fondo" Prosecco produced by a family in the heart of Veneto
Furlani: a high altitude biodynamic sparkling red from the Dolomites
Paterna: a Tuscan white produced by a small group of families practicing organic polyculture
Guglierame: a complex and deep rosé respecting the traditions of the local Ormeasco grape in the mountains of Liguria
Collecapretta and Vigneti Campanino: two different iterations of the Sangiovese grape from the secluded but fascinating region of Umbria

These natural wines, imported into Washington, D.C. for the first time, will be available by the glass, or as a flight, paired with delicious snacks. Come join us for this unexpected wine tour of Italy in Petworth!

Hosted by Guillaume Bouscavel & Angelina Dirina. No reservations needed.

Facebook Event page for more information >

Sake akachōchin / Bar Otsukare
Expanding on our exploration of all things Japanese drinking culture, Bar Otsukare presents Sake akachōchin on April 30th and May 1 from 5pm – midnight.

Small, intimate, lively, casual, bar vibe -- Sake akachōchin is inspired by sake bars in NYC and Japan -- sometimes tiny establishments where dozens of sakes are served in the most unpretentious and unassuming way possible.

Hosted by Jesse Selvagn & Eddie Kim. No reservations needed.

So keep your eye out for a pop-up that might interest you, and for the future of this Upshur space.