This is The Feast 14, in which we highlight the most anticipated projects of the new season. Here, a breakdown of the forthcoming noodle concept from Takashi Yagihashi set to open this fall.
Takashi Yagihashi's serene, Michelin-starred Bucktown restaurant, Takashi, serves some of the best noodles in town during its Sunday noodle brunch. Instead of relegating them to just once a week, Yagihashi announced this past fall that he plans to open a more casual River North spot at 116 West Hubbard to serve his noodles all week. Given the city's cursed history with izakayas, Yagihashi shied away from that term, instead christening the restaurant The Slurping Turtle.
The name and the logo alone are evidence of the stark contrast between The Slurping Turtle and Takashi. The chef told WBEZ's Steve Dolinsky last November that, "it's a totally different concept and [he wants] to be a customer for a change.” That means an all-day menu of sashimi (no sushi), noodles, yakitori, and bento boxes, plus plans to bring the snout-to-tail concept to chicken by grilling all parts of the fowl.
While the city waits for the space to be completed sometime this fall, you can get your fix at Takashi's Sunday noodle brunch, or just crawl this feed until it opens. [The Feast; WBEZ]
