Stone Turtle now open in Dogtown

The New Year got off to a tasty start in Dogtown yeaterday when Stone Turtle Restaurant & Bar launched its brunch menu. By 11 a.m., the mercury was barely nudging 4 degrees, but people hurried in, and pretty quickly the seats, in the sunny windows, were filled. Since opening its doors Dec. 23, this handsome addition to the neighborhood – at the corner of Clayton and Tamm avenues just one block south of eponymous Turtle Park– has been serving dinner only, but owner Nick Funke says Sunday brunch will be a regular feature in a couple of weeks. Maz Nooran, most recently of the now-shuttered Flaco’s Cucina in University City, is a partner, as is executive chef Todd Bale.

This may be Funke’s first restaurant venture, but the place has a polished feel. Half the space is restaurant, the other half is whiskey bar. “We wanted to bring a nice sit-down restaurant to Dogtown, along the lines of a good American gastro pub,” Funke says. Dimly lit and tin-ceilinged, the bar definitely feels pubby. So does the brighter restaurant, which has booths and church pew benches, and bare brick walls. A large chalkboard announces daily specials (like the soft-cooked duck egg BLT) and the list of local draft beers (like Heavy Riff Lemon Squeeze Box and Old Bakery Porter).

The classic American menu, crafted by Bale, comes with some nice twists: among the bar nibbles, for instance, are California dates stuffed with blue cheese, and a savory mix of cashews and crispy/chewy pork belly. Chicken wings get their color from mango and habanero, and the Turtle mac and cheese is topped with bacon and corn flakes. The burger receives a boost from beer cheese and bacon onion jam, while the steak frites is a ribeye glazed with sherry gastrique and partnered with roasted Brussels sprouts.

For brunch, think chicken and waffles (pictured above), served here with red hot honey, breakfast burritos and French toast, but also think grilled salmon with an interesting cake of cheesy grits (pictured at right). Vegetarian Breakfast in Bed is a bread bowl of mushrooms, onions, goat cheese, oven-cured tomato and a soft egg, and the mushroom omelette is a luscious mix of portabellas, creminis, and fontina. Nooran currently serves as brunch advisor, helping out in the kitchen.

Already, Stone Turtle is offering 80 different whiskeys and bourbons, but Funke says he plans to nearly double that number over time. “We hope to emphasize some smaller, lesser-known distilleries,” he says. “While keeping our prices affordable.” Currently, 12 of the 16 beer taps are filled, but Funke says he expects to be offering all 16 regional drafts by next week. He also anticipates a lunch service in the not-too-distant future. “We have been very well received,” he says. “I think customers appreciate that this is quality food at a very reasonable price. That was our main focus for the neighborhood.”