Chipotle spin-off ShopHouse Southeast Asian Kitchen, scheduled to open within days along Connecticut Avenue, just north of Dupont Circle, “may be the most anticipated restaurant launch in town,” according to Fortune magazine.

Investors, at least, are stoked about the new concept, which presents an opportunity for fast-growing Chipotle to “expand even beyond its current torrid pace”:

Bob Derrington, a managing director at Morgan Keegan, says some of his clients are asking, “Is this the birth of a billion-dollar baby?”

The financial mag describes ShopHouse’s imminent rollout as “curious,” noting, “[t]here will be no advertising, no official opening date.”

Management did dish a bit about the forthcoming menu:

The dishes: grilled steak with chili-jam marmalade, roast corn with scallions, Chinese broccoli, pickled vegetables — all served over brown rice, plus green papaya salad on the side. You could recognize the coriander, garlic, turmeric, and lemongrass. The carrots were stunningly bright (something about the pickling process), and the salad was an appealing mix of sweet, salty, spicy, and sour.

Privy to a pre-opening sneak peek at the new restaurant, Culture Mob digs the pork and chicken meatballs.

Logo courtesy of Chipotle