Local restaurateur Cory DeMint, owner and executive chef at The Electric Cheetah, is expanding his animal restaurant kingdom with the opening of his latest gastronomic venture, The Electric Eel. Whereas The Cheetah specializes in soups, salads, and sandwiches, The Eel, which opened April 1, will concern itself with miscellaneous Asian, non-Italian noodle dishes.

Spotlight entrees include Street Pad Thai and Szechwan Peanut Noodles. All noodle plates allow you to add protein (Beef, Chicken, Pork, or Tofu), or customize with additional ingredients (more than 30 options) for a little extra. The Eel's variety suits both the omnivore and vegetarian well.

Setting up shop in the former Rib Crib at 1133 Wealthy Street, The Eel has its space limitations, with seating for about 15 diners inside and 10 outside at any given time. The small size limits elbow room during peak hours, but the staff hust

The Electric Eel 1133 Wealthy Street, Grand Rapids $5-15 electriceelgr.com, (616) 451-4780

les to make for snappy waits. The small size also makes The Eel primarily a take-out business, and for that reason, the staff posts its daily specials on The Eel's Facebook page.

Manager Mike Maher says The Eel's first three weeks of business have gone swimmingly.

"Business took off quicker, bigger, and better than we expected," says Maher. "And it's only going to improve as we will soon be getting fresh ingredients from the farmer's market when it opens for the season."

And, if you were wondering, no, neither unagi (Japanese freshwater eel) nor anago (saltwater eel) found their way onto The Electric Eel's menu.