collage of four hot meals
Summer is usually the quiet season for restaurant openings, and this year seemed even quieter than usual. At MSP HQ, we’ve been hearing rumors about a few new projects from some of the Twin Cities’ big names. That being said, permitting problems and stretched budgets can shift opening dates to the back burner. So let’s cross fingers, but maybe don’t plan anniversary dates at these much-awaited restaurants.
Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Pearl and the Thief
Pearl and the Thief
Justin Sutherland’s signature restaurant closed in Stillwater at the end of 2018, only to head west and add some glam. Now located at Washington Avenue and Chicago, the new Pearl will deliver Sutherland’s southern cooking in a space with bigger windows, more seats, and a glitzier downtown bar. pearlandthief.com
Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Travail Kitchen and Amusements
Travail Kitchen and Amusements
The new Travail will look nothing like the old Travails: Think more polish and fewer furry booths. The new two-story building incorporates sliding walls, elegant white tile, video screen backgrounds, a rooftop bar, and a basement bar and private-dining room. What stays the same is ticketed tasting menus that push the boundaries of dining. travailkitchen.com
Photo by Caitlin Abrams
Name TBD
Sooki & Mimi
Fresh off her James Beard win, Ann Kim will be launching her homage to the tortilla in the former Lucia’s spot. While she eats and learns her way through the different regions and cuisines of Mexico, Kim continues to form her menu concept. sookiandmimi.com
Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman, Dana Thompson, and The Sioux Chef
Indigenous Kitchen by Sean Sherman, Dana Thompson, and The Sioux Chef
While we wait for this Water Works restaurant to be built on the banks of the Mississippi, we’ll still get a taste of local—really local—cooking from the Sioux Chef crew. Think a bowl of bison with a reduced chokecherry sauce over wild greens. Next spring, kitchens that act as teaching labs and restaurants will start opening around the state.
