Sneak Peek: Ann Kim's Sooki & Mimi

Light and soft curves breathe life into Uptown.

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It's true. Sooki & Mimi, the Ann Kim tortilla-fueled project that has been in the works since 2019, is now open in the former Lucia's space in Uptown. 

What can I say, it's a looker. I popped over there this afternoon for a sneak peek, right when the sun was giving off that perfect dead-sexy lighting. And it felt like I could imagine a time when we'll all be packed into the warm and curvy space with our best girlfriends, perched on comfy buttery wooden stools, cocktails in hand.  

For now, you can book a $120 tasting menu dinner that will run you two hours of vegetables and nixtamal plates, celebrating masa and thinking about flavors without meat. Or you can snap up a seat at the bar for $25, which includes two drinks over one hour, if you just want to give the place a looksee. 

"It's not the restaurant that I had originally envisioned, in terms of the opening menu, but it just gave us an opportunity to be like, hey let's just have fun and be creative and try something new. I'm really proud of the menu and proud of the team, and you know in a month it might be completely different," Ann Kim told me. They are also holding off on a takeout program for now, "I just figure I have to focus on doing this one thing, and doing it well before I add that to the mix. Once we get our legs under us, we'll see what makes sense for takeout."

I would happily spend an hour in this bar. Either side of it. Holding court right when you walk in, the Adam Gorski helmed bar is small and cozy. The thing you notice right away is all the soft, rounded wood that is used everywhere. "Almost all of this custom furniture was made in Guadalajara and shipped here," Kim said. "Most of it is parota wood, a tropical wood. It's just really buttery and smooth." Yes, the word buttery is going to come up a lot, ok?

One of the things you'll notice is the commitment to textures, not just the smoothness of seating, but patterns throughout. The other thing you'll notice is a lot of extended bar seating and communal tables. "When we designed this we couldn't wait to get everyone in here all jammed together, but that will have to wait. At Young Joni, everyone loves that little extension of bar where you can sit on both sides, almost in the bar. We took note and played that up here with a long table and bar seating on both sides. You're basically in the bar."

The floor throughout is brick-tiled with a herringbone pattern that has its own movement. "On a trip to Oaxaca we were so inspired by the cultural center, and this was like the floor in the garden area." There are a lot of design touches that feel evocative, but not literal. With the ceiling beams, they had toyed with the idea of making them bowed, like the belly of a boat, but it didn't work out. 

There have been a lot of construction issues since starting the renovation on the old Lucia's space. There are apartments above, so they had to strengthen floors and reinforce multiple layers of support over the whole space. "If I knew then, what I know now, I might not have done it," Kim laughed. "But I'm really proud of it, and I'm excited for it, and I hope this brings the corner back to life. This whole neighborhood needs some light."

The communal table in front of the kitchen space is carved with concentric rings, giving it the feeling that it's one big tree. You can't help but run your fingers over it. "It's everything you touch and see and smell and feel that is so important right now in restaurants. I have to give them a reason to come out, I have to up that game. People are still hesitant, and it just feels like a lot of responsibility. Because you're asking people to trust you and pay a specific amount of money, and you want to make it worth their time and energy and hard work. I just I miss it, every part of it."

You know how everyone says they want you to feel like you're in someone's house when you're in their restaurant? Not many really achieve that, but this kitchen feels like you could accidentally cocktail your way in and see what's cooking. (Please don't do that.) It looks like a home kitchen, but with really big comal, the flat top griddles used for tortillas. Kim had hoped to make them wood-fired, but had to give up some things to budget.

I can only imagine how this place will light up at night. It's all about softness and light. "That was the idea, everything in this space is supposed to be softer than Young Joni. Not that that's masculine, but this is warmer, a little moodier in a different way, lighter, softer, a little more feminine sexy. For me, right now, I'm craving a lot of light and airiness, and I think this delivers on that. So yeah, we're ready."