Weekend Dim Sum and Korean Fare Are Headed for Northeast Minneapolis

Plus, Nashville Coop teases a south metro location, Ono Hawaiian Plates opens, and more restaurant news

A new Korean restaurant serving dumplings, weekend dim sum, and Korean fare is set to open in Northeast Minneapolis’s former Erté & the Peacock Lounge this summer, the Star Tribune reports. Minari is the work of chef Jeff Watson, executive chef and culinary director for Dani del Prado’s restaurants and an alum of Isaac Becker’s Bar La Grassa and Burch Steak. Expect big bowls of noodles, barbecued meats, and banchan, plus a bar program from beverage director Megan Luedtke that’ll likely highlight sochu and makgeolli (an effervescent Korean rice wine). Minari is the latest addition to Northeast’s budding restaurant hotspot: At 323 13th Avenue NE, it’s just down the street from Young Joni, Anchor Fish & Chips, La Boulangerie Marguerite, Oro by Nixta, and incoming restaurants Vinai and Diane’s Place.

Nashville Coop teases a new south metro location

Fans of Nashville hot chicken have been clamoring for Nashville Coop to expand to the south side of the Twin Cities metro (current locations are in St. Paul and Minneapolis’s Stadium Village neighborhood). That wish is finally coming true: The restaurant teased a new south metro location on Instagram, soliciting guesses from commenters before the exact address is announced this Friday, January 19. So far, Eagan has racked up the most votes.

Ono Hawaiian Plates opens at United Noodles

After a few months of delays, Ono Hawaiian Plates is up and running at United Noodles. Owners Warren Seta and Jess Kelley have done a whole buildout in the grocery store, conjuring up beachside vibes with picnic tables, an ocean mural, and of course, dishes like garlic shrimp and kalbi short ribs, Hawaiian barbecue chicken, and luau bowls with ahi poke and kalua pork. A grand opening celebration is planned for Saturday, January 20.

The Great Northern Festival gears up

This year’s Great Northern Festival — which runs from January 25 to February 4 — has a stacked lineup of food and drink events. Ticketed dinners include a Scandinavian “Winter’s Table” by Gavin Kaysen and Swedish chef Sebastian Gibrand; the “Last Supper,” a meal by former White House chef Sam Kass featuring ingredients that are “near extinct” due to climate change (plus a follow-up talk with chef Andrew Zimmern); and a collaborative pop-up between local Mexican and Latin collective K’óoben and chefs Yia Vang (Union Hmong Kitchen and Vinai) and Peter Bian and Linda Cao (Saturday Dumpling Club). (The Last Supper is currently $100 off the ticket price, fwiw.) The Great Northern’s pièce de resistance, though, might be its 100-foot ice bar, which will stretch down Nicollet Avenue for the duration of the festival. The ice bar’s full slate of guest bartenders, plus hours, can be found here.

Correction: January 17, 2017, 12:15 p.m.: This story corrected to omit the Great Northern Festival’s “Seven Stories” dinner, which has been cancelled.