As I walked down 13th Ave. NE to the entrance of the former Erté supper club, the block glowed with a sexy hue of red. Giant sidewalk-to-rooftop windows exposed a bustling dining room, packed to the gills.
Minari is here.
Opening night on Friday, Nov. 15 is already booked up. Anticipation is always high for a restaurant that’s part of the Daniel del Prado empire, among the likes of Porzana, Martina, and Rosalia.
My wife and I were at the first soft opening earlier this week: We pay for drinks and a tip, they pay for the food in exchange for some feedback and to give them practice. It is folly to make any statement about the quality at this phase, but Chef Jeff Watson has put together a really exciting menu that dances across Korean, Japanese, and Chinese influences. It’s one of the new restaurants with the backing of Daniel del Prado’s restaurant group—and DDP was like a proud father at the soft opening, watching his former food runner at Bar la Grassa all grown up.
The first thing you’ll notice is the dim sum. One rolling cart is full of dumplings (we loved the duck and foie gras with ten spice), a tray comes by with fried items (fried tofu skin was a crispy, really salty snack), another cart comes by with salmon roe and burrata and my favorite, the monkfish liver on a giant taro chip topped with squash and marmalade. Most plates are $4-$7. Very affordable, a fun way to get a bite while you wait, and a brilliant way for Minari to add $20 more than you expected to spend to your tab.
The “Cold & Raw” part of the menu has oysters, beef, or hirame (flounder) tartare. We really liked the bluefin tuna gimbap ($15)—sort of like a sushi roll, but the Korean rice is seasoned with sesame oil rather than vinegar. “Snacks” include steamed mussels in a braised kimchi broth, and melt-in-your-mouth poached scallops in a brown butter ponzu and butternut squash puree ($14).
The “charcoal BBQ” will be a huge hit—fairly small portions of protein served with dipping sauces like gochujang, chili oil, ssamjang, and pa muchim (a scallion salad). We got the double cut galbi—three bone-in pieces of marinated short rib ($33)—and the flavor was extraordinary.
Our terrific server suggested creating lettuce wraps, so we added ssam and rice. An outrageous $9 for a plate of lettuces, and a bowl of earthy rice enhanced with furikake, a $3 bargain. You can order skirt steak, Wagyu strip loin, A5 Ribeye, pork jowl, belly, or Pacific mackerel.
There’s also a full section of noodles and plates we didn’t even get to. This feels like a restaurant where you want to bring a group of four or six, so you can dance through the expansive menu. I can’t wait to try to Korean fried chicken, duck breast with scallion pancake, and the Dan Dan Mafaldine with king oyster mushrooms.
Watson’s Korean heritage is as obvious in this menu as is the influence of the restaurants he’s cooked at. You can see the influences of Burch Steak and BLG, as well as Porzana and Martina, the del Prado part of Watson’s heritage.
“I’ve been making food for more than 20 years, I’m a little bored with it,” laughed del Prado, as he visited my table. “I’m excited by design.” You can tell. Jewel tones for days—deep maroons, chestnuts, and bursts of red lighting surrounding the room. (It could use a little more light in the corner booth we were in.)
The old Erté is totally unrecognizable. There is a huge bar in the space the old bar was, but it’s all new. Arches have been added to the main dining room, which was expanded into a former entryway of the larger building. When you walk in the fairly moody, dark space, the kitchen line glows like the main stage. There’s a lower-ceilinged room off to the side with sliding doors that would make a great private party space.
The cocktails, designed by DDP’s beverage maven Megan Luedtke, are enchanting. Fascinating ingredients including a savory daiquiri (Mekarushi) and one of the coolest highballs I’ve ever had—made with sesame-washed whiskey and ginger. Highballs are $11, cocktails are mostly $14.
Minari, 323 13th Ave. NE, Minneapolis. Open daily 5 p.m.-10 p.m., minarirestaurant.com
