Kim’s (Sooki & Mimi)
When Chef Ann Kim announced her latest concept would be taking over the former Lucia's space, she had everyone on the edge of their seats with anticipation, eager to see if it would live up to the legend of Lucia’s. We think it's safe to say that Sooki & Mimi has quickly become its own legend.
Affectionately named after her grandmothers, Sooki & Mimi was inspired by a trip Ann took to Mexico’s Valle de Guadalupe and half a dozen subsequent R&D trips to Mexico and Central America. What results on the menu is a collision of Latin America, Korea, and the Midwest. Examples of dishes from the original restaurant launch are: “Other examples of Sooki & Mimi's inspired, don't-call-it-fusion dishes include a warm cup of toasted corn tea, laced with sweet corn silk from last summer; a Colorado-sourced corn madeline served alongside spicy chiltepin butter; an aguachile course that subs raw cauliflower, avocado, namasu (daikon and carrot), black lime, and mango in for seafood; and a deep-fried masa cake served with pistachios, labneh, and three kinds of beets (pickled, raw, and smoked).
One of the biggest challenges of construction was taking the formerly disjointed labyrinth of small spaces and opening them up into what is now a bright, airy room with great ceiling height. This task required thousand of pounds of shoring brought into the basement and main floor areas and bringing in new structural framing to the space. Specialty contractors and tradespeople were sourced to bring to life all of the custom details abundant in the space. Custom furniture, wallpaper, beautifully laid brick paver flooring, lighting - no detail was overlooked. One of the hallmarks of creating the bright open space are the huge windows added along the front façade. The culmination of all of these elements is that no matter the season, it feels warm and intimate inside Sooki & Mimi.
Press:
https://www.foodandwine.com/travel/restaurants/ann-kim-opens-sooki-mimi-minneapolis
https://mspmag.com/eat-and-drink/sooki-and-mimi-ann-kim/
*Note, Sooki & Mimi has been re-concepted to Kim's
