Prior to my visit, I had no idea that the Twin Cities were filled with so many award-winning restaurants, from hidden gems to fine dining. In addition, I was extremely impressed with the variety and abundance of international cuisine represented. Below are several restaurants, from Somali to Hmong, that I would recommend trying during your time in Minneapolis and St. Paul.
Mama Safia's
Mama Safia's
One of the first things I learned about Minneapolis is that it is home to the largest Somali diaspora in the United States. As such, this is best place in the country to try Somali cuisine and one of the best places to do that is at Mama Safia's.
Goat Biryani
There are many dishes to choose from, but I went with the goat biryani at the suggestion of the restaurant's owner. The goat meat was served over aromatic biryani rice, and topped with sautéed vegetables, raisins, and fresh herbs.
This, and basically all Somali dishes, are served with a banana, a very common staple in Somali cuisine. The banana is not meant to be eaten separately. Instead, slice it up and eat bites of it with your meal.
Hai Hai
Hai Hai
The second restaurant that I visited is Hai Hai, which serves Southeast Asian street food that Chef Christina Nguyen grew up eating at home. Not only does the restaurant serve amazing Vietnamese food, it has a reputation for making excellent, craft cocktails.
Sok Dee
I visited Hai Hai for happy hour with a new friend, prior to going to dinner elsewhere. We both ordered a Sok Dee, made with palo santo infused tequila, juerte pulque, xila Mexican aperitif, jicama cordial, Mexican citrus bitters, key lime, pineapple and mango essence. This cocktail was a party in my mouth.
Water Fern Cakes
While Hai Hai serves mainstream Vietnamese dishes, we decided to go with a lesser known regional dish of water fern cakes.
Water fern cakes are steamed rice cakes topped with shrimp floss, mung beans, fried shallots, scallion oil and nuoc cham. These little bites were delectable. I could have eaten many more and was eager to try other dishes on the menu, but restrained myself knowing that dinner was just around the corner.
Khâluna
Khâluna
After leaving Hai Hai, we headed to Khâluna, a Laotian restaurant by Chef Ann Ahmad. A direct translation of the word "khâluna" from the Lao language to English is "please." That said, the word has a deeper meaning in usage, which means to be compassionate and kind without an expectation of reciprocity. Lovely, isn't it?
Khâluna Vesper
Let's start with the cocktails. We decided to begin our meal with the Khâluna Vesper, made with Song Cai floral gin, four day yokka koji awamori, mancino sakura vermouth and sakura Japanese bitters. The cocktail was elegant and well-balanced.
Salat Mak Mai
Next, we ordered the salad which was made with tropical fruits, almonds, peanuts, fish sauce, chili and shrimp flakes.
Shrimp Rolls
Then, we shared the fried shrimp rolls which were made with jicama and wrapped in purple shiso, mint, cilantro and rice paper. Both dishes were great.
Sooki and Mimi
Sooki and Mimi
The third restaurant I visited was Sooki and Mimi, run by James Beard award-winning chef, Ann Kim. In addition to winning the James Beard Award for "Best Chef Midwest," Ann Kim has been featured in the New York Times, Vogue, Forbes, Wall Street Journal and on Netflix's Chef's Table.
Sooki and Mimi is just one of Chef Kim's restaurants. It is named after two grandmothers of Korean and Latin American descent and the food at the restaurant is a fusion of those two cuisines. I visited Sooki and Mimi with a friend for drinks and appetizers, as opposed to dinner.
Que Sera, Serrano
First the cocktails, as in, I recommend starting with one first. We chose a Que Sera, Serrano made with mezcal, serrano peppers, dill and lemon and followed it up with a ...
... Tepache,
which was made with fermented pineapple and vodka. Both were very tasty.
Totchos
Based on restaurant reviews, we ordered the totchos. The dish essentially substitutes the chips in nachos with crispy, layered, tater tot-like potatoes, made in a pan and then cut into squares. On top of the tater tot squares was white cheddar, jalapeno, crema, salsa taquera, and pickled red onion.
Mushroom Birria Tacos
For our second appetizer, we shared Sooki and Mimi's most famous dish, the mushroom birria tacos. The vegetarian tacos were made with maitake mushrooms, queso chihuahua and shitake crema and served with vegetable consommé for dipping.
I learned that since my visit to the Uptown venue, Sookie and Mimi has transitioned to a Korean-American restaurant called, Kim's. If you give it a try, let me know how you like it.
Young Joni
Young Joni
Young Joni is another of award-winning chef, Ann Kim's restaurants. Located in the heart of Northeast Minneapolis' Arts District, the restaurant has a warm and cozy ambiance, even though it is usually packed and bustling with activity.
The focus at Young Joni is on wood-fire cooking. The menu features internationally inspired dishes that come as shareable plates, or in individual portions.
Korean BBQ Pizza
The signature dish at Young Joni is the wood-fired pizza and the star is the Korean BBQ pizza made with beef short ribs, mozzarella, scallion, arugula, and sesame soy chili vinaigrette. The New York Times named Chef Kim's pizza, among the best in America. Stop in. try one and decide for yourself.
Union Hmong Kitchen
Union Hmong Kitchen
Union Hmong Kitchen first began as a pop up on the east side of St. Paul and now has brick and mortar locations in Minneapolis. Before I get to the specific dish I ate, let me share a little about Hmong cuisine and culture.
The Hmong people are an Asian diaspora who originated in China. Many left China and entered Thailand as refugees in the late 70s. Today, you will find them in countries across the world, including the United States.
The state of Minnesota has the largest Hmong population in the U.S. and is therefore an excellent place to try Hmong cuisine. The bedrock of Hmong cuisine is rice, which is accompanied by a protein, vegetables and chilis, an influence from Thailand.
Zoo Siab Sausage Plate
Yia Vang is the chef and owner of Union Hmong Kitchen. Vang was born in a refugee camp in Thailand, where he lived until his family immigrated to the U.S. I ordered his speciality, a Hmong sausage that he serves with crunchy chili oil. The sausage is inspired by one of his family’s Hmong food recipes. It was delicious, as was everything on the plate.
Owamni by the Sioux Chef
Owamni by the Sioux Chef
The next restaurant that I visited in the Twin Cities, is Owamni. The restaurant was started by Sean Sherman an Oglala Lakota chef. It quickly became, and has remained, the foremost restaurant serving Indigenous American cuisine in America. James Beard gave its stamp of approval in 2022 when they named it the best new restaurant in the United States.
A sign reading, "You Are On Native Land" greeted me as soon as I entered. Upon checking in and getting seated, the host and server both told me that everything in the restaurant was pre-colonial, which was a little confusing. I guess they mean everything except the air conditioning and heating, refrigeration, furniture, top-of-the-line stovetop and cookware, etc.
Chef Sherman describes the restaurant's concept a little more clearly by stating that the food is "decolonized," meaning that all the dishes exclude ingredients such as wheat, dairy, cane sugar, black pepper, chicken, pork, beef, or any other items introduced to the continent after the Europeans arrived.
Marinated Tepary
If you are wondering what a "decolonized dining experience," (as the restaurant describes it) is like, these are the three dishes I ordered. First, I started with the marinated tepary, a native bean plant. The beans were mixed with nopales, squash and pasilla de oaxaca chilis.
Corn Taco
Next, I ordered the corn taco, a staple on the menu. The taco started with a corn tortilla, on top of which was a spread of some sort of jam. Atop that was a fried, corn dumpling, popcorn tossed with maple and sumac and some corn shoots.
This was my least favorite of the items I ordered. There was simply too much corn. Additionally, between the corn tortilla and the dumpling, the taco tasted too dense and dry. I found it sticking to the roof of my mouth, which wasn't enjoyable. That said, the couple next to me was raving about it, so give it a try and see for yourself.
Elk Taco
In contrast, the elk taco was my favorite item. This taco was made with the burnt ends of barbecued elk meat, topped with a carrot and turnip coleslaw and "Warrior's BBQ Sauce." The meat was moist, tender and flavorful and all the other ingredients complemented it. Ironically, as compared to the corn taco, the ingredients in this taco made the quality and taste of the corn tortilla shine.
Boludo
Finally, we head to an Argentinian restaurant called Boludo that brings the taste of Buenos Aires to Minneapolis. As a side note, "boludo/a" is a very interesting, slang, Argentinian word. When used between friends, it is a term of endearment, whereas it is a term of animosity when used between strangers.
Beef and Spinach Empanadas
The restaurant cooks up Argentinian-style empanadas, which are different from other styles of empanadas in that they are baked, not fried. We ordered one carne empanada made with beef picadillo, aji molido and olives, and one espinica empanada made with spinach, regianitto cheese and fresno peppers.
That's it for my culinary journey in the Twin Cities. Next, I have a post in this Minnesota series that will feature one of my favorite artists of all time. See you soon.
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