Sneak peek: Minneapolis dim sum darling Minari opens this week

The afternoon sun cascades through the tall windows of Minari, casting golden shadows on the wide-open dining room. Light bathes the rich maroon, walnut and velvet accents, punctuated with tufts of greenery.

Outside of the main room, workers were still assembling furniture; more plants are delivered and placed around the room. Votives are lit, and Daniel del Prado strides through the chaos with a small dog tucked under his arm before disappearing into a back office.

In the kitchen, oblivious to all the last-minute commotion of a restaurant on the verge of opening, is Jeff Watson. His tall figure is bent over the workspace, eyes shielded by the brim of his hat. His motions are swift, efficient and practiced with steadiness that belies the swirling activity.

On Friday, the bar and room, unrecognizable as the former Erte in northeast Minneapolis, will welcome guests — showtime for the Twin Cities‘ latest high-profile restaurant is about to begin. But in that moment, the meditative space belongs to Watson, who will tell the story of his years of experience through the food he’s preparing.

“My first job was working in a Chinese restaurant in Rapid City, South Dakota,” Watson said, explaining the ethos of the menu. “And at home my mom made Korean food all the time. And there are common flavors that run through Chinese, Japanese and Korean cooking.”

These are the flavors that Watson reaches for: double-cut short ribs are grilled and served with banchan, a variety of small side dishes. Watson professed his love for the collection of often pickled and spicy dishes that are commonplace in Korean dining.

This is Watson’s first restaurant, but it comes with the backing of del Prado’s juggernaut of a restaurant group. The two have worked together for years, first crossing paths at Isaac Becker’s Bar La Grassa and Burch Steak. When del Prado opened his first restaurant, Martina, Watson joined the kitchen crew.

Del Prado’s other restaurants include Colita, Rosalia, Porzana and Cafe Ceres, but he’s also developed restaurant concepts all over town, like Blondette, Macanda, Layline, Josefina, Dexter’s and more. It makes sense that the group is making space for more ideas.

The food is what Watson has been dreaming about for years. Beef tartare is dressed with ssamjang and Asian pear, dolled up in fresh herbs and salmon roe that glistens like jewels. Long beans are piled up in a little dish, dotted with sesame seeds and seasoning. Hirame crudo is diced and served with green lime leaf oil and Thai basil under a crunchy rice cracker lattice. Sunset-colored ramyeon noodles are made fresh in house, served with gobs of crab. And then there are the dim sum dishes. Squid-ink colored dumplings are stuffed with pork and shrimp, just one of the dishes that will be wheeled through the dining room.

The collection of flavors and textures would be right at home in a coastal city’s Chinatown district, but exciting to find in the heart of this burgeoning culinary district. Minari is just down the street from current hot spots Vinai, Young Joni and Oro, but also just across the street from neighborhood bar and music venue, the 331 Club.

Location: 323 13th Av. NE., Mpls., minarirestaurant.com

Hours: Open daily; dining room from 5-10 p.m., bar and lounge from 5 to 11 p.m.

The cocktails: DDP beverage director Megan Luedtke tapped Zak Roslik to run Minari’s day-to-day bar operations. Cocktails dabble in the same flavor profiles that Watson and his kitchen crew are using. The Minari Old Fashioned begins with Japanese whiskey and is sweetened with a toasted black sticky rice syrup and garnished with a puffy little rice crisp. The Sunchang is a mixture of mezcal, ume sake, honey, lime and topped with a little sparkling wine. The drink, garnished liberally with gochugaru, is named for the top gochujang producing county in South Korea.

Frequent del Prado collaborator and sommelier Bill Summerville has put together the wine list.

Also in the bar will be a special late-night menu served from 10 p.m. until close.

The vibe: The room transformation comes courtesy of Christian Dean Architects, who reimagined the historic space. Guests enter through the bar, where there are a few cozy tables in addition to the bar seats. The dining room has an area off to one side, where cane-decorated doors can slide mostly closed for privacy. Along the wall that faces University Avenue is the open kitchen, where Watson and his crew will put up plates and fill the rolling dim sum carts.

Accessibility: Entry to the restaurant and the dining room is all one floor, which makes for easy accessibility, but parking is going to be a bit of an adventure. Minari is part of a bustling restaurant district that continues to grow, counting 331 Club, Anchor Fish and Chips, Vinai and Oro as neighbors.

Reservations are already full for opening night, but there’s always the bar seats for those who believe in luck.