What's New in Minneapolis?

Rand Tower Hotel

Rand Tower Hotel, Minneapolis, a Marriott Tribute Portfolio Hotel, opened recently at its prime address on the corner of Sixth and Marquette in downtown Minneapolis. Offering modern travelers a vibrant, story-rich experience in the meticulously restored Art Deco-era Rand Tower, it is enhanced by exciting food and beverage options, elegant meeting spaces, and stylishly detailed guest rooms. A contemporary embodiment of the aviator, war hero, and Twin Cities industrial giant Rufus Rand Jr., the hotel’s namesake and visionary builder, the new hotel is a tribute to the tower’s history with particular attention to the prominent Art Deco styling.

Water Works Park and Owamni

Minneapolis adds to its extensive and top ranked park system with a new 2.8-acre park space and mill-embedded pavilion, opening this spring. Water Works/Mill Ruins Park expansion overlooks St. Anthony Falls and the Stone Arch Bridge; it’s located on Dakota homeland and has been sacred to both the Dakota and Anishinaabe people for millennia. It will bring visitor services and recreational and cultural amenities to one of Minnesota’s most highly visited destinations. The park and pavilion are designed to reveal layers of untold stories, in acknowledgement of the location as both the birthplace of the city’s milling history and a spiritual place that has shaped cultural and economic connections for Indigenous people and immigrants.

Owamni:

The Sioux Chef, with owner/chef and James Beard winner Sean Sherman and partner Dana Thompson, will open Owamni: An Indigenous Kitchen, a four-season dine-in and take-out restaurant, and the first completely de-colonized restaurant in Minnesota. Along with serving Indigenous foods, the Sioux Chef plans to create events and educational opportunities to elevate Indigenous voices as part of its larger mission to promote Native American cultures, honor plants and natural resources, and foster a vibrant Indigenous food movement. The restaurant’s name is derived from “Owamni Yamni,” the Dakota name for what is called St. Anthony Falls in English; it means swirling or laughing waters.

Sooki & Mimi

Much anticipated Sooki & Mimi opens in Minneapolis’ Uptown neighborhood Feb. 3, 2021, with James Beard Foundation Best Chef: Midwest 2019 winner Ann Kim at the helm. Kim’s fourth restaurant (after Pizzeria Lola, Hello Pizza and Young Joni) is named after her two grandmothers of decidedly different cultures and backgrounds. Kim embarks on a new pathway, trading in her much-lauded pizza crust for springy, soft tortillas. Atop this delectable base sits an unorthodox menu filled with blended culinary cues spanning Korean, Midwestern, and Latin American ingredients. all of this within an elegant-yet-comfortable neighborhood joint.

Photo Credits: Sooki & Mimi, Minneapolis Parks & Recreation