Eat The Menu: Beyond Water Parsley

Remember Erte? That iconic Northeast supper club ended its 21-year reign in 2022. But since November, it’s been transformed into a magnet for foodie fans of dim sum, noodles and barbecue Sino-Korean style called Minari. Minari, as Wikipedia instructs, means water parsley. But that’s like calling fois gras “liver.”

In a Cinderella-goes-to-the-ball-type makeover, few remnants of the former club remain (and that’s fine). Today diners approach a matte black building, peer through majestic floor-to-rafter windows and spy a vast cache of generously-spaced tables circled by walls steeped in warm, glowing cranberry red. It’s somehow both uber-classy and deeply comforting at the same time. And it’s populated (during our visit, anyway) by a demographic of young and not-so, hip and not-so, girls’-night-outers to retirees and who-know-who-all, in search of a new experience.

For starters, dim sum carts come rolling by, laden with little bamboo steamer baskets cosseting fancies from the Snack menu card (which also may be ordered directly from your server). They’ve been devised by Korean-born, Midwest-raised Chef Jeff Watson, a protégé of bold-name Daniel del Prado.

That list of ten starter items ($7-12) boasts some solid winners: the pearl meatballs, for instance — a couple of golf-ball-size nuggets of moist and richly-flavored pork mixed with sticky rice and a little spike of ginger. On the table sits a collage of dipping sauces — chili-hot to herbal-soothing — should you choose to gild the lily.

We next summoned the pairing of rich duck and richer fois gras (there’s no tomorrow, right?) boosted by pork and aromatic ten spice. Perfect pairing. Fumbling with my chopsticks as my partner outdistanced me with his fork, we next gobbled up an order of eggplant dumplings, too — savoring the rich sauteed veggie bits livened with serrano that makes its presence felt (and savored) within the crescent noodle wrappers.

Then the shrimp shumai, similar to others around town (and that’s fine): sweet, firm-ish flesh encased in its frilly, dressed-for-success wrapper. Continue with the likes of jelly noodles in Szechuan chili oil, salmon roe, squid ink coloring pork and shrimp, and more.

Then proceed, if you’re not already in a food coma, to the “regular” menu, divided into sections like Cold & Raw (seafood, beef tartare, $4-19), Appetizers ($12-19), Charcoal BBQ ($16-51), and Noodles & Plates ($25-33).

From that app list, we summoned a saucer of gently poached Bay scallops dressed in brown-butter crumbs with savory hazelnuts and comfort-giving butternut squash. A dynamite dish. On to the BBQ section for a hefty serving of pork belly, delivered in rich and meaty, juicy cubes alongside the bone they came from (donated by a hog of prize-winning dimensions, apparently) and flavored simply with sesame and black pepper — a simple and satisfying dish.

Next up, from the Noodles section, an order of Dan Dan Mafaldine. These husky, curly, streamers — timed to retain a bit of bite and resistance — were joined by slippery king oyster mushrooms, baby bok choy, sesame seeds and a lively bounce of Szechuan chili crisp. I liked it, didn’t altogether love it. Next time, maybe the pork with fermented black beans and fennel pollen, served with thin chitarra noodles. Or the rigatoni arribbiata, Asian-ized with gochujang (aka red chili paste). Or the crab and prawn bisque, blended with basil and chili butter, which tempts me to telephone for take-out as I type.

Yes, there are desserts — a pair of them ($14), which I now regret we couldn’t manage. If you’re wiser and pace yourself with more skill, choose the yam roulade with yuzu poached pear, vanilla gelato and honeycomb or the miso caramel tart with its attendant strawberries and chocolate. Instead, I zipped the final drops of my Minari Old Fashioned, featuring black sticky rice and umami bitters among a list of otherwise unfamiliar ingredients that fostered a mildly sweet turn to the familiar recipe.

The Executive Summary: lovely setting, adept and informed servers, intriguing menu and happy customers.

Minari
323 13th Ave. NE
Minneapolis
(612) 259-8914
minarirestaurant.com