Owamni, Sooki & Mimi Make NYT's 2021 Favorite Restaurant List

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Two new Minneapolis restaurants have been featured in the New York Times' list of its 50 favorite restaurants.

The newspaper released the list Tuesday, saying critics, reporters and editors were dispatched around the country to find the 50 "most vibrant and delicious restaurants in 2021."

Owamni by the Sioux Chef, which opened in the summer along the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, was one of the featured restaurants. Owamni's mission is to showcase Indigenous cuisine and "present a decolonized dining experience."

According to the New York Times, the Sioux Chef Sean Sherman's cooking is "as on-point as Sioux Chef's activism."

WCCO's Jason DeRusha spoke with Sherman about why he believes his restaurant has resonated with people.

"It's been building for a long time, people have been very curious," Sherman said. "We just happen to be one of the only restaurants like this at the moment."

Sherman says the restaurant addresses many interests that food lovers may have.

"Some people love foraged food, some people want to learn about the native culture or the land they are on. We're hitting a lot of interests," Sherman said.

Ann Kim's Sooki & Mimi restaurant in the Uptown neighborhood also made the list. Kim is known for several other successful restaurants in Minneapolis, including Young Joni.

The New York Times says the restaurant has a "genre-defying menu" inspired by Kim's "infatuation with masa." Writer Brett Anderson says the restaurant has brought a sense of renewal to the area that has been part of the unrest following the killing of George Floyd.

Both Kim and Sherman are James Beard award-winning chefs.

To see the entire New York Times list, click here.