Goodbye to Sooki & Mimi, Hello to Kim's

Ann Kim is making changes to her Uptown restaurant, and it's personal.

by

Big news for Uptown, and lovers of the legendary mushroom birria tacos. I just got off the phone with James Beard Award-winning chef Ann Kim, and she's ready to make some changes. Sooki & Mimi, her much-lauded house of tortillas opened during the pandemic, will make a graceful exit over the next few months before transitioning into a new Korean-American restaurant simply called: Kim's.

"You know, it's bittersweet," Kim said on the phone, "I'm so proud of everything we did to get Sooki & Mimi open and everything leading up to it, the stories we honored, the food we created. And it's not like it's not working, we've been in the New York Times and we have a lot of loyal guests. But this is personal for me, I've been wanting to open a Korean-American restaurant forever, though I've always made excuses like: people aren't ready, it's not what they want. But I'm done with that. I'm stepping into my power and I'm really excited!"

The restaurant is coming together just as Kim has also been stepping into her mother's shoes in her own kitchen. "My mom has Parkinson's so I've been cooking more for her and holding tighter to those recipes. I made a dish and she said 'wow this is really good, where did you learn to make this?' and I said: YOU, mom! Whenever I post a Korean dish I get a flood of people asking where they can find it and I have to say: my house. It's just time to make this happen."

Sooki & Mimi will remain open for the next few months so that people can go and get a few more rounds of dino tacos. Then, sometime in October, the restaurant will close for about a week while they prep and refresh, reopening as Kim's. "It's not going to worry about authenticity, or be a K-town spot, it's going to be Korean-American, which is how I grew up. The basement bar is also getting a refresh, we're going to start having food down there, but it will be like buckets of Korean fried chicken and chive biscuits, all finger food that you can also take out. We want to bring the funk and the fun."

A Korean-American muralist is on tap to help freshen up the building. "Honestly, I think it will be great for the neighborhood. We need to bring some creative new life to the block. I'm tired of asking for help from the city, I'm just going to roll up my sleeves, call in a handful of friends, and get this done. This neighborhood isn't bad, it's just evolving and changing as it always has, it was the first place I lived after moving back from New York. It needs people who are willing to create new things that are personal to them. Let's make art!"

It's exciting!! I can't deny the power of those mushroom tacos, but for me as a food human, this is the Ann Kim restaurant I've been waiting for. Sally forth!!