
Soap Operas Inspired This Minnesota Restaurant

The restaurant scene took a big hit last year when Newt's and Hefe Rojo closed their 1st Ave locations but those buildings weren't vacant for long.
About 6-months ago Sammi Loo, owner of Mezza 9 Cafe and Ootori Sushi, announced big plans to bring new flavors to the downtown area. Check out some of the featured menu items below.
Soap Operas Were The Inspiration Behind This Minnesota Restaurant
BEBAP (pronounced "be-bop") Korean Inspired Eatery opened last week. And, soap operas served as the inspiration. Sammi Loo (pictured below) said, her favorite K-dramas made her crave Korean food.
“When I’m watching Korean shows, it makes me crave the food! After watching them, I always wished I could eat right away. If I finished an episode of Let’s Eat and wanted classic Korean street food like tteokbokki - food hot and spicy simmered rice cake, with a light, savory base of eomukguk, I could not have it, because we did not have a Korean restaurant in town. That’s what made me have the idea to open this<br />Korean-inspired eatery”
Korean cuisine consists of various rice dishes with vegetables, seafood, and meat and are often served with kimchi. Other key ingredients include sesame oil, doenjang (fermented bean paste), gochugaru (dried chili peppers), and gochujang (fermented chili paste).
BEBAP has a seasonal menu, featuring recipes designed for late fall through winter, spring through summer, and late summer through early fall.
The upcoming winter menu will feature hearty dishes like kimchi-jjigae, a kimchi stew with pork belly and tofu, and galbitang, a soup made with beef short ribs.
The restaurant's bar serves a variety of Korean-inspired cocktails and Korean specialty soft drinks.
BEBAP Korean Inspired Eatery is located at 216 1st Ave SW, Rochester.
Regular Hours (Starting Monday, October 30):
- Monday to Thursday - 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
- Friday and Saturday - 11 a.m. to 11 p.m
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Gallery Credit: Carly Ross
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