Chef Justin Sutherland Reveals Plans for Two New Downtown Minneapolis Restaurants

Just a few months after announcing his departure from St. Paul’s Handsome Hog, chef Justin Sutherland has revealed plans to bring two new restaurants to downtown Minneapolis’s Mill District: Pearl and the Thief, a revival of the Southern-style seafood restaurant he opened in Stillwater in 2018, and a third location of his egg sandwich shop, Big E.

Sutherland has partnered with Restore Restaurant Holdings and commercial real estate developer Sherman Associates on the project, according to a press release. Both restaurants will open in a 5,000-square-foot space on the street level of the O2 apartment tower on Portland Avenue, one of Sherman’s properties. The developer has a growing portfolio of downtown restaurants tenants, including Umbra, Chloe by Vincent, and the upcoming La Madre and Mother Dough.

Sutherland promises to bring back some of Pearl and the Thief’s popular dishes — notably the Tennessee hot octopus and smoked crab risotto — and add new ones. He’s partnering with chef Vincent Francoual (of EaTo and Chloe by Vincent) to create the menu. Pearl 1.0 was known for its bourbon selection, and 2.0 is following in its footsteps with plans for a “high-end” whiskey bar. The restaurant will also have a large patio space (about 2,000 square feet) at the corner of Washington and Portland avenues. No opening date has been set so far.