Stimson Building revived by Bellanotte team
By Mike Mitchelson

After years of negotiating and deal shifting, the Stimson Building in downtown Minneapolis, which wraps around the Pantages Theater, finally has its restaurant. Two, actually: R. Norman’s, The Steakhouse and, on the second floor (or, technically the third floor) Seven Sushi Ultralounge. Both opened in late December 2007, and a rooftop patio will open when weather permits.

“This has been a huge transformation,” said Randy Norman, co-owner of the new restaurants with David Koch, his partner (with other investors) in restaurants Bellanotte and Bella. It was mid-December, and Norman was noticeably tired and still slightly gimpy from a recent knee surgery. But his enthusiasm was evident as he negotiated his way around construction workers, extension cords and power tools.

The space—which totals about 25,000 square feet—was gutted, and the group constructed balconies to add more seating, and a large, three level kitchen (prep kitchen in the basement, an “assembly” area on the second level to service balcony patrons). Space for an oyster bar within the dining room on the street level was allocated, and a massive bar was built near the Hennepin Avenue entrance. At that time, workers painted walls, installed the bars in both spaces, delivered furniture. The dining room chairs were stacked carefully and covered with plastic to protect them from the dust still being produced by the project. Booths had arrived and couches sat in a delivery truck on Seventh Street (the driver was ticketed). It was at that stage in a restaurant’s development where appearances are most chaotic, but they’re about to come together very quickly—in about a week, the restaurants opened.


City interests

The Pantages Theater, after being refurbished by the city of Minneapolis, has been operating since 2002. But the Stimson Building, which surrounds the theater, had been vacant.

The city was “very interested” in finding the right tenant for the Stimson Building, one that would have a complimentary use for the Pantages Theater,” said Thomas Hoch, president and CEO of the Hennepin Theatre Trust, which operates the State, Orpheum and Pantages theaters for the city of Minneapolis. Koch also worked in the Minneapolis’ community development and public housing agencies before joining the Theatre Trust about 11 years ago.

As recently as 2006, it appeared restaurateur David Fhima and a group of investors would purchase and develop space into and upscale restaurant and club. That deal fell apart, and the investment group called the Stimson Partners again searched for a tenant. The guidelines remained the same, however—an upscale restaurant and club, and a “preference for an independent restaurant,” Hoch said.

The Stimson Partners called David Koch. “I know the city is working diligently on Hennepin Avenue’s revitalization,” Koch said. “We took a look at (the project) and its viability, and thought Hennepin was ripe for a renaissance, and decided to make an effort to do something beautiful with that corner.”

The Hennepin Theatre Trust knew Norman and Koch already—Bellanotte, among other downtown restaurants, is one of the Trust’s “premier restaurant partners” listed on its Web site that have special dining options for theater goers. “I was happy with the city’s selection of that group,” Hoch said.

Norman and Koch’s group understand the city’s troubled Block E development, in which Bellanotte resides, but also understand the theater district as a whole, “and are anxious to play up that connection,” Hoch said. “Everyone tends to talk about Block E when you talk about Hennepin Avenue, but it’s just one block of 10 block faces of the theater district.”

Hoch said there are definitely “retail challenges” in downtown Minneapolis, but when one looks at Hennepin Avenue, there is much stability. “Palamino, Rock Bottom Brewery, Capital Grill, Solera—even Chambers—there are restaurants that are here for a while,” he said. “Fogo (de Chao) is doing very well. I don’t think it’s any one restaurant, it’s getting the right mix of restaurants and complimentary activity on the street.

“I think we are turning the corner in that regard. The challenge with Hennepin Avenue is have it be inviting and safe, but not have it be sanitized, and walking that tightrope can be challenging. Hennepin Avenue is safe. Could it look a little better, you bet. You know how it looks better? More people. It never looks better than when all three theaters empty into the street (after shows). … Lots of people on the street, you significantly outnumber any criminal element and they go away.”

Adding to that street safety and “big city” environment is R. Norman’s design. “I’m really thrilled that they kept all the glass on the perimeter,” Hoch said. “Eyes looking out on the street are very, very important. …We’re real excited about R. Norman’s being there.”


Dining on-set

One might consider R. Norman’s as theater itself—an experience in old-school steakhouse dining with modern flair. Dark wood paneling, custom chairs, booths and dark wood tables. But the design doesn’t feel antiquated, and with the vast windows giving diners a view of both Seventh Street and Hennepin, the space has a very modern feel—particularly with the second floor balcony/loft seating overlooking the dining area and bar. The name itself evokes old-school dining—and came as a surprise to Norman—“We’d done a lot of travel around the country (on research), and nothing really stuck,” Norman said. “David (Koch) said, ‘Let’s name it after you.’ It’s very humbling.”

Each bar top in R. Norman’s and Seven is onyx, backlit to show off its amber glow. “The onyx bar is a signature,” Norman said, referring to the similar bars in Bellanotte and its sister restaurant in Blaine, Bella. “We’re always going to have that, and a signature type of wine ‘kiosk’,” he added, pointing to an atrium-type structure near the main floor bar that will house about 800 bottles of wine.

The menu is a similar blend of old school and modern fine-dining steakhouse, with Caesar salads and desserts prepared tableside and traditional beef steaks and lobster, to the more modern rack of lamb, ahi tuna and a list of sauces and compound butters not ordinarily found on a steakhouse menu (don’t fret, you can still get your béarnaise).

The “modern classic” design is carried upstairs to Seven, but, as with any true sushi restaurant, the interaction between the chefs and patrons at the bar instills a different vibe. The two bars, one for the sushi chefs and one for the bartenders, are huge, with space for three to six workers behind them as the crowd demands.

Will a diner be able to order any food from either menu anywhere in the restaurant? “No, we’re not doing that,” Norman said, definitively. Downstairs, the menu is R. Norman’s, upstairs it’s Seven’s. “Logistically, if servers worked between floors and (the kitchens) timing the meals, that would only allow us the opportunity to fail.”

Late night, the Seven space transforms into a formal lounge and nightclub, and a second lounge area with a third bar can be opened if the numbers require it.

The late-night atmosphere will be decidedly “more adult,” Norman said. Music will range from smooth jazz and R&B to other popular music from the ’70s through the ’90s. “There’s nothing wrong with the (young) hip-hop crowd,” he said. “But there are older people who, by default, go to those clubs because that’s all that’s there.”

Norman and Koch will use exposure they’ve gained the last few years with Bellanotte to deliver an experience that’s an event in itself. “We are definitely a society that can absorb a lot of visuals,” Norman said. “We’re accustomed to being over-stimulated, and when it’s not there, we sometimes feel like nothing is happening.” With two serious restaurants and a late-night club all in one place, it’s designed to be “one-stop shopping,” for an evening out, he added.

The space had to be versatile to draw business from multiple revenue streams. The team took care to make the space “user friendly for the central business district,” Koch said. We have the ability to hold corporate events, both within the theater and our space. The space is nicely located between the Radisson and Mariott hotels, and others downtown. With Hennepin being the thoroughfare, it just made logistical sense to us.”