Seven’s New Era Will Focus on the Food

Downtown Minneapolis’ multi-level clubby eatery Seven Sushi Steak Ultralounge and Skybar is heading into a new food-focused era with a proper steakhouse menu, courtesy of chef Sameh Wadi, the former owner of Saffron in the kitchen.

This doesn’t mean the return of that beloved Middle Eastern cuisine by way of beef. Instead, expect a proper Midwestern steakhouse along with the gorgeous setting Seven is known for. It’s all part of a major overhaul for the 28,000 square food, multi-level downtown Minneapolis restaurant that’s under new ownership.

Seven was sold in December after the embattled owner was accused of allegedly operating the restaurant as his own personal piggybank (among other things.) According to Stephanie March of Mpls./St. Paul Magazine, the restaurant was purchased by real estate men Ken Sherman and Ro Shirole. Sherman happened to be the landlord to the beloved Saffron restaurant. It was he who first leased the restaurant space to then 23-year-old chef and co-owner Sameh Wadi.

Matty Lien/Photo courtesy of Sameh Wadi

Wadi will rework the steakhouse menu, reaching back to his early days as a chef. Wadi told Mpls./St. Paul Magazine that his first cooking job was at a steakhouse and he’s looking forward to bringing back that classic cuisine. The reworking of all the menus, including the skybar and sushi selections will happen incrementally.

Seven

Wadi also owns the wildly popular World Street Kitchen restaurant and food truck, plus the Instagram-magnet ice cream shop Milkjam. He’s a six-time James Beard Award semifinalist, cookbook author and the youngest chef ever to compete (against Morimoto, no less) on Iron Chef. As he embarks on this ambitious project, he will continue to balance his time between his other restaurants and this new project.

• Sameh Wadi's Next Move [MSPMag]
• Seven Steakhouse and Sushi Owner Accused of Bilking the Restaurant of Thousands [ETC]
• All Seven Coverage [ETC]
• All Sameh Wadi Coverage [ETC]