From matzo ball wonton soup to a Denver-meets-Japan omelet, Mimi’s Chūka Diner opens in Somerville later this year with a mix of chūka (Japanese-Chinese cuisine) and American diner fare. Announced back in March, it’s the first permanent location for a nearly five-year-old Best of Boston pop-up. Now, founders Ted Woo and Jon Awerman are nearing the finish line at the former Tasting Counter space inside of Aeronaut Brewing. A few tweaks to the menu, a couple of pieces of artwork to hang, and some final permitting hurdles, and it’s go time.
Mimi’s is “a combination of our culinary and cultural heritages, distilled through our experience in the industry,” says Woo, who met Awerman when they both worked at B&G Oysters a decade ago. Woo describes himself as “mostly Chinese but with a little bit of Japanese heritage,” including a mother who grew up in Kobe, Japan and uncles who had Chinese restaurants there. “My first job was washing dishes [at one of the restaurants] when I was visiting over the summer, and I had a lot of that culture imparted on me.” As for Awerman, his grandparents owned several diners in New York City.
November 13, 2024