If you’re a true farmers market stan, you’ve likely encountered Diane Moukouri and Fritz Ebanda’s B’beri Desserts, an ever-reliable pastry spot for sugar-crusted kouign amann, airy brioche, and croissants laminated so meticulously that they swirl and arch like golden snail shells. (B’beri Desserts also runs a location at the Alliance Française in the North Loop, where they offer Ebanda’s classical French desserts; chocolate tarts, lemon meringue choux, and opera cakes.) This spring, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board selected Moukouri and Ebanda to open a new restaurant in the Water Works Pavilion overlooking the Mississippi River, which Owamni is set to vacate at the end of April. Arch and River, in their words, will be a French bistro with thoughtful Afro-Caribbean influences threaded throughout the menu.
Moukouri and Ebanda are high school sweethearts—they grew up in the same neighborhood in Cameroon and later went on to marry, work in various pastry and bakery roles from Sierra Leone to France to Montreal, have two children, and settle in Minneapolis, where they launched B’beri Desserts. Moukouri said that she and Ebanda had been looking to expand their business when the Water Works Pavilion opportunity landed in their lap. “The vision that we have for the restaurant is to have that upscale kind of atmosphere, but with a nice vibe, right?” she says. “We want fresh food. Even in our upbringing, we always cooked our food, it was never processed. We want food with plenty of colors.” Ebanda will serve as executive chef while she manages restaurant operations.
I always ask chefs (for the story as much as my own purposes) which dishes from the menu they’re most excited to serve; that best capture the spirit of the restaurant. Moukouri reports: filet mignon with roasted foie gras and gratin dauphinois (think cheesy potatoes but French—razor-thin sliced and baked in cream and garlic); a savory mille-feuille of eggplant and butternut squash served in a tomato-basil jus with a potato pavé on the side; a savory tart of leeks confit and blue cheese.
Desserts, of course, are far from an afterthought for Ebanda and Moukouri. “This is our field,” Moukouri says. “I really don’t think that you can have a beautiful menu without beautiful desserts.” She points to Ebanda’s mille-feuille, layered generously with a vanilla bourbon cream and a ginger confit (“We want to add that little Afro-Caribbean twist,” she says); crêpes Suzette (served in a caramelized orange sauce); classic chocolate profiteroles. She and Ebanda also plan to have a dessert bar within Arch and River, where guests can slip in for a lunchtime treat or a sweet bite to end their evening out. They’ll also offer an afternoon tea service. Their opening timeline isn’t set, though they’re starting to hire soon. 425 W. River Pkwy., Mpls.
Dining and Cooking