Acclaimed chef Gavin Kaysen's 2 new restaurants to open in June

Acclaimed chef Gavin Kaysen's new restaurants in the new Four Seasons Hotel in Minneapolis will open in a few months.

Kaysen, the two-time James Beard-winning chef behind Spoon and Stable and Bellecor, will open the Mediterranean-inspired spots Mara and Socca Café in June, with reservations opening in May. 

It was announced last year that Kaysen would be developing a restaurant and cafe at the new hotel, which is also slated to open in June, but few details were released at the time. 

More details on the "destination restaurant" and street-front cafe were revealed Thursday. Here's a look:

Mara

Mara, at 245 Hennepin Ave., will be an "immersive and every-occasion" Mediterranean restaurant and bar that brings "restorative dining" to Minneapolis, a news release says. 

The menu will feature "shareable, craveable and light" cuisine of 22 countries, including southern France, Italy, Spain and Portugal, offering the "familiar and unexpected." Among the dishes: bistecca carved tableside, a communal presentation of whole branzino for sharing, homemade flatbread, and spreads that include hummus and labneh. 

“When I lived in Switzerland, I would take the train down to southern France and spend time in areas around the Mediterranean Sea,” Kaysen said in a news release. “It was there that I fell in love with the lifestyle and the cuisine."

Kaysen said he's wanted to open a restaurant with roots in the Mediterranean for years. 

Mara's dining room will offer seating for 124 people, as well as additional seating in private dining rooms and at "intimate chef's tables."

Inside Mara is The Cocktail Bar at Mara, with a menu crafted by mixologists that include seasonal drinks, classic cocktails, and non-alcoholic drinks. 

Mara will also have a "one-of-a-kind, temperature-controlled Chocolate Room," where artisans will craft confections available at the hotel. 

The restaurant's design boasts 14-foot windows and a "bright and airy design" that features a palette of reds, golds, pistachio and blues to "embody land and sea," with each space "enhanced by natural textures of warm walnut, foliage" and artwork. The Cocktail Bar gives off a "warm and elegant" vibe that "imagines Minnesota’s mill history in an Italian framework."

“At Four Seasons, we believe life is richer when we truly connect with people and the world around us, and this is just what Chef Gavin is inviting us to do at Mara and Socca,” Four Seasons Hotel Minneapolis General Manager Florian Riedel said in the release. “This destination restaurant and café capture the essence of the Mediterranean lifestyle so beautifully.

"In these sun-lit spaces with warm colors, natural wood, fragrant herbs and fresh ingredients, life will slow down. People will come together and be fed in every sense," Riedel adds.

Socca Café

Socca Café, a "contemporary, street-front cafe" on the corner of Hennepin and Washington avenues in downtown Minneapolis, will offer artisanal coffees, fresh gourmet pastries, grab-and-go fare, and "soulful dishes."

Socca, named after a gluten-free "pancake" that's a staple in Mediterranean countries, will stand as a "social anchor of generosity and hospitality" for hotel guests and those who live and work in the area. 

The design of the space, done by AvroKO, which also designed Mara, is spacious and inviting, featuring floor-to-ceiling windows, rustic accents, and pops of yellow and marigold.