David Fhima lights up former Forum restaurant in Minneapolis

David Fhima arrived in the United States 36 years ago with a hundred dollars in his pocket, "an accent that was really heavy and bad," he said with a laugh, and a small glass jar filled with a live starter from his mother's kitchen.

"My mother's mother dough," he said. "I was freaking out on the plane that it was going to die. The guy from immigration looks at it and he said, 'What is this?' I told him, 'You make bread with it,' and he looked at it again and said, 'That's the best story I've ever heard.' "

Fhima calls that mother dough ­— a fermentation agent that he estimates has been producing breads in his family for more than a century — as "one of the best-kept secrets about our baking."

Those breads will be an integral part of the program when his Fhima's Minneapolis (40 S. 7th St., Mpls., 612-353-4792, fhimasmpls.com) opens on Sept. 28, taking over the fabled former Forum Cafeteria in the City Center complex in downtown Minneapolis.

The glorious mint green-and-mirrors interior dates to 1930 and is widely considered to be one of the country's best examples of the Art Deco movement.

"I walk in here every day and I'm in awe. I'm humbled," said Fhima. "When you say 'Minneapolis,' this space is what should come to mind."

The reason why most people don't make that link is because the historic space has a dodgy leasing history. Since upscale Goodfellow's closed in 2005 after its nine-year run, the room has been dark, with the exception of two short-lived enterprises: the Forum (2010-11) and Il Foro (2015-16). That's a track record that could be politely described as "off-putting" to potential restaurateurs. But not to Fhima.

The Forum certainly boasts a phenomenal interior, unlike any other in the Twin Cities. Preservation covenants dictate that the two-story room's walls, ceilings and intricate chandeliers not be touched. Fhima is making tweaks elsewhere, however.

A new oval-shaped bar — lined in translucent, backlit Lucite and topped in a milky quartz — is taking a prominent position up front. Booths that once awkwardly lined the dining room's center have been pushed to the room's outer edges (and can be covered, "kissing booth"-style, in sheer, silvery drapes), reserving that prime real estate for tables. The black-and-white tile floors (and, presumably, the acoustics) will be softened by green and orange Pakistani rugs.

The restaurant's three private dining rooms have been revamped, and a sidewalk cafe on 7th Street, complete with fire pits, elaborate plantings and overhead lights, is being designed to hopefully introduce a little of the interior's built-in glamour to a decidedly unglamorous streetscape.

"The idea is to preserve the space, but give it a modern feel," said Fhima. "It's stunning, but it doesn't feel old, even though it's almost 90 years old. We want you to sit down and feel like you're in a theater, because there's no better theater than this space."

Fhima has hired Patrick Atanalian, the French chef who spent the past decade at Sanctuary in Minneapolis (because the Art Deco style has its roots in Paris, it seems fitting that a pair of French chefs are taking over the Forum). Jaclyn Von (a St. Genevieve vet) will be heading up the pastry kitchen and Sean Jones (formerly of Bittercube) is managing the beverage program.

Fhima believes that this collaborative environment will make Fhima's Minneapolis stand out from his previous enterprises, where he tried to be a one-man show.

"The old David was doing too many things," he said with a laugh. "The reason that we're going to do well is because of people like Patrick, and Jaclyn, and Sean. I'm really happy to be surrounding myself with all of this talent."

Expect dishes that capture and occasionally merge the essence of both chefs' experiences and backgrounds: halibut poached in almond milk, a braised lamb shank tagine, gnocchi with a rabbit stew, an anchovies-free pissaladière, bone marrow with a chermoula finish.

"Classics with a modern twist," said Atanalian.

The plan is to open on Sept. 28, serving dinner Tuesday through Sunday. Lunch will follow, sometime around Thanksgiving.

On Sept. 23, don't miss the Neighborhood Pig Roast, sponsored by Lowry Hill Meats (1934 Hennepin Av. S., Mpls., 612-999-4200, lowryhillmeats.com) and Honey & Rye Bakehouse (4501 Excelsior Blvd., St. Louis Park, 612-844-2555, honey-and-rye.com), and held in the bakery's parking lot. Tickets ($15 adults, $10 for ages 12 and under) will be sold at the door. The festivities run from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sample the flavors of three restaurants in the Chicago-based Lettuce Entertain You restaurant empire in a single evening. At the fourth annual Taste of Lettuce Twin Cities on Sept. 20, diners can enjoy a five-course dinner — with wine and cocktail pairings — prepared by chefs from Wildfire (8521 Flying Cloud Dr., Eden Prairie, 952-914-9100, wildfirerestaurant.com), Big Bowl (three Twin Cities locations, bigbowl.com) and Twin City Grill (Mall of America, Bloomington, 952-854-0200, twincitygrillrestaurant.com). The event will be held at Wildfire and starts at 6:30 p.m. Cost is $65 per person; reservations at 952-914-9100.

Apoy (4301 Nicollet Av. S., Mpls., apoympls.com) is now serving Filipino fare at dinner, daily.

In Bloom (928 W. 7th St., St. Paul, inbloomstp.com) was scheduled to open on Sept. 21, but Hurricane Florence has delayed the shipment of furniture. No new date has been announced.

Sorry to report that the last day for the south Minneapolis outpost of Colossal Cafe (2403 E. 38th St.) is Sept. 30. Dragon City Cafe (4301 E. Lake St., Mpls.), a longtime source for classic chow mein, has quietly called it quits. And Bonicelli Kitchen (1839 Central Av. NE., Mpls.) is no longer open.