DULUTH —The Lincoln Park Craft District welcomed its newest restaurant with the opening of
on Wednesday.
Owner and Chef Nevi Mariadi said she looks forward to sharing her heritage by introducing authentic Indonesian fare to the Northland.
“I am very grateful and I am very blessed to have such a community that’s supporting us from the beginning,” Mariadi said. “I couldn’t believe how much feedback I got from my two soft openings over the weekend. I never expected to be this warmly welcomed from Duluth.”
Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram
Bali Asian Cuisine is located at 1931 W. Superior St., next to
The Spice and Tea Exchange
. The building is owned by Toby Steiger, who operated JS Print Group there until the shop relocated to 500 E. 10th St.
The full-service restaurant has enough seating for 85 people, with six tables for seasonal outdoor seating and street parking. It isn’t currently offering delivery, takeout or reservations.
The former print shop was gutted and the building brought back to life, Mariadi said. The old floor joist was repurposed to wrap around the steel posts and frame the windows. The tables and host stand were crafted from the bowling lane wood rescued from the
now-demolished Country Lanes North
.
Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram
“We actually didn’t hire any help on finishing. My boyfriend, Kelly Reinarz, I think he deserves all the credit to make the area really beautiful. He has come up with brilliant ideas repurposing what we have from this building. It still has its own character,” Mariadi said.
Originally from Indonesia, Mariadi and her father immigrated to Colorado in 1999 for work and better opportunities. Once they were settled, her mother and four siblings followed.
“When I came to the States, I was 18 years old. I had finished my high school and I didn’t want to go continue my studies. I wanted the adventure. I wanted to see what’s America, and I was excited,” Mariadi said.
In 2014, Mariadi opened K’Gen Asian Cuisine, a Chinese-American restaurant in Basalt, Colorado. Since relocating to Duluth with her partner, Mariadi’s former business is now owned and operated by her sister with the help of their parents.
Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram
According to Mariadi, food is her family’s “love language.” They all traveled to Duluth from Colorado to help with the opening.
Differing from the United States’ “quick and simple” food culture, Mariadi said Indonesian cuisine requires more time and work to prepare.
“For instance, we have a corn peeler, and we purchase corn on the cob. We clean them. Then, we shred the corn. We blend it, add spice to it, and then we fry them. So that takes time to do it,” Maraidi said. “Indonesian cuisine is more spices. Not peppers, but spices like turmeric, cardamom, ginger, lemongrass, coriander. So we use a lot of spices.”
Jed Carlson / Superior Telegram
Some must-try menu items include the beef or chicken sates, she said. The meat is grilled on a skewer, and served with dipping sauce, a side of rice and fresh acar (a pickled cucumber carrot salad).
“We marinate our meat overnight, and we also have stew that we simmer at a low heat for a while. Our food is a lot of preparation,” Maraidi said.
She recommends the Bumbu Bali, a beef stew made with a pesto pepper base, shallots, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. “It’s really sweet, but it has a spice to it —and savory. It’s really delicious,” Maraidi said.
