By Sharyn Jackson

Copyright startribune

The Cooper Burger lives on.

Kamal Mohamed, the chef and owner of Stepchld, which closed Aug. 24, announced a new beginning for the space on the corner of University and 1st Avenue NE.

With a soft opening Thursday and a grand opening Friday, the restaurant is now known as Kizzo, a nod to Mohamed’s childhood nickname. The restaurant will retain some echoes of Stepchld, but in a more casual, counter-service environment that doubles as a sports bar on big game days. The hope, he said, is to create a neighborhood-friendly space that falls somewhere in between hole-in-the-wall dives and high-end eateries.

“There’s this middle ground that consumers are looking for to say, hey, where can I go once or twice a month to just kind of hang out,” Mohamed told the Star Tribune. “At Stepchld, we had a few items really drive the brand, so I want to focus on that, and give you the certainty that we’re going to do a few things really well.”

Kizzo is open for dinner every night except Tuesday, and all day Saturday and Sunday. Seating is first-come, first-served, and details are still to come on a membership program for regulars.

Nothing on the menu will cost more than $20.

Fans of Stepchld’s global comfort food will find some familiar bites, such as the Buffalo cauliflower and the Cooper Burger with Ethiopian-spiced aioli — one of the Star Tribune’s favorite burgers in the Twin Cities.

Some new additions include a smashed salmon burger and, on weekends, a hashbrown-stuffed breakfast burrito and a rotating menu of cinnamon rolls.