Friday, February 22, 2013
James Beard award is top accolade of the foodie world.
Southwest Minneapolis is well-known as a top foodie destination in Minnesota, but who knew it might be in the running for a nationally-important food award? Earlier this week, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2013 awards, to be presented in May. Among the scores of candidates are three of Southwest Minneapolis' own—Chefs Steven Brown (Tilia) and Doug Flicker (Piccolo), and Restaurateur Kim Bartmann (Gigi's, Bread and Pickle, Barbette, Bryant-Lake Bowl, Red Stag Supper Club, Pat's Tap). Brown and Flicker will face off against 18 of their fellow Midwestern chefs for a shot at the "Best Chef: Midwest" title, while Bartmann is up against 19 peers from across the country in the "Outstanding Restaurateur" category…
Thursday, October 11, 2012
Local favorite Piccolo featured in new—and beautiful—book on what staff dine on at top-flight restaurants.
Ever wonder what the staff at uber-fancy restaurants get to eat at the start of their shifts? Now, you've got the chance to take a peak inside the dining rooms of world-famous eateries in a new cookbook called "Come in, We're Closed." Surprisingly—or perhaps not, for those who know his cooking—local chef Doug Flicker's Piccolo is featured alongside 24 legends like Mugaritz, WD-50, and Morimoto, according to CityPages. Traditionally, high-end restaurants serve a meal for their staff, prepared at the restaurant's expense, just before dinner service begins. It's a tradition that harkens back to the days of mansions filled with butlers and maids, but it's no dog's dinner that winds up on the plates of servers and dishwashers today. The Heavy …
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
East Harriet husband-and-wife team Doug Flicker and Amy Greely may likely get official nod Sept. 20
Fans of East Harriet's Piccolo restaurant may soon have a second Minneapolis joint at which to sample chef Doug Flicker's cooking. On Friday, an citizen commission advising the park board on who should hold the concession rights at a rejuvenated Lake Nokomis concession stand—you might call it Bread and Pickle 2.0—officially recommended Flicker and wife Amy Greely for the job. Flicker's proposal, called "Sandcastle," beat out pitches from Kim Bartman of Gigi's Cafe and Tilia's Steven Brown to renovate the lakeside food hutch and open a new, foodie-flavored eatery in the space. The menu is based around traditional summer fair, with a twist. For example, hot dogs can come with kimchi and a fried egg, and chocolate-dipped bananas can come …
Friday, July 6, 2012
Chef: customers weren't getting "the experience I want."
Ever since chef/owner Doug Flicker opened his acclaimed restaurant Piccolo , he's been working on perfecting the art of the small plate. A dinner there usually meant a dazzling array of delicious-sounding options. "In my mind, I created this menu and this portion size so people could do it themselves," he recently told Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl of MSP Magazine . "The idea was to step back and allow absolute freedom." Problem was, too many people seemed to be ordering smaller amounts and possibly going away hungry. Some may have been deterred by price or unaware of his standard portion sizes. Now, according to Grumdahl, Flicker is changing up his menu, and going for a $48, 5-course tasting menu. It's proving popular, too, she reports. So …
Friday, June 29, 2012
Three Southwest restaurant titans vying for a new lakeside concession stand.
What goes better with a lakeside pavilion in summer than gourmet snack food? In April of 2013, a new concession stand will open by South Minneapolis' Lake Nokomis, and Southwest Minneapolis' Kim Bartmann (Gigi's Cafe, Bread and Pickle, etc. etc.), Steven Brown (Tilia), and Doug Flicker (Piccolo) are jockeying for the spot, according to MSPMag's Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl. Proposals were due to the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board about a month ago, and the board is slated to make its final decision at a public hearing on Aug. 5. Grumdahl also posted a spreadsheet comparing the three proposals on her blog. By the looks of it, Flickr's proposal for "Sandcastle" sounds the most costly (he's offering to put $500,000 of his own money into …
Sunday, March 18, 2012
The chef behind East Harriet's Piccolo finds out tomorrow.
Tomorrow, East Harriet chef Doug Flicker will find out some big news. On Monday, the esteemed minds assembled by the James Beard Foundation will announce whether or not the creator of Piccolo will make the foundation’s shortlist of finalists for best chef in the Midwest. Flicker was named a semi-finalist earlier this year. It is his second time on the semifinalist list. While he’s hoping to make the cut, Flicker told Patch that he’s trying to stay “pretty laid back” about the award competition. “I don’t want to get ahead of myself,” he said with a quiet smile. “It’s sort of like having a friend whisper in your ear that someone you like wants to go to prom with you, but they haven’t said anything to you yet.” When he launched Piccolo two …
Locus Architecture
9:13 am on Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Congratulations to Amy & Doug, the Park Board, and the citizens of the neighborhood, for bringing interesting, sustainable food - at pretty reasonable price points - to the City's Park concessions. I'm thrilled to see the food offerings become as much of a destination as the lakes and athletic facilities they are meant to serve. Good luck to Sandcastle! more ›