Monday night I had the pleasure of showing off my amazing town and its progressive dining scene to a couple of travel, foodie and photographer bloggers, Anita’s Feast and her husband Tom from Switzerland. I had met Anita last year at BlogHer in New York and we have kept in touch via social media ever since. Little did I know, her husband and travel photographer Tom Fakler is originally from Minnesota and had recently spent a few months in Nepal on a photography trip volunteering for an NGO. When I heard they were coming to Minneapolis to visit family, we scheduled a date to meet for coffee to catch up. We had so much to talk about that meeting for dinner was inevitable.
Since Anita is a travel and food blogger I had to pick somewhere wonderful to show off our town and it’s amazingly diverse dining scene. Piccolo, a small eclectic restaurant nearby my home was the first place that came to mind.
Piccolo opened about three and a half years ago by prominent local chef Doug Flicker who has risen to fame through the Minneapolis culinary scene cooking at a variety of prominent restaurants. It’s name, Piccolo, is quite suited for the restaurant and the way you experience it. Piccolo is a small, quaint venue featuring small plate-sized servings of some of the most eclectic, beautifully presented and delicious food I’ve ever eaten in Minneapolis. Better yet, Piccolo is only a short walk from my house in Southwest Minneapolis.
The best way to experience Piccolo is by ordering from their five course tasting. For a set fee, you can order one of the three fascinating choices from each course. The menu is locally inspired and changes with the seasons. With three people, you can pretty much try the entire menu of 15 selections. For someone who adores food and dining out, eating at Piccolo is a wonderful experience.
Here are the five courses I experienced at Piccolo. Each course is a work of art in presentation and taste. Although the plates are small, they are meant to be savored slowly and enjoy each and every surprising, delightful bite.
Chilled hearts of palm soup with burrata, sweet corn and sorrel.
Alaska King Crab with shaved asparagus, house made cocktail sauce and smoke.
Capon with lobster mousseline, chanterelles and potato puree.
Char Siu Duck with pea tips, poached egg, shaved asparagus and soy tapioca.
Olive oil cake with almond nougatine, white chocolate and strawberries.
If you go:
Piccolo is located at 4300 Bryant Ave South in Minneapolis. Check website for hours and menu. www.piccolompls.com
Tasting menus can be so much fun! Will definitely need to try this place sometime when I am down. The Twin Cities has such a great array of dining options.
Yes indeed Kat! Next time you come down, let me know! I would LOVE to meet you in person and have dinner!!!!
Hopefully one of these times I will be staying over AND not have a full schedule! Looking forward to it. I’ll keep in touch.
Or you can always stay with us! We have a guest room!!! 🙂
🙂
how great that you were able to spend time with your friends and showcase the restaurant! yum, it all looks delicious!
your posts are still arriving in duplicate! wordpress wants to be sure that we get your posts!
i’m now on my way home after being gone for most of june. it will be good to catch up!
z
Thanks Lisa! Yes, the duplicate post thing is driving me MAD! I’ve been working with WordPress for months now and they still can’t figure out what is going on. I’m starting to wonder if they will ever be able to fix it. It is so annoying and I really want it resolved.
Looks yummy. I know my foodie Sara would love it. Isn’t it always fun to meet up with other bloggers?! Hope you come to Ecuador one of these days!
Hugs,
Kathy
It was delightful! I love eating out! Especially ethnic food!
Oh, yes, I second what Lisa says–your posts always come in duplicate! How does one arrange that? LOL
I know….so annoying! I’ve been working with WordPress for months now and they can’t figure out why my posts sometimes come in duplicate. I’m starting to wonder if they will ever be able to fix it!
Sounds like a marvelous place and I love tasting different things.
Well, if you ever come to town, I’lll take you there! As well as other the other wonderful places in Minneapolis!
Great recap of our meal, Nicole! We enjoyed both food and conversation at Piccolo immensely, an excellent choice for our reunion. It was lovely to share the experience of the tasting menu…so many flavor memories! Best of all, though, was a chance to see you again, and visit a new-to-me Minneapolis neighborhood. Thanks so much!
Thanks Anita! I thought I had responded to this so sorry for the delay! It was wonderful to see you again and meet Tom! 🙂 The meal was delicious too. Hope you had a wonderful rest of your trip!
Great recap of our meal, Nicole! We enjoyed both conversation and the food at Piccolo immensely, an excellent choice for our reunion. The tasting menu was definitely the way to go, with so many flavor memories. Best of all, though, was seeing you again, and a chance to visit a new-to-me Minneapolis neighborhood. Thanks so much!
That looks spectacular! I also live in southwest Minneapolis. I’ll definitely try Piccolo!
Cool! So many great eats isn’t there?! Love Tulia, Pizzeria Lola and of course Broders.. the list goes on!