When the rumors start flying in March, be Johnny on the spot with the correct information. The lights aren’t off because of closure, failure, or associated bad things, it’s simply—well, of course nothing’s simple, is it?
When I first called Doug Flicker, chef and owner of Piccolo—called by Anthony Bourdain the best meal in the Midwest—it was to chase down rumors that he was taking over the space directly to the south to open a wine bar. “No,” he told me. “I’d love to know how these rumors get started.”
In fact, he told me, they are buying the building to the south, where they currently rent office space, and they will be shutting down for construction to join the two spaces for about ten days in March, but that’s solely to tile the dishroom, a complicated endeavor involving the installation of subflooring, electrical work, and whatever else tiling a dishroom involves. He expects that when that project is underway they’ll kick the tires and see what’s inside the walls and whatnot of the new space, and so arrive at some estimates for what further work will cost, “but as far as a wine bar or anything else, it’s nothing but a sparkle in our eyes, if that.”
So now you know! You are hereby deputized in the name of this blog to go forth and dispel all Piccolo closing rumors. And if you want to be able to tell your friends that you ate at Piccolo before the dishroom was retiled, make your reservations now!
Piccolo Restaurant
4300 Bryant Ave. S., Mpls.
612-827-8111
piccolompls.com
