Piccolo to Close, Tenant to Open in its Space

piccolo-sign-exteriorPiccolo, a tiny, high-flying restaurant known for its impeccable small plates, will be closing Mar. 11, 2017. Chef Doug Flicker will continue to operate Sandcastle and the soon-to-open Esker Grove at the Walker Art Center; Piccolo’s space will become Tenant, a new restaurant that will be opened by two of Flicker’s current crew.

We visited Piccolo to look at their family meal vis-a-vis the book Come In, We’re Closed a few years back.

The press release in full:

We are announcing that Piccolo will close on Saturday, March 11th, 2017. 

Opening in January of 2010 Chef Doug Flicker opened Piccolo with James Andrus, who later moved on to other ventures. Our first year, the restaurant was on the “Heartland” episode of Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations. Bourdain called his meal at Piccolo the “…most inspired and inspiring meal” across the U.S. Chef Doug Flicker also received multiple James Beard award nominations and much support and recognition from his beloved city where he began working over thirty years ago.

Two of Chef Doug Flicker’s current staff, Chef de Cuisine Cameron Cecchini and Cook Grisha Hammes, will be revamping the space to open Tenant Restaurant in spring 2017. They are amazingly skilled and will be a great boon to the food community.

A special note from Doug Flicker, Chef/Owner:

It is with a full heart that I would like to announce the closing of my restaurant. Piccolo has been the realization of a dream that allowed me to cook with my heart for the last 7 years. Simply put, times change and so have we. Amy and I are working on new projects and we look forward to sharing them with you as they finalize. In the mean time, I do hope to see you at Sandcastle on Lake Nokomis in the summers and Esker Grove at the Walker Art Center.

Piccolo would never have been the success it was without the endless work of an amazing group of talented individuals, the love and partnership of my wife Amy as well as my original business partner Jim Andrus and you the dining public. I truly appreciate the time we had together at Piccolo.  

Thank you,

Doug Flicker