Piccolo

Piccolo
4300 Bryant Avenue
Minneapolis, MN
612.827.8111

Saturday night at Piccolo, a foodie's delight.

Razor clam chowder with compressed celery, crispy sweetbreads and tapioca
I like my first course to have punch that wakes up my taste buds but they all slept through the razor clam chowder.  It was under seasoned and I can't even believe I'm saying this but I was disappointed in Piccolo.  The sweetbreads kept me from hating it.

Cauliflower terrine with golden raisins, asparagus and marcona almonds
Split vote on this dish.  I thought the dish was terrific, it had depth and the sprinkle of sea salt brought the dish to life.  My dining companion felt it needed a touch of citrus or something tart to cut the richness of the creamy terrine.

Camembert and apple tortelloni with rabbit "pancetta" spring onions and sorrel
Two thumbs up.  Biting into the al dente tortelloni with creamy camembert brought back the Piccolo I remember.  We were happy to be back on track.

Scrambled brown eggs with pickled pig's feet, truffle butter and Parmigiano
There is a reason this is their signature dish.  Riots would break out if this was taken off the menu.  There is a richness to the parmigiano and the truffle butter but the eggs are light and keep the dish from becoming too heavy.  (Side Note: They will not make this "To Go", yes I have asked.)

Monkfish and crab roulade with poached egg, asparagus and arugula
Poached egg on seafood was new to us and we weren't sure if that was a good or bad thing.  We thought the dish was decent for Piccolo, which means it is 10 times better than most food.  But it still lacked the "Wow Factor" we've come to expect.

Veal breast with tarragon, radishes, peas and bone marrow rice pudding
Holy fucking shit!!!  Bone marrow rice pudding where have you been?  I've searching for you...do know how many bad dishes I've had to taste over the years to find you?  The veal breast was so tender I could've fallen asleep on it.  The radishes and the wasabi peas gave the dish a nice little kick and crunch.  We were hitting our Piccolo stride.

Smoked Pine Ridge Farms pork jowls with boiled peanuts, ramps, Benton's ham and celery root
Piccolo cooks and seasons unusual cuts of meat like no other restaurant in town.  Then they take said meat and place it with the most unexpected combination of accompaniments... and they blow your mind.  This was another great dish.


Pine needle panna cotta with pine nut brittle and mugolio
Gas prices up?  Home values down?  Constant threat of terrorism?  Who cares, eat some pine needle panna cotta.  Guaranteed to make you forget about everything.  One of the best desserts we've ever had.  The fragrance of pine needle in a smooth and silky package with a nice crunch and saltiness of the pine nut brittle.

About halfway through writing this review I called for another reservation.  I'll keep you updated...