Tim McKee

Union: Amazing dining from the top of the town

Hennepin's newest multilevel hotspot has outstanding cocktails, thoughtful food, and a lively vibe

Charlie Awards solicits votes for favorite dish

Here's an election we can all agree on. The Charlie Awards celebrate the best in Twin Cities food. Last year the awards recognized such local restaurant successes as the D'Amicos (Lifetime Achievement), Tim McKee (Outstanding Chef), and Piccolo (Outstanding Restaurant). For its second ... More >>

Top 10 craft cocktail bars in the Twin Cities

There's never been a better time to be a drinker. It's become almost mandatory for every new restaurant of a certain price point to employ a master mixologist behind the bar. These days you can't swing a shaker without smacking over a few bottles of handmade bitters. While the craft cocktail movemen ... More >>

Minnesota Zoo Farmers Market features Fish Smart chefs

One of the newest farmers markets to pop up in the Cities is the one found in the Apple Valley parking lot outside the Minnesota Zoo. We stopped by to have a peek and a taste of the goodies available. We found the usual, beautiful Minnesota bounty, but then we spotted something unexpected.

Masu Sushi and Robata makes list of best new American sushi restaurants

Just a month after being awarded Best Sushi in City Pages' Best of the Twin Cities issue, Tim McKee and Katsuyuki Yamamoto's Masu Sushi and Robata in northeast Minneapolis got a much grander shout-out when it made the list of Bon Appetit's 10 Best New Sushi Restaurants in America. Bon ... More >>

Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque on 'funniest episode ever' of 'Diners, Drive-ins and Dives'

Last December, the temperamental host of the Food Network's Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Guy Fieri, and his crew rolled through Minnesota filming new episodes of their show. One of their stops was Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque and Pirate Bar in Stillwater. That episode will be airing for the first ti ... More >>

Cake Walk was a sweet success

​What began as a simple cake walk soon transformed into a sort of sweet vision quest for WCCO newsman Jason DeRusha. "I just don't know how I'm going to get this thing home," he remarked as the cake he'd won from event organizer and James Beard Award-nominated pastry chef Michelle Gayer loomed beh ... More >>

Fish Smart sponsors seafood "throwdown" at Kitchen in the Market

​The competition was fierce and the seafood sustainable at Monday night's Seafood Throwdown, which pitted the top two seafood chefs in town for a battle royale of the bivalves. Chef Robert Wohfeil of Oceanaire and chef Jamie Malone of Sea Change went head to head with a basket full of secret ingre ... More >>

James Beard Award finalists include Twin Cities names - Updated

​The James Beard award semifinalist list was announced today, and on the list were some familiar names. The awards were established in 1990 and named for chef, food writer, and celebrated lover of life, James Beard. The awards are the highest honor available to food professionals. Part of why the ... More >>

Author Gabrielle Hamilton and the Surly Mild release this week in food

January ends with a Week in Food that begins at the library and ends in a steaming pot of homemade chili. Sounds about right to us.

Top 10 macaroni & cheese dishes in the Twin Cities

​If ever there was a loaded dish, it is this. A dish full of fat, cream, cheese, and nostalgia, and so hearty it can redeem the saddest, most downtrodden day. When eaters speak of comfort food, so often they speak of macaroni and cheese.  After scouring the Twin Cities for the dishes, armed w ... More >>

Bar La Grassa has Italian galore for under $12

To kick off 2012, we're highlighting 12 of the best dishes under $12 in the Twin Cities. Scroll down to view the complete list. It's big. It's boisterous. It's a little bit of Manhattan's Mulberry Street brought to the Midwest. Welcome to Nancy St. Pierre and Isaac Becker's Bar La Grassa. "Bar L ... More >>

Il Gatto: CLOSED

The kitty is no more​Il Gatto, the Parasole-owned restaurant anchor in Calhoun Square at the corner of Lake Street and Hennepin Avenue, served its last diner Saturday night.The restaurant had struggled to find it's footing after the parent company had transformed it about two years ago from its pr ... More >>

Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque: Happy hour of the week

True. Time flies when you're having rum.​Smalley's Caribbean Barbeque423 Main Street, Stillwater651.439.5375websiteHours: Monday-Friday, 3 p.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9 p.m.-midnightFriday and Saturday, 10 p.m.-midnightSunday, all daySpecials: $4-$13 food menu50-cent wings$3 domestic bo ... More >>

Il Gatto: happy hour of the week

http://www.facebook.com/#!/ilgattominneapolisIl Gatto: an upscale urban happy hour ​Has enough time finally passed that we can mention Il Gatto without referring to it as the restaurant that replaced Figlio? It certainly has its own identity by now, under the firm direction of local rainmaker and ... More >>

50 tasty reasons to love Minnesota food

Photo: Steve Neuharth, Michelle LeonReason No. 11: Chefs like Doug Flicker at Piccolo create food that doesn't just impress--it inspires. ​When Anthony Bourdain last year told his TV audience on No Reservations that his experience at Doug Flicker's south Minneapolis restaurant Piccolo was "far ... More >>

Top 5 restaurants near the Guthrie for dinner before a show

Meet Minneaplis / Flickr​If you're headed to a show at the Guthrie this summer, why not start the evening with a pre-theater meal downtown? That way, you can park early, enjoy a relaxing dinner, and ensure that your stomach won't start rumbling somewhere in the middle of the second act. While ... More >>

Isaac Becker of 112 Eatery and La Grassa wins Best Chef Midwest

Isaac Becker with wife/business partner Nancy St. Pierre.​Isaac Becker, chef and owner of 112 Eatery and Bar La Grassa, took home the title of Best Chef Midwest at the James Beard Awards last night in New York City. After the Beard Awards did some geographic redistricting (Chicago moved to t ... More >>

Festa Mangalitsa at Il Gatto serves the pig, from snout to tail

Loved for its lard​Parasole calls the Mangalitsa "the fattest pig breed in production," which is a fine reason to have chefs Tim McKee and Jim Christiansen hold a Festa Mangalitsa at Il Gatto on May 17 at 7 p.m. It's an evening unsuitable for those who get timid at the thought of some unusual part ... More >>

Mike DeCamp of La Belle Vie: Chef Chat, part 1

Young Chef Mike DeCamp at La Belle Vie​Long after formal fine dining was declared dead, Minneapolis's La Belle Vie continues to garner awards and recognition as the classiest restaurant in town. At the helm of the kitchen is soft-spoken, facial-hair-festooned tastemaker Mike DeCamp.  Sending ... More >>

Saffron's Sameh Wadi: Chef Chat, Part 2

photo by Mike Feltault​When Sameh Wadi's classmates were betting on him to drop out of culinary school, they probably never thought that one day they'd see him on the Food Network battling celebrity chef Masaharu Morimoto on Iron Chef America, in an episode that aired early last year. Wadi was ... More >>

Letter of the Day: Solera's Reboot

Change: It's hard, people!​Today's Letter of the Day comes in response to last week's blog post, Solera reopens: Ben Graves gives details on the new menu and decor:

James Beard Awards finalists announced

​The field has further narrowed, and we have two Twin Cities chefs among the final contenders for the James Beard Awards' Best Chef Midwest. Drumroll, please........:

Cocina del Barrio opens in Edina

A bigger, badder Barrio?

Food & Wine nominates four locals for People's Best New Chef

Nominee Erik Anderson working his kitchen magic. ​Since 1998, the editors of Food & Wine magazine have selected 10 up-and-comers in the restaurant world to honor on its cover each July--Stewart Woodman, Tim McKee, and Seth Bixby Daugherty among them. This year, the magazine is expanding its ... More >>

JP Samuelson's Sopranos: Website up, now hiring front-of-house positions

SopranosDo you want to work for JP Samuelson's newest restaurant?​It looks like JP Samuelson's upcoming restaurant Sopranos Italian Kitchen is coming along. Samuelson tweeted last week, "menu is almost done, hope to b open by late march website is up, heres the link www.sopranosmn.com to get o ... More >>

Chino Latino's Tuan Nguyen: Chef Chat, part 3 [RECIPE]

Lisa GulyaChino Latino's executive chef Tuan Nguyen tells the secret to his baby back ribs​Chino Latino's executive chef, Tuan Nguyen, is an award-winning chef. Outside work, he is also a typical Minnesota guy and dad: While Nguyen is passionate about "pushing the envelope" with Chino Latino's ... More >>

Most anticipated restaurant openings of 2011

​Based on reader response, Shakey's may be the average City Pages reader's most highly anticipated restaurant opening this year. (This April in Plymouth, everybody!) Here are five other soon-to-open eateries that the Hot Dish is especially excited about.

Best Holidazzle dining on Nicollet Mall

Holidazzle: an excuse to eat Scotch eggs!​The [insert name of current corporate sponsor here] Holidazzle parade is a local tradition that everybody gets dragged to at one time or another. And unless you snag one of the coveted skyway spots, you're going to be standing out in the cold or sittin ... More >>

James Beard Awards accepting nominations

Beard gets out the vote!​Minneapolis is coming off a 2-year winning streak at the James Beard Awards, with Tim McKee and Alex Roberts taking home the Best Chef Midwest title in 2009 and 2010, respectively. If you'd like to nominate someone deserving of that award or another (best new restaur ... More >>

Top 5 restaurants for foodies

Four TC restaurants made the Fit for Foodies list. ​I'm often disappointed when national magazines and whatnot make their picks for the best this-and-that in various cities across the country without doing very thorough--if any--on-the-ground research. But I recently found myself impressed b ... More >>

Smack Shack sells high-class street food till late

Michelle BruchThe Smack Shack opens for lunch and doesn't close until at least 10 p.m.​Ever heard of a lobster smack? It's a one-man sailboat used in the Northeast during the 1800s for commercial lobster fishing, explains Josh Thoma, the chef/restaurateur who, with Tim McKee, brought us La Belle ... More >>

Derik Moran of Nick and Eddie: Chef Chat, part 1

photos by Michelle LeonHis goal: to make good food accessible to all. ​At 24 years old--a time when most of us are/were still getting lost and found--Derik Moran is celebrating his 14th year in the kitchen. Starting at the age of 11 at a small resort in Wisconsin, he moved into fine dining at the ... More >>

Twin Cities Thinkers

Meet the Minnesotans shaping our future

Alex Roberts named Best Chef Midwest at James Beard Awards

​For the second year in a row, a Minnesota chef has been named Best Chef Midwest at the James Beard Awards, as Alex Roberts of Restaurant Alma and Brasa took home the honors at last night's ceremony in New York. Past winners aren't eligible to compete, so 2009's winner, Tim McKee of La Belle V ... More >>

Bradstreet, Solera, and more: Happy hours for grownups

Drink like an adult on a college kid's budget

Sea Change's Erik Anderson takes our questions

Sea Change's head chef has known his way around a kitchen since he was a wee suburban tot.

New Guthrie restaurant names chef...

We couldn't be more excited! Drumroll, please...

James Beard Awards semi-finalists announced

Lots of local contenders named for the prestigious national restaurant awards! Drummroll please...

Barrio II in the works for St. Paul

Readers respond to "Strike Anywhere"

Barrio treats tequila with wine-style reverence

Terrific new bar adds brighter possibility to everyone's tequila story

James Beard Awards Redux

Terrific new bar adds brighter possibility to everyone's tequila story

Complicated Dining

Saffron, the most buzzed-about Middle Eastern restaurant in the history of Minnesota, offers unique pleasures if you know how to order

Salt: A Battery

Great chefs know it: Quality salt adds taste and texture

A Very Big Year

2003: The year everything got Big, in both ambition and execution, but pandering lurked darkly in the background

Best of the Twin Cities: The Winners

2003: The year everything got Big, in both ambition and execution, but pandering lurked darkly in the background

What's Good for the Goose

Tasting menus near and far, or what I did on my Winter vacation

Best of the Twin Cities: The Winners

Tasting menus near and far, or what I did on my Winter vacation

The Best of the Twin Cities: The Winners

Tasting menus near and far, or what I did on my Winter vacation