No longer the stunted stepchild

Finally, the Minneapolis Park Board has taken steps toward bringing  Lake Nokomis' concessions in line with the rest of the city's lakes. Today's Star Tribune reports that the dilapidated former popcorn stand will be raised, rebuilt and leased to Doug Flicker, chef and co-owner of Piccolo restaurant. Flicker says he plans to open a 25-seat restaurant on the site called Sandcastle (cute name).

This is the second summer for Lake Harriet's stellar Bread and Pickle, and the third or fourth year since Sea Salt and the Tin Fish brought real food to Minnehaha Falls and the shores of Lake Calhoun. While I was originally skeptical of privatizing the lakes' concessions, the local, artisan and organic-leaning venues have exceeded everybody's expectations. (Actually, the lines are so long at Sea Salt and Tin Fish some days, it seems their popularity has vastly exceeded their capacity, as well.) But, those of us who call  Nokomis our neighborhood lake have been feeling left out of the foodie movement and a tad invisible to the city's decision-makers. The North Beach at Nokomis is often jam packed in the evening with picnicking families, many of them Latino, but has long lacked the amenities of the city's tonier lakes across the freeway. This new development will help to make this a neighborhood gathering spot, even for those who don't swim.
Now, if we could just address the bathroom issue...more on that later.

Happy trails.