Honorees at the sixth annual Charlie Awards were announced Sunday afternoon at the Pantages Theatre in Minneapolis. The awards celebrate excellence in the Twin Cities' food and drink scene.
Big winners at the Charlie Awards are Joan's in the Park, chef J.D. Fratzke, Lynne Rossetto Kasper
Top honors at the sixth annual celebration go to Joan's in the Park, chef J.D. Fratzke of the Strip Club and public radio's Lynne Rossetto Kasper.
November 14, 2016 at 11:27AM
Five-year-old Joan's in the Park (631 Snelling Av. S., St. Paul, 651-690-3297, joansinthepark.com) was named Outstanding Restaurant.
Outstanding Chef honors went to J.D. Fratzke of the Strip Club Meat & Fish (378 Maria Av., St. Paul, 651-793-6247, domeats.com) and Saint Dinette (261 E. 5th St., St. Paul, 651-800-1415, saintdinette.com).
Nathaniel Smith of Spoon and Stable (211 N. 1st St., Mpls., 612-224-9850, spoonandstable.com) was handed the Outstanding Bartender award.
The year's Lifetime Achievement accolades went to Lynne Rossetto Kasper, host of American Public Media's "The Splendid Table." The 21-year-old show is recorded in the downtown St. Paul studios of Minnesota Public Radio and airs on more than 400 public radio stations nationwide.
The Emerging Food Professional Award — for professionals working for no more than five years — went to Eddie Wu of Cook St. Paul (1124 Payne Av., St. Paul, 651-756-1787, cookstp.com). The Community Hero award was given to Fernando Silva of Harriet Brasserie (2724 W. 43rd St., Mpls., 612-354-2197, lakeharrietbrasserie.com) for his bone marrow donation.
Patisserie 46 (4552 Grand Av. S., Mpls., 612-354-3257, patisserie46.com) was named Outstanding Bakery and MidNord Empanada Truck (midnord.com) was named Outstanding Food Truck.
Town Hall Brewery (1430 Washington Av. S., Mpls., 612-339-8696, townhallbrewery.com) won Outstanding Brewery honors, and Tattersall Distilling (1620 Central Av. NE., Mpls., 612-584-4152, tattersalldistilling.com) was named Outstanding Distillery.
Winners in most categories are selected from a voting pool of past Charlie Awards honorees.
The Charlies are organized by Ivey Awards founder Scott Mayer and longtime Twin Cities food advocate Sue Zelickson. They're named for Charlie's Cafe Exceptionale, the downtown Minneapolis restaurant that closed on July 21, 1982, after a 49-year run.
Rick Nelson • 612-673-4757
@RickNelsonStrib
Lefse-wrapped Swedish wontons, a soothing bowl of rice porridge and a gravy-laden commercial filled our week with comfort and warmth.
