Editor’s Notebook: D-Spot to Offer Gourmet Twist on Concession Stand Food at Tanner’s Lake Beach

With talk of reopening the concession stand this year, you might not be surprised to find a hot dog for sale there later this summer.

But what about a hot dog made out of ostrich meat?

Local chef and D-Spot owner Darin Koch is taking over the concession stand this summer, Oakdale Recreation Superintendent Julie Williams confirmed, and he’s got big plans for the space.

Known for offering more than 200 different varieties of chicken wings at his Century Avenue restaurant (with about 85 on the menu at any given time), Koch said he’s working on creating 60 varieties of hot dogs made with meat that he butchers and grinds in house.

“I want people to be really happy with what they get, just gorgeous gourmet dogs,” he said.

Gourmet desserts like cheesecake and crème brulee will also be on the menu, he said. He plans to staff the stand daily and hopes to open by June, he said.

He said he’s more interested in helping the city keep its restroom building open than making a profit, and he plans to donate profits back to the city for park improvements.

“This is definitely not the field to be greedy,” he said, “I cook for passion.”

Koch, who spent about 20 years in fine dining, opened the D-Spot (the “D” stands for delicious) about 10 months ago in a Maplewood strip mall at Century and Minnehaha avenues.

Koch said he heard the city was looking for a concession stand operator from a staff member at , where his daughter attends, and the idea appealed to him.

“So many people are opening up food trucks," he said, "and people just completely overlook a city-owned park."

After cutting lifeguards at Tanner's Lake Beach last summer, the city had to because there wasn't anyone to monitor it. This year, staff sought out a concession stand operator, offering the .