Two of us decided to give Heyday a try and I am really glad that I did.
Located on the southwest corner of 27th and Lyndale, the restaurant is separated into two room. The first room contains a large bar, with several tables and the rear room overlooks the open kitchen. Adorning the walls are large paintings, the triple-pig swirl was a great painting for a restaurant.
The server walked us through the menu and was spot on in his service throughout the meal, major kudos to him. We decided to order three appetizers and three entrées and share.
The first appetizer was the Chicken Liver Tart ($9), which was topped with several varieties of pickled vegetables and green tomato jam. The liver was smooth and delivered rich flavors that were beautifully complemented by the toppings. The second dish, the Lamb Tartare ($10) was delightful, delivering rich flavor without any gaminess. It was served with two thick slices of toast. The toast was sweet and a great canvas for the richness of the tartare. The third appetizer was the corn panna cotta. The panna cotta was topped with a gelee and passion fruit. The varying flavors did not work together and the textures were off-putting. When eaten by itself, the panna cotta was outstanding.
Our entrées began with my favorite dish of the night, the Grilled Durade ($14) topped with slices of avocado, et. al. The filets were perfectly prepared and the spices were perfect and when combined with the toppings created an incredibly delicious dish. Close behind as the favorite of the evening was the Black Cod ($16) served atop baby corn. The fillet was cooked to medium rare, maintaining its gelatinous structure and the corn and sauce created an unbelievable flavor combination. The biggest disappointment of the evening was the Lamb Belly ($11). Simply prepared and served with sugar snap peas the three slices of belly lacked the bold and vibrant flavors of the other dishes.
Four of the dishes were outstanding, some of the best in the area. It is interesting of the other two one was too complex, which created an issue and the other was very underdeveloped. Overall I cannot wait to return to Heyday.
Jfood Eats 