You just have no idea how incredible this drink was. It is the drink I’ve been obsessing about since last summer, when my husband Todd and I had a lovely pre-anniversary dinner date at Heidi’s, in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Maybe I was tired, maybe I just needed to relax, or maybe I was thirsty. But whatever it was, this drink hit the spot. It could have been that our server muddled my second mojito table side, the smashed mint wafting in the air. Definitely, it has risen to the top of my drink experiences, right up there with drinks I’ve had at the Pegu Club and Death & Co. in New York City. This drink led me to a down right obsession in tracking down the sake this drink was made of. Sake, mint, sugar. Muddled-Happiness.
But, Heidi’s is more than just about great cocktails. Heidi’s is about the creative energy and talents of Chef Stewart Woodman, along with his wife, Heidi (thus the name of the restaurant), and partner and maitre d’, Frank Thorpe. Together they have created a charming near perfect experience nestled in a city neighborhood.
When Devon and Kristin, our fellow LoveFeast Table partners-in-crime, flew in from Maryland this weekend, we knew exactly where we would take them for a flawless and friendly ride through amazing tastes guided by “spot-on” servers with attentive personalities.
At the beginning of our order our server, Megan, offered us a “surprise” starter. Let the fun begin! We went for the Shrimp Spring Roll with a zippy cilantro sauce that woke up our palates right off the bat!!
After that we received our first courses. We are best of friends here at LoveFeast Table so we all tasted and shared our plates so that we could all experience every little surprise of color, flavor, and texture. We’re not going to share about the Duck Confit because it was quickly overshadowed by all the other dishes we tasted-if you know what I mean. And, after the seared Scottish Salmon in wasabi and puffed rice appeared, all was forgiven.
We didn’t want a single flavor of the salmon to leave our mouths, we could have lingered with them all night. But, soon our stomach’s were warmed by the Lobster Bisque with Sweet Potato Wontons.
At, this point I mentioned to Megan, that I would love a reintroduction to the killer sake from the summer. Along came our second courses beginning with a side of Black Truffle Pappardelle. It was creamy truffled heaven.
The Arctic Char was a colorful dish in a savory bacon-beet-red wine sauce. The chive-dill gnocchi were perfect. The Char-crispy heaven.
The Lamb Shank, braised tender, fell off the bone, in a slightly pasty sauce. But the cabbage it rested on was delicious and the cellophane noodles added a nice and unique texture and crunch.
Now, does this dish say fall or what? Beautiful, comforting, tender and tasty Pork Loin and lentils.
This dish, the Australian Sea Bass, in a parsley puree, with parsnips, centered in a creamy mussel foam is the Heidi’s must-have dish. Megan, highly recommended it. Todd & I, had this dish this summer. I’m sure it’s still on the menu because it is simply amazing. Kristin’s favorite part was little surprises of parsnips tucked into the parsley puree.
Yes, we were full…but there’s always room for dessert, right? The Maple Glazed Pear with ginger ice cream was lovely with a sesame snap. And, elegant and beautiful as you can see.
Another, Megan recommendation, was the mint infused Tapioca, topped with pineapple and punctuated by cherries. This was the most unique dessert, kitschy, yummy, light and flavorful, just a perfect ending!
As you can see, dinner at Heidi’s is like visiting a fine art gallery.
We had a wonderful time and would definitely recommended sharing a table at Heidi’s. There are lots of reasons why it’s one of Travel & Leisure’s 50 Best New Restaurants, for 2009.
Heidi’s is a gem of a restaurant. So is this little bottle of sake.
Heidi’s, we fell in love with you.
“And that’s the way it is” -Walter Cronkite
