date: 5/31/11
location: minneapolis
grade: a- (group grade)

restaurant club liked this version of heidi's (except maybe the kinda garish salmon-colored lighting fixtures that looked badly spray-painted) overall quite a bit more than the last heidi's, though i still liked it less than the others, i think. and i feel like i should like it more than i do. but since they run heavily towards dishes i can't and don't eat, i don't get a very good overall picture of the menu. plus for me the service was odd in places (hello, bad restaurant karma...).

everyone went for multiple plates from the hors d’oeuvres and appetizers part of the menu, a few got main courses, i went with a few sides, too. and we all had multiple slices of the turtle bread (the cranberry... something.... was especially good) with fresh whipped, salted butter.

though the molecular gastronomy was something i enjoyed more on this outing- last time i though the celery foam was foamed for just foam's sake and it didn't add to the dish. but the eggless benedict ('bennie') with huitlacoche ($4) was an amusing take on the subject the creamy 'egg' part was encapsulated with whatever they used in their spherification process, in a tofu-based 'hollandaise', and it was served on a wee bit of rye bread. if it's the same version as they had on the previous menu (today was the first day of a new one), the egg is based on hominy for the white bits and polenta for the 'yolk,' which tasted like it had a bit of dijon in it someplace, a la deviled egg. the savory huitlacoche was a dusting on top. that was worth the price of admission.

foie gras torchon with hibiscus jelly and lentil vinagrette and microgreens with three half slices of brioche (turtle bread) ($17*) looks to be an updated of a dish that i had at the original heidi's, but this one worked better. i liked the foie with the jelly on the brioche (could've used the other half-slice, though, where did it go?) but i wasn't feeling the bitter, indian-spiced vinagrette with the foie, though it was decent the microgreens.

i've had the black truffle pappardelle ($9) before and forgot how small the serving was. still good and very rich, but i may have traded a few slices of the truffle for a few more noodles. it went well with what was (strangely?) the dish i enjoyed the most, the spinach gratin ($5), it was rich without being overpowering and garlicky without being bad-breath inducing, and was very very fresh and not at all bitter. i was very fond of it, and unlike the pappardelle, it seemed a very good price point for that.

i wasn't the only one who thought some of the price points where high for what you got. though the people that tried the shrimp a la nage ('shrimp and noodles in coconut broth with house special spicy sauce' ) did look like they were swimming when the broth was poured over them, the shrimp were the wee little kind where you can purchase 120 of them for around $8. and the dish had way fewer than that. they quite liked it, but felt underwhelming at $9. especially when the soup that people liked better, a creamy asparagus with a decent amount of crab, was $8.

but other than that and a couple hors d’oeuvres- an oyster ($5) that had way too many toppings to come through as registering 'oyster' in flavor (and therefore seemed a bit spendy) and a bacon scallop ($3) that was more liquid than what was expected), everyone was loving the food.

the 'pickled beef tongue with roasted shiitake salad with spicy mustard and soy' $2) was called 'awesome,' as was the oxtail lasagna ($18 i think), which is now someone's new favorite dish. the ranch salad ($8) with pickled and truffled dwarf peaches (best to know about that in advance if you're expected peach flavor) in a green peppercorn crème fraîche dressing was not like any other ranch salad anywhere.

the TWIN kie ($9) with foie did taste like what you'd think a twinkie with foie would be, but was in the form of a steam bun. the salmon, lettuce and tomato ($18) was a very good spring dish. and the lamb shank ($20) 'anise scented lamb shank with cardamom scented jasmine rice and arugula sauce' was handled even better than the last time- they used sesame oil to tie the two parts of the dish together, which the person who ordered it thought interesting and unusual in a very good way. the 'shefzilla surprise' of the day ($13) was saddle of rabbit and napa cabbage i believe (there may have been something else involved and also another kind of rabbit). a solid dish.

in general, people were quite happy with many dishes, and thought the sauces were especially great (though i still like don's better). they liked the new space (other than the light fixtures, which annoyed someone so much they gave the place an a- instead of an a just based on that). i give a big 'thumbs up' to the variations on 'tree' in the decor, especially the one in the bathroom, which was really really nice... one of the nicer ones in town... though a purse hook and better 'makeup' lighting would improve it even more. loved that.

though i will say the service was... kind of odd. the server knew the menu, but besides muffing the price of that, they also overcharged for a drink (that wasn't spotted until someone got home) and was snarky in spots (saying something along the lines of 'well, FINE' is really not the most gracious of things to say when one person out of a large group decides to opt out of having alcohol). so i'd like to not have that server again. let's get to the asterick...

* = when i asked what the market price of this dish was, i was told $13. when deciding between this and the TWIN kie, someone said... go for the torchon, it's only a few dollars more. i was surprised when the bill came and it was $17. then it got weirder. instead of giving me $4 off or saying, nope, sorry, you have to pay the $17, i paid the $17 but then they gave me a $20 gift certificate to come back... but they didn't bring it with the bill again or to the table, i had to chase down the manager to get it, which was... odd.

this whole thing was handled in a manner which made me uncomfortable for sure, i left thinking that maybe i didn't quite wish to use my gift certificate at all, not for a good long while.