Heartland in St. Paul
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Minneapolis-St. Paul and Upper Midwest Food Magazine // Feasting on the Bounty of the Upper Midwest
Minneapolis-St. Paul and Upper Midwest Food Magazine // Feasting on the Bounty of the Upper Midwest
Comments are closed.
Hello Lou Lou–nice to meetcha! Always love to see/read any of Louie’s adventures; one of my favorite things at HT.
David Witt:
You are certainly entitled to your opinion, and sorry you weren’t “wowed” as you say; but we received tremendously positive feedback from other diners who were, in fact, “wowed”. Also, you seem to be missing the point of how to compose a plate. If the protein on the plate is the most compelling item, then the chef doesn’t know how to cook. It’s the accompaniments and sauces that are the real stars. Ask any chef worth his salt, and he or she will tell you the same thing. A piece of bass dusted in seasoned flour and fried in a pan should not be more impressive than the vegetables beneath it, and I am so glad that you found that be the case. I very much appreciate the compliment. One more thing, considering that you received four courses for $65 including caviar and house cured Mangalista blackstrap ham for an average price of $16.25 a course on a night when every seat in the house was at a premium, you got an awesome deal. I’m not sure where you are used to dining since I can see by your reservation history that Valentine’s Day was the only time we have seen you, but given the cost of the ingredients, the appointments in the room and the labor involved to produce those meals I challenge anyone to deliver a better value. Hope to see you again soon.
Lenny Russo
Heartland
Before anyone jumps on Lenny for attacking the reviewer, take note that that’s about as conciliatory a response as you’ll ever get from a New Yorker.
^^ I actually thought that was sorta polite :) (But I’m biased, since LR was nearly-obsessed in helping me find the ingredients used in a cocktail I once had @ Heartland…) Still, not sure a comic is worth reponding to at all — not the most nuanced way to present a restaurant experience (but still evocative and very entertaining).
I’m loving this loon-a-cy! The loon’s opinion does not conform. How long will it be before loon is on the menu at Heartland? Maybe in a delicious cassoulet.
I like Heartland a lot, have been there within the last two weeks, and a handful of times over the last couple years; would go there more if I could. I think Mr. Russo’s comments are very interesting and reflect what you can expect if you go to Heartland. He is focused on vegetables, seasoning, sauces, plating. That is not to say meats there are bland, or an afterthought. They are meticulously sourced and prepared. The pork chop I had there earlier this month was utterly delicious. But after eating there a number of times, I almost always get a veg heavy meal there because those are the things that stick out in my mind from past trips.